National Football League
Dallas Cowboys
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Cowboys History
The Dallas Cowboys first game was on September 24, 1960 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The game would be indicative of the season as the Steelers nudged the Cowboys 35-24. The team finished the year with a 0-11-1 record. It would take 6 seasons before the Cowboys cracked the playoffs and another 4 before the team fielded a championship team.
Super Bowl V saw the Dallas Cowboys matched up against the Baltimore Colts and became known as the Blunder Bowl because of the many mistakes on both teams. The Cowboys would lose their first ticket to the big dance 16-13 but they vowed to return and they did. Super Bowl VI saw the Cowboys matched up against the Miami Dolphins. The Boys took a slim 10-3 lead into the halftime and completely shut the Dolphins down in the second half winning their first title 24-3.
The decade of the 70's would bring 5 Super Bowl appearances and 2 Championships. The 80's was a decade of mediocrity for the Cowboys. The 1984 season found the cowboys out of the playoffs for just the 2nd time in 24 years. 1987 brought the NFL Strike and the team finished the year 7-8 and failed to make playoffs. The 1988 season the team would not fair much better as they went a dismal 3-13, got bought out by Jerry Jones who promptly fired GM Tex Schramm. The team began anew as Jones fired Tom Landry and hired Jimmy Johnson (who was fresh from the University of Miami) up with a 1-15 1989 season in Troy Aikman's rookie year.
It would not take long for Coach Johnson to put together a championship caliber team. In 1991 they again made the playoffs with an 11-7 record but lost to a game Detroit Lions team. 1992 marked the return of Americas Team as the Boys not only made the playoffs but after a 15 year absence made it all the way into Super Bowl XXVII. Faced against the Buffalo Bills, the Boys would go into halftime up 28-10. By the final whistle, the lead had ballooned to a 52-17 victory.
The next season, Coach Jimmy Johnson made history when he became only the 6th Coach in NFL History to win two consecutive Super Bowls. (Lombardi, Shula, Noll, Shanahan and Belichick) as he again coached the Boys to a 30-13 win over the Miami Dolphins.
Halfway through the 1994 season, the Cowboys would again be in the spot light but not for its performance on the field, rather for the feud brewing between Coach Johnson and Owner Jerry Jones which became a public soap opera. After the resignation of Coach Johnson, Jerry Jones hired on former Oklahoma Head Coach Berry Switzer to take the helm of the team. Switzer would inherit a super bowl caliber team but would fail to escape the NFC Championship game against the 49ers losing by 10, 38-28.
Switzer would bring the team back to the championship series in 1995 as he led the Cowboys to Tempe Arizona to face their hated rival of the 70's the Pittsburgh Steelers. While the Boys took an early lead the Steelers would make a game of it scoring 10 unanswered points and bringing the game within 3 at 20-17. CB Larry Brown would seal the deal for the Boys as he intercepted a 2nd Neal O'Donnell pass setting up Emmitt Smith for a touchdown and ending the game 27-17.
To date, the Cowboys have not played in another Super Bowl.
The Cowboys have made the playoffs 29 times in 49 seasons, have been Division Champions 20 times (1966, 67, 68, 69, 1970, 71, 72, 73, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 1981, 85, 1992, 93, 94, 95, 96, 98 and 2007) have won the NFC Championship 16 times (1966, 67, 1970, 71, 72, 73, 75, 77, 78, 1980, 81, 82, 1992, 93, 94 and 1995). They have appeared in 8 Super Bowls (1970, 71, 75, 77, 78, 1992, 93 and 1995), and have been Super Bowl Champions 5 times (1971, 1977, 1992, 1993 and 1995).
The team has had 16 Hall of Famers on their rosters: Herb Adderley (1970-72), Troy Aikman (1989-2000), Lance Alworth (1971-72), Mike Ditka (1969-1972), Tony Dorsett (1977-1987), Forrest Gregg (1971), Michael Irvin (1988-1999), Coach Tom Landry (1960-1988), Bob Lily (1961-1974), Tommy McDonald (1964), Mel Renfro (1964-1977), President Tex Schramm (1960-1988), Jackie Smith (1978), Roger Staubach (1969-1979), Randy White (1975-1988) and Rayfield Wright (1967-1979).
The Cowboys have retired 17 Jerseys but in lieu of that they elect their teammates into the Ring of Honor. The inductees are: Troy Aikman, Tony Dorsett, Bob Hayes, Cliff Harris, Chuck Howley, Michael Irvin, Lee Roy Jordan, Coach Tom Landry, Bob Lily, Don Meredith, Don Perkins, Mel Renfro, President Tex Schramm, Emmitt Smith, Roger Staubach, Randy White and Rayfield Wright.
Team Awards include 1 Coach of the Year (1966 Tom Landry), 4 Offensive Rookie of the Year Awards (1969 Calvin Hill, 1970 Duane Thomas, 1977 Tony Dorsett and 1990 Emmitt Smith), 1 Defensive Player of the Year (1977 Harvey Martin) and 1 NFL MVP Award (1993 Emmitt Smith).
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