| |
 Dallas
Cowboys, professional football team and one of
five teams in the Eastern Division of the
National Football Conference (NFC) of the
National Football League (NFL). The Cowboys play
at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas, and wear
uniforms of blue, silver, and white. The team
takes its name from the states cattle ranching
history, and the star on the players helmets is
emblematic of Texass nickname, the Lone Star
State. Tom Landry Dressed in a jacket, tie, and
trademark hat, coach Tom Landry was a familiar
sight on the Dallas Cowboys sideline from 1960
to 1988. During his 29-year career the Hall of
Fame strategist guided the Cowboys to five Super
Bowl appearances and compiled 270 career
wins.SportsChrome-USA Dallas is one of the most
successful franchises in NFL history, having
appeared in eight Super Bowlsmore than any
other team. The Cowboys won five of these games,
a record matched only by the San Francisco
49ers. Tom Landry, one of the most successful
coaches in professional football history, led
the club to two Super Bowl victories during the
1970s, with teams starring safety Mel Renfro and
quarterback Roger Staubach.
|
Under head coaches Jimmy Johnson and
Barry Switzer, the team won three Super
Bowls during the 1990s, with lineups
featuring quarterback Troy Aikman and
running back Emmitt Smith. The Cowboys
joined the NFL as an expansion team in
1960. During its first season, the team
failed to win a single game. In 1965,
under Landry, the Cowboys earned their
first of nine consecutive trips to the
playoffs. Quarterback Don Meredith,
receiver Bob Hayes, and running back Dan
Reeves propelled Dallas to consecutive
NFL Championship Games in 1966 and 1967.
Both years, the Green Bay Packers
defeated the Cowboys and went on to win
the Super Bowl. (Before 1971, the NFL
and American Football League champions
met in the Super Bowl after their
respective league championships.) Dallas
reached Super Bowl V in 1971 after
defeating the Houston Oilers (now
Tennessee Titans) and the Detroit Lions
in the playoffs. |
 |
|
|
The
NFL crown evaded the Cowboys, however, as
they lost the game on a last-minute field
goal by the Baltimore Colts (now
Indianapolis Colts). The next year Roger
Staubach took over as quarterback and led
the league in passing; he was named the 1972
NFC player of the year. The Dallas defensive
lineup that year was called the Doomsday
Defense because of the way it overwhelmed
Dallass opponents. Outstanding players
included linebackers Chuck Howley and Lee
Roy Jordan, end Bob Lilly, and safety Mel
Renfro. |
|
 |
|
The franchise won its first Super Bowl
that year, besting the Miami Dolphins
24-3. Under Landry the Cowboys became
the NFCs most consistent team of the
1970s and early 1980s. Landrys highly
sophisticated game plans produced one of
the NFCs most potent offenses, and the
team made three more trips to the NFL
title game. The Cowboys lost to the
Pittsburgh Steelers in 1976, defeated
the Denver Broncos in 1978, and lost to
the Steelers in 1979 in one of the most
thrilling Super Bowls ever played.
Pittsburghs quarterback Terry Bradshaw
had passed for four touchdowns and the
Steelers led the game 35-17 with 6
minutes 51 seconds left to play. But
Staubach then passed for a quick
touchdown, and the Cowboys recovered an
onside kick that led to another Dallas
score. A second onside kick attempt
failed, however, and Pittsburgh won the
game, 35-31. Dallass many standouts
during this period included several
future Hall of Fame members, including
running back Tony Dorsett and wide
receivers Tony Hill and Drew Pearson. On
defense, end Ed Too Tall Jones and
tackle Randy White, also a future Hall
of Famer, were two of the eras most
feared pass-rushers. Dallas entered a
rebuilding phase in the late 1980s, and
after three consecutive losing seasons,
Landry retired in 1989. During his
career at Dallas, Landry made 19
postseason appearances in 29 seasons. |
|
|
With
270 career wins he ranks behind only Don
Shula (347) and George Halas (324) on the
NFL career list. Landrys replacement was
former University of Miami head coach Jimmy
Johnson. After two losing seasons he guided
Dallas back to the postseason in 1991.
Johnson earned coach of the year honors in
1990 for his rebuilding success. His Dallas
teams featured quarterback Troy Aikman, wide
receiver Michael Irvin, tight end Jay
Novacek, and running back Emmitt Smith. In
1993 Smith became only the fourth player to
win three consecutive NFL rushing titles,
joining Jim Brown, Earl Campbell, and Steve
Van Buren. Dallas captured back-to-back
Super Bowls in 1993 and 1994, routing the
Buffalo Bills in both games. After a
disagreement with team owner Jerry Jones,
Johnson left the Cowboys. Former University
of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer then
headed the team from 1994 to 1997. Switzer
guided the franchise to a fifth Super Bowl
success with a victory over the Steelers in
1996, and the Cowboys became the first team
to win three Super Bowls in four seasons.
However, in the late 1990s the Cowboys
struggled and had little postseason success.
|
|
|
|
