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The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area, and play their home games in the suburb of Irving. They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Cowboys joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team. The team is sometimes referred to colloquially as America's Team due to its having a large fanbase that lives outside its immediate local area (the term itself is derived from the title of the team's 1979 NFL Films highlight film). According to Forbes Magazine, the Cowboys are one of the most valuable sports team in North America, at approximately $1.1 billion, second only to the Washington Redskins ($1.3 billion). They are also one of the wealthiest teams in the NFL generating almost $250 million in revenue per-year.

The Cowboys are one of the most successful teams in the history of the NFL, holding the league records for most consecutive winning seasons (20, from 1966 to 1985) and most seasons with at least 10 wins (24). The team has earned the most postseason appearances (27, as of 2004, which includes another league record of 54 postseason games, winning 32 of them), the most appearances in the NFC Championship Game (14). They also appeared in 2 NFL vs. AFL - The beginning of the Super Bowl era during the Super Bowl I-IV era), and the most Super Bowl appearances (8). The Cowboys became the first team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls in just 4 years (a feat that has been matched only once since, by the New England Patriots). They are also tied with the San Francisco 49ers and the Pittsburgh Steelers for having the most Super Bowl wins (5).

Most of the team's success occurred during a 30-year period from 1966 to 1996 when they qualified for the playoffs 24 times (80%), played in 14 NFC Championship Games (over half of all of the conference title games played) and took the field for 8 Super Bowls (over one quarter of all of the Super Bowl games held).

Franchise history

1960s

Originally, the formation of an NFL expansion team in Texas was met with strong opposition by Washington Redskins owner, George Preston Marshall. Despite being located in the nation's capital, Marshall's Redskins had enjoyed a monopoly as the only NFL team to represent the Southern States of the US for several decades, so a new team in Texas was unwanted competition. This came as little surprise to would-be team owners, Clint Murchison, Jr. and Bedford Wynne, so to ensure the birth of their expansion team, the men bought the rights to the Redskins fight song, "Hail to the Redskins" and threatened to refuse to allow Marshall to play the song at games. Needing the song, which had become a staple for his "professional football team of Dixie", Marshall changed his mind, and the city of Dallas, Texas, was granted an NFL franchise on January 28 1960. This early confrontation between the two franchises no doubt triggered what would become one of the more significant rivalries in the NFL, which continues even to this day.

The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, then the Dallas Rangers before settling on the nickname the Cowboys for the 1960 season. The new Dallas owners, Murchison and Wynne, immediately hired Tex Schramm to be the general manager and Tom Landry to be the head coach. In the Cowboys' first season, they finished winless with a 0-11-1 record. The following year, the Cowboys made their first NFL draft selection, selecting Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft. The year 1961 also saw the Cowboys' first victory, a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 17.

During the 1960s, the Cowboys continued to improve their team. Quarterback Don Meredith and running back Don Perkins joined the team and by 1966, the Cowboys had their first winning season (10-3-1; which began a record-setting streak of 20 straight winning seasons, unmatched by any other NFL team) and their first playoff appearance. Although the playoff game was a 34-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers, it marked the start of a record-setting eight consecutive playoff appearances. (The Cowboys would later match and extend that record, raising the bar to an NFL record 9 straight playoff appearances in 1983.) By the mid-60s, the Cowboys had become a powerful force in the NFL, sending eight players to the Pro Bowl including Cowboy legends: Bob Hayes, Chuck Howley, "Dandy" Don Meredith, Don Perkins, and future Pro Football Hall of Famers, Bob Lilly and Mel Renfro.

Similarly, the Cowboys were becoming an important part of the people of Dallas. For their first years, the Cowboys were always playing second fiddle to Lamar Hunt's Dallas Texans of the AFL because the Texans were the more established team and had the better record. But in 1963 when the Texans moved to Kansas City and became the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys became the only professional football draw in town. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas County suburb, would be completed for the 1971 season. Since they didn't leave Dallas County, there were no moves to change the name of the team.

In 1967, the Cowboys finished with a 9-5 record and had their first playoff victory: a 52-14 affair over the Cleveland Browns. They went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game. The game, which happened on December 31, 1967 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, turned out to be one of the coldest NFL games on record (about -13° F with a -40° wind chill). The Cowboys lost 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Packers quarterback Bart Starr. The game would later come to be known as the "Ice Bowl."

1970s

In the 1970s, the NFL underwent many changes as it absorbed the AFL and became a unified league, but the Cowboys also underwent many changes. Meredith and Perkins retired in 1969 and many new players were joining the organization, like Cliff Harris, Lee Roy Jordan, Rayfield Wright, Dan Reeves, plus Pro Football Hall of Famers Mike Ditka, Herb Adderly and Roger Staubach. Led by quarterback Craig Morton, the Cowboys made it to their first Super Bowl, a mistake-filled Super Bowl V, where they lost 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts courtesy of a field goal by Colts' kicker Jim O'Brien with five seconds remaining.

The Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl to Texas Stadium in week six of the 1971 season, but Dallas stumbled out of the gate by going 4-3 in the first half of the season, including losses to the mediocre New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears. Landry named Staubach as the permanent starting quarterback to start the second half of the season, and Dallas was off and running. The Cowboys won their last seven regular season games before dispatching of the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs to return to the Super Bowl. In Super Bowl VI, behind an MVP performance from Staubach and 252 yards rushing, the Cowboys crushed the upstart Miami Dolphins, 24-3, to finally shake the moniker of "Next Year's Champions". That game remains (through February 2006) the only Super Bowl where a team has held their opponent without a touchdown.

The Cowboys were now beginning to grow in popularity not just in Dallas, but nationwide. Their televised appearances on Thanksgiving Day games beginning in 1966 helped bring the Cowboys to a nationwide audience. Under Coach Landry, the so-called "Doomsday Defense" became a powerful and dominating force in the NFL and their offense was also exciting to watch.

The Cowboys faltered slightly in 1974, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. However, the Cowboys drafted well following the season, adding new legends like Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17. But the Cowboys would again taste Super Bowl victory, defeating the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. Bob Ryan, an NFL films editor, would dub the Cowboys "America's Team" following this season, a nickname that has earned derision from non-Cowboys fans but has stuck through both good times and bad.

The glory days of the Cowboys in the 1970s were coming to an end. They would reach one final Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII, losing once again at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31, despite a last-minute effort by Staubach which failed. Staubach retired following the 1979 season (replaced by punter Danny White, who did double-duty as quarterback and punter for a few years) and the Cowboys' stardom seemed to fade in the NFL.

1980s

While the Cowboys would return to the playoffs 5 times and win 2 Division Championships, the team failed to claim a single Conference Championship in the 1980s and would not return to the Super Bowl during that decade.

In the 1981 NFC Championship Game, the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers on a touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark in the final minute of play. Clark's famous leap in the end zone would come to be known as "The Catch" and represented a changing of the guard in the NFC from the dominant Cowboys teams of the 1970s to the dominant 49ers teams of the 1980s.

In 1984, H.R. "Bum" Bright purchased the Dallas Cowboys from Murchison, but following seasons that were getting progressively worse (1985: 10-6; 1986: 7-9; 1987: 7-8; 1988: 3-13), Bright sold the Cowboys to Jerry Jones on February 25, 1989. Jones promptly fired Tom Landry, the only coach the Cowboys had ever known, and replaced him with University of Miami head coach, Jimmy Johnson. With the first pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman and traded away veteran running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for five veteran players and eight draft choices. The Cowboys finished the 1989 season with a 1-15 record, the worst record since the team's inception, but the foundations for the Cowboys' return to glory had been set.

1990s

In 1990, the Cowboys drafted running back Emmitt Smith out of the University of Florida with the 17th overall pick in the first round, and the trifecta of quarterback Troy Aikman, and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set. The Cowboys finished 7-9, but Smith was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and Johnson was selected as Coach of the Year. By 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time in six years.

In 1992, the Cowboys finished with a 13-3 record (second best in the league) and finally avenged their 1981 NFC Championship Game loss to San Francisco by defeating the 49ers in the conference title game, 30-20, in a muddy Candlestick Park. The Cowboys went on to crush the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, 52-17, forcing a Super Bowl record 9 turnovers. Coach Johnson became the first coach to claim a National Championship in college football and a Super Bowl victory in professional football. The following season, the Cowboys finished with 12-4, again defeating the 49ers in the NFC Championship, only this time at Texas Stadium, and again defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13. The Cowboys sent an NFL record 11 players to the Pro Bowl: Aikman, Smith, Irvin, Thomas Everett, Daryl Johnston, Russell Maryland, Nate Newton, Ken Norton Jr, Jay Novacek, Mark Stepnoski and Erik Williams.

However, Johnson and owner Jerry Jones had a falling out, so Johnson left the organization prior to the 1994 season. Jones hired former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer to be the team's new head coach. The Cowboys would finish 12-4, but failed to win a consecutive third Super Bowl in a loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 38-28. In 1995, Jones lured All-Pro Cornerback Deion Sanders away from San Francisco and Dallas would once again post a 12-4 regular season record. The Cowboys won their fourth straight Division Championship (17th total) and advanced to their 8th NFC Championship title by defeating the Green Bay Packers at Texas Stadium, 38-27. The Cowboys eventually defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 27-17 at Sun Devil Stadium, in Super Bowl XXX, getting revenge against the Steelers for the two four-point losses in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII.

