Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). They are based in the Dallas suburb of Irving, Texas. The team currently plays its home games at Texas Stadium in Irving, but it is scheduled to move to a new stadium in nearby Arlington in 2009. The Cowboys joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team. The team's national following might best be represented by its NFL record of consecutive games in front of sold-out stadiums. The Cowboys' streak of 160 sold-out regular and post-season games began in 1990, and included 79 straight sellouts at their home, Texas Stadium, and 81 straight sell-outs on the road.

An article from Forbes Magazine, dated September 10, 2008, lists the Cowboys as the most valuable football franchise in the world, with an estimated value of approximately $1.612 billion, ahead of the Washington Redskins ($1.538 billion) and the New England Patriots ($1.324 billion). They are also one of the wealthiest teams in the NFL, generating almost $269 million in annual revenue.

The Cowboys have been one of the most successful teams of the modern era (since 1960). The team has won five Super Bowls and eight Conference Championships. The Cowboys have more victories (41) on Monday Night Football than any other NFL team; the Miami Dolphins are second with 39 and the San Francisco 49ers are third with 38. They hold NFL records for the most consecutive winning seasons (20, from 1966 to 1985) and most seasons with at least ten wins (25). The team has earned the most post-season appearances (29, which includes another league record of 56 post-season games, winning 32 of them), the most division titles with 19, the most appearances in the NFC Championship Game (14), and the most Super Bowl appearances (8), two more than any other NFL team. The Cowboys also played in two NFL championship games before the NFL's 1970 merger with the American Football League. The Cowboys became the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in just four 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). The Cowboys' success and popularity has earned them the nickname "America's Team". In a statistical comparison of all teams since the AFL-NFL merger, ESPN's Page 2 placed the Cowboys at the top of its Ultimate Power Ranking.

Franchise history

Originally, the formation of an NFL expansion team in Texas was met with strong opposition by Washington Redskins owner George Preston Marshall. This was no surprise, for Marshall's Redskins had enjoyed a monopoly as the only NFL team to represent the Southern States of the US for several decades. This came as little surprise to the would-be Dallas team owners, Clint Murchison, Jr. and Bedford Wynne. 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 was 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 to this day.

1960s and 1970s

The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, then the Dallas Rangers before settling on the name "Cowboys" for the 1960 season. The new Dallas owners, Murchison and Wynne, subsequently hired Tex Schramm as general manager, Tom Landry as head coach, and Gil Brandt as player personnel director. The team acquired players from existing franchises though in 1960 NFL Expansion Draft. The Cowboys began play in the Cotton Bowl in 1960 and finished winless in their first season with a record of 0–11–1(with a tie vs the New York Giants). They made their first regular NFL draft selection the following year, choosing Texas Christian University defensive tackle Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft.

During the early and mid 1960s, the Cowboys gradually built a contender. Quarterback Don Meredith was acquired in 1960, running back Don Perkins, linebacker Chuck Howley and Lilly were added in 1961, linebacker Lee Roy Jordan in 1963, cornerback Mel Renfro in 1964, and wide receiver Bob Hayes in 1965. In 1966 the Cowboys posted their first winning record and playoff appearance (10–3–1, beginning an NFL-record 20 consecutive winning seasons), and sent eight players to the Pro Bowl, including Hayes, Howley, Meredith, Perkins, Lilly and Renfro. The 1966 and 1967 seasons ended with dramatic losses of 34–27 and 21–17 respectively to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship Game, the latter loss referred to as the Ice Bowl game. The 1966 season would mark the start of an NFL-record-setting eight consecutive postseason appearances (The Cowboys later broke their own record with nine consecutive trips to the playoffs between 1975–1983).

The Cowboys established themselves in the Dallas community. The team competed for the affections of Dallasites with Lamar Hunt's Dallas Texans of the American Football League (AFL). Although the AFL's Texans had a much better record than the NFL's Cowboys, in 1963 Hunt moved the Texans to Kansas City, Missouri, where they became the Chiefs. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas suburb, was completed during the 1971 season.

Although Meredith and Perkins retired after the 1968 season, important new players joined the organization during the late 1960s and early 1970s, including offensive tackle Rayfield Wright in 1967, quarterback Roger Staubach, tight end Mike Ditka, and running back Calvin Hill in 1969, and cornerback Herb Adderly, and safeties Cliff Harris and Charlie Waters in 1970. 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 on a field goal by Colts' kicker Jim O'Brien with five seconds remaining in the contest. The Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl to Texas Stadium in week six of the 1971 season, won their last seven regular season games, and advanced through the playoffs to defeat the upstart Miami Dolphins, 24-3, in Super Bowl VI, which remains the only Super Bowl in which a team held its opponent without a touchdown.

During the rest of the 1970s, the Cowboys grew in popularity, not just in Dallas, but nationwide. The Cowboys also continued to add new talent to their roster, including defensive ends Harvey Martin and Ed "Too Tall" Jones, wide receiver Drew Pearson, and defensive tackle Randy White and running back Tony Dorsett. The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XII and make appearances in Super Bowls X and XIII. Dallas ended the 1970s as the winningest NFL team of the decade.

1980s and 1990s

Danny White became the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 1980 after quarterback Roger Staubach retired. White led the Cowboys to the playoffs five times and won two Division Championships. However, despite playing in the NFC Championship Game three consecutive years (1980–1982), the Cowboys did not reach the Super Bowl during the 1980s. In 1984, H.R. "Bum" Bright purchased the Dallas Cowboys from Murchison. As the Cowboys suffered through progressively poorer seasons (from 10–6 in 1985 to 7–9 in 1986, 7–8 in 1987, and 3–13 in 1988), Bright became disenchanted with the team. During an embarrassing home loss to Atlanta in 1987, Bright told the media that he was "horrified" at Landry's play calling. Bright sold the Cowboys to Jerry Jones on February 25, 1989.