However, the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to dim as free agency and injuries began taking their toll. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997, with discipline and off-field problems becoming major distractions. As a result, Switzer resigned as head coach in January of 1998 and former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take his place. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after an 8-8 season in 1999, becoming the first Cowboys coach who did not win a Super Bowl.

2000s to present

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons, with his fate likely being sealed by an opening day loss in 2002 to the expansion Houston Texans. Many fans and media were beginning to blame Owner Jones for the team's ills, noting that he refused to hire a strong coach, preferring to hire coaches who didn't want to be involved with personnel duties so that Jones himself could manage them.

However, Jones proved them wrong in 2003 by luring Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys. The Cowboys became the surprise team of the 2003 season, posting a 10-6 record and a Playoff berth with the best overall defense in the NFL. However, the 2004 season was one of turmoil. Injuries and persistent penalty problems hobbled the Cowboys, but a preseason quarterback controversy also caused trouble when Quincy Carter was suddenly terminated for alleged drug use in favor of 40-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde, brought to the Cowboys from the New York Jets by his former coach in the off-season. The Cowboys started strong, with victories against the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins, but quickly fell off to a 3-5 record by midseason, finishing the season 6-10.

In November of 2004, a vote was passed by the City of Arlington in Tarrant County to build a new stadium adjacent to the existing Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The deadline for either the City of Arlington or the Dallas Cowboys to back out of the deal for the new stadium has passed. The team will begin playing at the new site in 2009 after thirty-eight years playing in the City of Irving, and forty-nine years in the entire Dallas County.

The Cowboys improved their defense before the 2005-2006 season with the additions of first round draft picks Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears. Parcells drafted these two in the hopes of jumpstarting the team's transition from the traditional 4-3 defense to his preferred 3-4 defense, which he believes favors the talents (speed and athleticism over power) of the current lineup. Jerry Jones also added a number of savvy veteran players, acquiring nose tackle Jason Ferguson and cornerback Anthony Henry via free agency, and linebacker Scott Fujita via the Kansas City Chiefs. On offense, the Cowboys felt the need to upgrade their passing game to complement their top 2004 draft pick, running back Julius Jones, acquiring both quarterback Drew Bledsoe and wide receiver Peerless Price via free agency. Bledsoe had a solid year and gave the Cowboys stability at the QB position, but Price battled injuries and a lack of playing time, and Price was released at the end of the 2005 season. The Cowboys finished an up-and-down 2005 season with a 9-7 record, and in 3rd place in the NFC East.

Currently during his tenure, Bill Parcells has made a point of signing players that "he can trust" and that have played for him on past teams such as the New England Patriots or the New York Jets. In addition to Testaverde, some of these players included quarterback Drew Bledsoe, wide receiver Terry Glenn, cornerback Aaron Glenn, wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and fullback Richie Anderson. Anderson is currently retired and Johnson signed with the Carolina Panthers after the 2005 season.

During the 2006 offseason, the team signed several high profile players, including kicker Mike Vanderjagt, linebacker Akin Ayodele, offensive linemen Jason Fabini and Kyle Kosier, safety Marcus Coleman, and highly controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens, who has developed a reputation for causing conflicts with teammates, coaches, opposing players, and fans. The Cowboys also lost veteran leadership in the locker room, after losing defensive tackle La'Roi Glover to the St. Louis Rams, tight end Dan Campbell to the Detroit Lions, and linebacker Dat Nguyen to a career ending injury.

In the 2006 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected linebacker Bobby Carpenter of Ohio State in the first round. Bobby's father, Rob, had once played for coach Bill Parcells during his tenure with the New York Giants. Also in the draft, the Cowboys used their second pick (acquired from the New York Jets) on Notre Dame TE Anthony Fasano. The rest of their picks included Grambling St. DE Jason Hatcher, Louisiana St. WR Skyler Green, Florida St. Safety Pat Watkins, Louisville DT Montavious Stanley, Weber St. OT Pat McQuistan, and Texas Tech OT E.J. Whitley.

Logo and uniforms

When the Cowboys debuted in 1960, the team's logo was a simple blue star. The team wore blue jerseys with white sleeves and small stars on their shoulders. They also wore white helmets with just the plain blue star as their logo.

Dallas started to use their current logo and uniform design in 1964. The star logo was modified to include a white border/pinstripe. Although the current uniform design has undergone a series of minor changes through the years, it basically consists of silver helmets, silver pants, and either white or blue jerseys.

Currently, the white jerseys have royal blue numbers, lettering, and two stripes on the sleeves outlined in black. The dark jerseys feature a navy blue (similar to that of the star logo) with white numbers and lettering. The team wears pearlish silver-colored pants with the blue jerseys. However, metallic silver-blue-green-colored pants are worn with the white jerseys to further bring out the royal blue numbers and stripes. The Cowboys also use a serifed font for the lettering on the jersey nameplates.

Other than the 1965 season when there were three blue stripes on the sleeves, or the 1996 addition of the word "Cowboys" in the center of the neckline which lasted until 1998, the white jerseys have roughly remained the same since 1964.

However, the blue jerseys have been modified a bit more. They were originally more of a royal blue as opposed to the darker shade of navy worn today. The numbers and stripes were changed from solid white to silver with white borders in 1981. Then in 1996, a white/gray/white stripe was added to the sleeves as well as the Cowboys star logo. The white/gray/white stripe was also added onto the V-neck collar as well. The numbers now became all white with a navy pinstripe border (much like the navy Double Star), and the "Cowboys" logo mark was placed on the neckline. Because of the combination of the Cowboys star logo and the stripes on the sleeves, the 1996-present version became known as either the "Stars and Stripes" or "Stars and Bars" jersey.

During the 1976 season, the team honored the United States Bicentennial by having the centerstripes down their helmets be red, white, and blue instead of their traditional blue, white, and blue stripe pattern.

On a November 24 1994 Thanksgiving day game against the Green Bay Packers (who is one of the cowboys main rivals), Dallas unveiled a white alternate jersey entitled the "Double-Star". It featured two giant Cowboy stars on each shoulder, each one representing their back-to-back championships in Super Bowls XXVII and XXVIII during the previous two seasons. This jersey featured a white torso with royal blue sleeves, stars, and numbers which had a white pinstripe. It also featured a chest crest with the word "Cowboys" under the Cowboys star logo. The team wore their silver pants with this jersey. (A version of this design that was seen in the 1994 film Little Giants featured solid blue colored pants with a giant star on each hip, but it was never actually used by the Cowboys). The Double-Star jerseys were later worn during the December 4 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, the December 19 Monday Night Football game against the New Orleans Saints, the December 24 contest versus the New York Giants, and throughout the 1994 season playoffs. Traditional Cowboy fans shunned the "Double-Star", but to this day it arguably remains one of the most popular and highly sought after jerseys in the NFL.

At the time, the NFL only allowed each team to wear two jerseys during the season, a white and a dark, colored one. Therefore, for the following 1995 season the Cowboys reverted back to their traditional white jerseys, but wore navy versions of the Double-Star jerseys instead of their normal blue jerseys. The navy Double-Star jerseys were not seen again until Thanksgiving games against the Denver Broncos in 2001, the Washington Redskins in 2002, and the Miami Dolphins in 2003.

In the 2004 season, the Cowboys revived their 1962 throwback uniforms featuring white helmets and pants for their Thanksgiving showdown against the Chicago Bears. The 1962 uniforms became the team's alternate jersey in 2005, as they wore them during a September 19 Monday night game against Washington as well as another Thanksgiving game against Denver.

The Cowboys were the first NFL team to primarily wear their white jerseys at home, as oppose to most other teams who wear their colored jerseys at home. This tradition started in the 1960s by then-general manager Tex Schramm, who wanted a single look for his team that every fan would see, whether they were playing at home or on the road. He also used it as a novelty so that Cowboys fans would see the opponents' colors. * Since then, two other NFL teams, the Dolphins and the Redskins, have followed the tradition of wearing their white jerseys at home.

Throughout the years, the Cowboys' blue jerseys have been popularly viewed to be "jinxed" due to the coincidence that they always seem to lose when they wore them. Most of the time, Dallas will wear their blue jerseys when they visit Miami; Washington; or one of the handful of teams, such as the Houston Texans or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that traditionally wear their white jerseys at home during the first half of the season due to the hot subtropical climates in their respective cities. But on some occasions, opposing teams will purposely wear their white jerseys at home to try and jinx the Cowboys.

The Cowboys have lost the following playoff games when wearing their dark jerseys:

Season-by-season records

1960 0 11 1 7th West -- 1961 4 9 1 6th East -- 1962 5 8 1 5th East -- 1963 4 10 0 5th East -- 1964 5 8 1 5th East -- 1965 7 7 0 2nd East -- 1966 10 3 1 1st East Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers) 1967 9 5 0 1st Capitol Won Divisional Playoffs (Browns)
Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers) 1968 12 2 0 1st Capitol Lost Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 1969 11 2 1 1st Capitol Lost Divisional Playoffs (Browns) 1970 10 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Lions)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Lost Super Bowl V (B. Colts) 1971 11 3 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl VI (Dolphins) 1972 10 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (49ers)
Lost Conference Championship (Redskins) 1973 10 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
Lost Conference Championship (Vikings) 1974 8 6 0 3rd NFC East -- 1975 10 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams)
Lost Super Bowl X (Steelers) 1976 11 3 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) 1977 12 2 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings)
Won Super Bowl XII (Broncos) 1978 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams)
Lost Super Bowl XIII (Steelers) 1979 11 5 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) 1980 12 4 0 2nd NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams)
Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons)
Lost Conference Championship (Eagles) 1981 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers)
Lost Conference Championship (49ers) 1982 6 3 0 2nd NFC Conf. Won First Round (Buccaneers)
Won Second Round (Packers)
Lost Conference Championship (Redskins) 1983 12 4 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams) 1984 9 7 0 4th NFC East -- 1985 10 6 0 1st NFC East Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) 1986 7 9 0 3rd NFC East -- 1987 7 8 0 4th NFC East -- 1988 3 13 0 5th NFC East -- 1989 1 15 0 5th NFC East -- 1990 7 9 0 4th NFC East -- 1991 11 5 0 2nd NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bears)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Lions) 1992 13 3 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl XXVII (Bills) 1993 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Won Conference Championship (49ers)
Won Super Bowl XXVIII (Bills) 1994 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers)
Lost Conference Championship (49ers) 1995 12 4 0 1st NFC East Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles)
Won Conference Championship (Packers)
Won Super Bowl XXX (Steelers) 1996 10 6 0 1st NFC East Won Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings)
Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers) 1997 6 10 0 4th NFC East -- 1998 10 6 0 1st NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Cardinals) 1999 8 8 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings) 2000 5 11 0 4th NFC East -- 2001 5 11 0 5th NFC East -- 2002 5 11 0 4th NFC East -- 2003 10 6 0 2nd NFC East Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Panthers) 2004 6 10 0 3rd NFC East -- 2005 9 7 0 3rd NFC East -- Totals 424 314 6 (including NFL playoffs)

Players of note

Current players

Pro Football Hall of Famers


Due to the rich history of the Cowboys from the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s, one would assume that the Cowboys would have a large number of inductees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, they do not. Many have raised strong arguments asking why many Cowboys legends have been snubbed by the Hall's induction committee, especially those who played during the decade of the 1970s. On the Pro Football Hall of Fame's 1970s all-decade team (selected by the same group as the one charged with picking the inductees), there are six Dallas Cowboys (Drew Pearson, Rayfield Wright, Roger Staubach, Harvey Martin, Bob Lilly, and Cliff Harris) and eight Pittsburgh Steelers (Lynn Swann, Mike Webster, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, LC Greenwood, Mean Joe Greene, Jack Ham and Jack Lambert)*. Of those, only three Cowboys have been inducted (Wright, Staubach and Lilly) versus seven Steelers (all but Greenwood). Not including the two kickers and one punter on the team, the three Cowboys are among only eleven players on the forty-five man roster not in the Hall.

Others point out that many of the teams ahead of Dallas in number of inductees have been around much longer. The top five teams (the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins, respectively) were all founded in 1933 or before. The Cowboys were founded in 1960. Others argue that the defensive players for the Cowboys in the 1970s operated under an ingenious system devised by Head Coach Tom Landry (see above) which inflated the public's perception of their supposed skill. The debate over an anti-Cowboys bias still rages today. **

(*)The NFL does not officially identify players with the team with whom they played most of their career. All teams for whom a player played are recognized equally.

(**)Numbers do not include players who played a minority of their career with the Cowboys or other teams. For example, Lance Alworth played for the San Diego Chargers from 1962-1970, and with the Cowboys from 1971-1972. He is not included in the nine for the Cowboys, nor is Mike Ditka, who played for 8 years with the Bears and Eagles before ending his career with a four-year stint with the Cowboys.

Super Bowl MVPs

Although the Cowboys are tied with the 49ers and Steelers for the most Super Bowl victories with 5, Dallas actually holds the record for the most Super Bowl MVPs with 7:
  • Linebacker Chuck Howley was named the MVP for Super Bowl V, despite the Cowboys' loss to the Baltimore Colts. He is currently the only member of a losing team to win the award. In recording two interceptions and a fumble recovery during the game, Howley was the first defensive player to win the honor after the first four were given to quarterbacks.
  • Roger Staubach became the fifth overall quarterback to win the award after Dallas' win over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI. He completed 12 out of 19 passes for 119 yards, threw 2 touchdown passes, and rushed 5 times for 18 yards.
  • Super Bowl XII marked the first time that two players won MVP honors: defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin. Their win over the Denver Broncos also marked the first time that a defensive lineman won the award.
  • Troy Aikman became the second Cowboys quarterback to earn the MVP honor as he led the Cowboys to victory against the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII. Aikman completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for 28 yards.
  • Running back Emmitt Smith was named Super Bowl XXVIII MVP after his 30 carries for 132 yard, 4 receptions for 26 yards, and two touchdowns led Dallas to a victory again over the Buffalo Bills. In that same year, Smith became the first player to win the NFL rushing title (i.e. lead the league in rushing), the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and Super Bowl MVP all in one season.
  • Larry Brown became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, recording two interceptions for a total of 77 return yards in Super Bowl XXX. The Cowboys sealed the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by converting Brown's interceptions into 2 touchdowns.

Retired numbers/"Ring of Honor"

Unlike many NFL teams, the Cowboys do not retire jersey numbers of past standouts as a matter of policy. Instead, the team has a "Ring of Honor", which is on permanent display encircling the field at Texas Stadium in Irving. The first inductee was Bob Lilly in 1975 and by 2005, the hallowed ring contained 17 names, all former Dallas players except for one head coach and one general manager/president.

The most recent inductees were: Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, known as "The Triplets". The Cowboys waited until Smith had retired as a player before inducting Aikman and Irvin, so all three could be inducted together, which occurred during half time at a Monday Night Football home game against the arch-rival Washington Redskins on September 19, 2005 (Cowboys lost 14-13).

Although the team doesn't officially retire jersey numbers, in the 2005 season, the numbers of "Ring of Honor" inductees Aikman (8), Staubach (12), Meredith (17), Hayes and Smith (22), Perkins and Harris (43) and Lilly (74) were not being worn by any Cowboys player.

Other notable alumni

The following is a list of players who also made valuable contributions to the Dallas Cowboys, but are not in either the Pro Football Hall of Fame or the Ring of Honor:


Head coaches

The following table shows each coach's record while with the Cowboys. (Since some coached other NFL teams, their overall record may differ.)
1960-1988 Tom Landry (270-178-6) Ranked 3rd All-Time (5 Super Bowl appearances, 2 victories) 20 Straight winning seasons.
1989-1993 Jimmy Johnson (51-37) (2 Super Bowl appearances, 2 victories)
1994-1997 Barry Switzer (45-26) (1 Super Bowl appearance, 1 victory)
1998-1999 Chan Gailey (18-14)
2000-2002 Dave Campo (15-33)
2003-Present Bill Parcells (25-24)

Current Staff

Broadcasters

The Cowboys franchise has a rich history of producing well-known sportscasters over the years: the most famous of which is Verne Lundquist, who served as voice of the Cowboys from 1972 until 1984. Bill Mercer and Frank Glieber also were Cowboys announcers from the early days of the organization until Lundquist's arrival as a color analyst. Verne's new analyst, Brad Sham, joined him in 1977, became the new play-by-play announcer in 1984 and has been with the Cowboys ever since, except for a three-year hiatus between 1995 and 1998 (when Dave Garrett was the play-by-play announcer). 2005 will be Brad Sham's 26th year with the organization; 18 of those years as play-by-play announcer. Charlie Waters is the color analyst, and Kristi Scales is the sideline reporter.

The Cowboys Radio Network for many years was on KRLD, 103.5 KVIL and then on 98.7 KLUV-FM. Starting in 2006, Cowboys games will be heard on 1310 The Ticket KTCK-AM and 93.3 The Bone KDBN-FM. It was confirmed that Brad Sham and Kristi Scales were to return, however Babe Laufenberg was not retained, On May 4, 2006, The Cowboys announced former safety Charlie Waters would be taking over the color commentary duties.* Waters previously worked with Sham in 1979 when he missed much of the season due to an injury, including the famous Redskins-Cowboys game in which the Cowboys rallied from a 16-point deficit to win the game in the final five minutes of the contest.

Additionally, several former players and coaches for the Dallas Cowboys picked up the broadcast microphone:

  • Don Meredith - became a color commentator for ABC's Monday Night Football beginning in 1970. For years, he was paired alongside Frank Gifford and Howard Cosell. Meredith retired from sportscasting after the 1984 season, one year after Cosell's retirement.
  • Drew Pearson - has worked exclusively as a sportscaster for such networks as CBS and HBO since his retirement in 1983. He currently hosts the KLUV Dallas Cowboys post-game show.
  • Daryl Johnston - aka "Moose" is a color commentator for the NFL on Fox telecasts, teaming with Dick Stockton and Tony Siragusa on the sidelines.
  • Troy Aikman - joined Fox's NFC telecasts as a color commentator for the 2001 season. A year later, he was named to the network's lead announcing crew, teaming with Joe Buck and Cris Collinsworth. Aikman received an Emmy Award nomination for his television work in 2004, and worked Fox's broadcast of Super Bowl XXXIX in January of 2005. Aikman also hosts a weekly sports radio show which airs on Thursday from 5 p.m.-6 p.m. ET on Sporting News Radio.
  • Michael Irvin - co-hosted NBC Sports studio coverage of Arena Football League games in 2003. He now co-anchors the widely-viewed Sunday football pre-game show Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown on ESPN.
  • Emmitt Smith - signed on to serve as a studio analyst on the NFL Network show, NFL Total Access in August 2005.
  • Deion Sanders - worked as a sports pre-game commentator for CBS' The NFL Today after retiring from the NFL in 2001. He remained with CBS until 2004 when contract negotiations failed. Sanders frequently made guest appearances on ESPN, especially on the ESPN Radio Dallas affiliate, and briefly hosted a show called The New American Sportsman. In 2004, he returned to professional football, playing for the Baltimore Ravens before retiring again after the 2005 season.
  • Jimmy Johnson - became a TV analyst for Fox Sports after retiring from coaching in 1999, and (as of 2005) he is part of their pregame show.
  • Butch Davis - after a stint as head coach of the Cleveland Browns, the former Defensive Coordinator and coach of the Dallas Cowboys Defensive Line is seen on NFL Playbook, an NFL Network program.
  • Darren Woodson - worked as a color analyst for two NFL Europe games in the summer of 2004, before signing on as an occasional studio analyst with ESPN.

Notable moments

The following is a selected list of memorable Cowboys games

January 17, 1971, Super Bowl V vs. Baltimore Colts

Linebacker Chuck Howley is named Super Bowl MVP, despite the Cowboys losing to the Colts 16-13. It was the first time a defensive player was named Most Valuable Player, and the only time the MVP came from the losing team.

December 28, 1975, at Minnesota Vikings, NFC Divisional Playoff Game

The term Hail Mary pass first came to national awareness with this game. With 24 seconds left in the game, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, nicknamed "Captain Comeback", threw a desperate 50-yard winning touchdown pass to Drew Pearson to defeat the Vikings, 17-14. Though Staubach didn't coin the term "Hail Mary pass", he is credited with making the expression popular.

January 3, 1983, at Minnesota Vikings

Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett sets an NFL record for the longest run from scrimmage with a 99-yard touchdown. Oddly, the Cowboys only had 10 players on the field at the time. The Vikings however won the game 31-27.

January 31, 1993, vs. Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVII

With the Cowboys holding an insurmountable 52-17 lead late in the fourth quarter, Dallas defensive lineman Leon Lett picked up a Bills fumble and appeared to be headed for a 64-yard touchdown. As Lett started to showboat just before crossing the goal line, Buffalo receiver Don Beebe raced in and knocked the ball into the end zone. The ball then rolled out of bounds for a touchback. Had Lett scored, the Cowboys would have broken the record for most points scored in a Super Bowl (the San Francisco 49ers hold that record with 55 points in Super Bowl XXIV).

November 25, 1993, vs. Miami Dolphins

On the day of the annual Thanksgiving Classic (the Detroit Lions also play every Thanksgiving), the city of Dallas would be hit with the 4th coldest weather in the town's history, causing the city $50 million worth of damage and two deaths in Dallas County.*

Dallas County was ill-prepared for the sudden freeze, and Texas Stadium even more so. Originally designed to be a domed roof, the prototype was too costly, leaving a hole in the middle. Though patrons of the stadium were covered, the playing field was not. * Before the game, a mini-bulldozer had to scrape ice off the frozen AstroTurf. The temperature with 32 degrees; the wind chill in single digits, and ice and snow continued to pour into the stadium's roof. "It was so bad that we might as well have worn ice skates," said running back Emmitt Smith, who became the 4th all-time rusher that day, surpassing 5,000 yards despite a game-ending injury the week before. On the other side, Steve DeBerg, Miami's 3rd string quarterback, was sent into the starting lineup due to injuries to the first and second string quarterbacks.

After a 77-yard touchdown run, Miami running back Keith Byars flopped down in the end zone and celebrated by making snow angels. Not to be outdone, speedy wide receiver and return man Kevin Williams returned a 64-yard punt and was able to slide the last ten yards into the end zone, with one arm in the air in a mock split, keeping his knee off the turf the entire time. The press dubbed it as the Statue of Liberty play.

With the score 14-13 with 15 seconds left in the game, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich attempted a 41-yard game winning field goal. But the ball was tipped by defensive lineman Jimmie Jones and spun forward toward the Cowboys' end zone. Players from both teams stayed away from the ball, because a blocked field goal is usually ignored according to the rule book. But Lett tried to jump on the ball, and instead slid on the slick field, grazing the ball, and thus making it a live ball (i.e. a fumble). Jeff Dellenbach of the Dolphins recovered the ball at the 2-yard line, and Stoyanovich then kicked a 20-yard field goal as time expired, and Miami won 16-14.

Ironically, there would never again be precipitation at Texas Stadium on Thanksgiving Day.

January 2, 1994, at New York Giants

In the final game of the regular season, running back Emmitt Smith rushed for 168 yards, including 41 of them in the game-winning overtime drive, despite suffering a severely 2nd degree separated shoulder in the first half of the game. After the 16-13 Cowboys victory, former Hall of Fame coach and sports broadcaster John Madden would visit Smith in the Cowboys' locker room – the only time Madden ever visited a player as a commentator.

November 18, 1996, vs. Green Bay Packers

Kicker Chris Boniol scores seven field goals, tying the NFL record for most field goals in a single game. Seven years later on September 15, 2003, Dallas kicker Billy Cundiff would tie that record against the Giants. The two kickers they tied were Jim Bakken (St. Louis Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, September 24, 1967) and Rich Karlis (Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams, November 5, 1989). *

September 24, 2000, vs. San Francisco 49ers

Best known as the "Star Incident", 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens celebrated his two touchdowns against the Cowboys by running to the center of Texas Stadium. The first TD by holding his hands out to the heavens and the second by slamming the ball into the Cowboys star logo just before Dallas safety George Teague caught up with Owens and [http://youtube.com/watch?v=Uq4giZcz5fU&search=george%20teague blasted him off of the star, leading to his ejection from the game. In between Owens' 2 touchdowns, Emmitt Smith scored a TD of his own, ran and kneeled onto the star himself, slammed the ball down, and stared down the 49ers bench yelling "This is our house!!". This lead to the popular "Defend the Star" slogan used for Emmitt Smith's rush for the record in 2002. However, the 49ers won the game, 41-24. and the NFL fined Smith, Teague and Owens for their actions in the game. 49ers coach Steve Mariucci also suspended Owens for a week, docking him a week's pay.

In a rematch on Dec. 31, 2001 between the two teams that saw the Cowboys exact revenge on their most hated rival, Teague broke up a pass to Owens in the end zone, then flung Owens to the turf. The Cowboys won, [http://the-croc.com/cowboys/01sched.html 27-21.

September 19, 2005, vs. Washington Redskins

Three former Cowboys were picked to be placed in the Ring of Honor in 2005 - running back Emmitt Smith (1990-2002), wide receiver Michael Irvin (1988-1999), and quarterback Troy Aikman (1989-2000). Known throughout the league as "The Triplets", they were the backbone of a team that would win three Super Bowls in 4 years. The trifecta became the first players from the Jerry Jones era to be placed into the Ring. "When you look at what each of these men did for those teams that became the best in the NFL," said Jones, "and how they complimented each other, it's fitting that Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith are going in the Ring of Honor together".

Irvin, Smith and Aikman were honored during halftime, where the Cowboys enjoyed a comfortable lead over the Redskins in the 2005 season opener. It appeared that Dallas was going to get a shutout, leading 13-0 with 5:58 left in the game. But on a fourth-and-15 drive from the Dallas 39, quarterback Mark Brunell would throw to Santana Moss, who ran in for a touchdown. Solid defense plus a penalty against Flozell Adams put the ball back in Washington's hands. Again, Brunell would find Moss - this time, for a 70-yard touchdown pass. Dallas got the ball back, but couldn't penetrate Washington's defense.

Until that game, Washington hadn't won in Texas Stadium since 1995 and lost 14 of the last 15 meetups with Dallas; Parcells hadn't given up a 13-point lead in 58 games, while Washington had lost 25 consecutive games when they were behind in the 3rd quarter.

The teams would meet again on Dec. 18th at FedEx Field - this time, for a spot in the East Wild Card game. In what was called "Washington's most one-sided victory in the 45-year history of the rivalry", the Redskins defeated the Cowboys, 35-7. Though the teams had the same record at the end of the game (8-6), Washington would get the go-ahead because they'd beaten Dallas twice.

See also

External links

1960 establishments | Dallas Cowboys | National Football League teams

ড্যালাস কাউবয়েস | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | Cowboys de Dallas | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | ダラス・カウボーイズ | Dallas Cowboys | Dallas Cowboys | 达拉斯牛仔

 

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