Jones immediately fired Tom Landry, the only head coach in franchise history, replacing him with University of Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson. With the first pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman. Later that same year, they would trade veteran running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for five veteran players and eight draft choices. Although the Cowboys finished the 1989 season with a 1–15 record, the worst record since the team's inception, "The Trade" later allowed Dallas to draft a number of impact players to rebuild the team.

Johnson quickly returned the Cowboys to the NFL's elite. Skillful drafts added fullback Daryl Johnston and center Mark Stepnoski in 1989, running back Emmitt Smith in 1990, defensive tackle Russell Maryland and offensive tackle Erik Williams in 1991, and safety Darren Woodson in 1992. The young talent joined holdovers from the Landry era such as wide receiver Michael Irvin, guard Nate Newton, linebacker Ken Norton Jr, and offensive lineman Mark Tuinei, and veteran pickups such as tight end Jay Novacek and defensive end Charles Haley. In 1992 Dallas set a team record for regular season wins with a 13–3 mark. In January 1993, only three years after their 1–15 season, the Cowboys earned their first Super Bowl trip in 14 seasons. Dallas crushed the Buffalo Bills 52–17 in Super Bowl XXVII, during which they forced a record nine turnovers. Johnson became the first coach to claim a National Championship in college football and a Super Bowl victory in professional football. The following season, they again defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30–13. The Cowboys sent a then-NFL record 11 players to the Pro Bowl in 1993: Aikman, safety Thomas Everett, Irvin, Johnston, Maryland, Newton, Norton, Novacek, Smith, Stepnoski, and Williams.

Only weeks after Super Bowl XXVIII, however, friction between Johnson and Jones culminated in Johnson stunning the football world by announcing his resignation. Jones then hired former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer to replace Johnson. The Cowboys finished 12-4 in 1994, but missed the Super Bowl by losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game, 38-28. In 1995, Jones lured All-Pro cornerback Deion Sanders away from San Francisco, and Dallas once again posted a 12-4 regular season record. The Cowboys defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 at Sun Devil Stadium in Super Bowl XXX for their fifth world championship. Switzer joined Johnson as the only coaches to win a college football National Championship and a Super Bowl.

Yet the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to dim as free agency, age 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 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 and an NFC East championship, but was let go after an 8-8 playoff season in 1999, becoming the first Cowboys coach who did not win a Super Bowl. Nonetheless, the Cowboys posted more wins in the 1990s than any other NFL team.

2000s

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons. Many fans and media were beginning to blame Jerry Jones for the team's ills, noting that he refused to hire a strong coach or general manager, preferring to hire coaches who did not want to be involved with personnel duties so that Jones himself, as GM, could manage them. Jones then lured 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 by having the best overall defense in the NFL. However, during the next two seasons, the Parcells-led Cowboys missed the playoffs. The Cowboys then finished an up-and-down 2006 season with a 9-7 record and a playoff appearance, but after a last second loss in the Wild Card Game against the Seattle Seahawks, Parcells retired and was succeeded by Wade Phillips. In his first season as head coach, Phillips and his coaching staff led the franchise to its best seasonal start ever, a conference-best 13-3 record, and the franchise's 16th NFC East championship title, the most of any team in that division. (Washington and Philadelphia are tied for second with seven championships each.) The Cowboys were eliminated by the Giants in the divisional round of the playoffs, the first NFC #1 seed to so falter since the 1990 playoff re-alignment.

Uniforms

The Dallas Cowboys' white home jersey has royal blue (PMS 661) solid socks, numbers, lettering, and two stripes on the sleeves outlined in black. The home pants, according to the Dallas Cowboys official media guide, are a unique metallic silver-green color (PMS 8280) that help bring out the blue in the uniform. The navy (PMS 282) road jerseys (nicknamed the "Stars and Stripes" jersey) have white lettering and numbers with navy pinstripes. A white/gray/white stripe are on each sleeve as well as the collared V-neck and Cowboys star logo was placed upon the stripes. A "Cowboys" chest crest was placed directly under the NFL shield. The away pants are a pearlish metallic-silver color (PMS 8240) and like the home pants, enhance the navy in the uniforms. The team also currently use a serifed font for the lettered player surnames on the jersey nameplates.

The team's helmets are also a unique silver with a tint of blue known as "Cowboys Blue" and has a blue/white/blue vertical stripe placed upon the center of the crown. The Cowboys are also one of the few, if not the only, team that attach blue Dymo tape with the player's name on the backside of the white portion of the blue/white/blue decal.

Uniform history

When the Dallas Cowboys franchise debuted in 1960, the team's uniform included a white helmet adorned with a simple blue star and a blue-white-blue stripe down the center crown. The team donned blue jerseys with white sleeves and a small blue star on each shoulder for home games and the negative opposite for away games. Their socks also had two horizontal white stripes overlapping the blue.

In 1964 through 1965, the Cowboys opted for a simpler look (and essentially the team's current uniform) by changing their jersey/socks to one solid color with three horizontal blue stripes on the sleeves. The star-shouldered jerseys were replaced with shoulder "TV" numbers. The pants and helmet were changed from white to silver and a white border was added to the blue star.

In 1966, the team narrowed the stripes to two per sleeve/sock and the following year in 1967, the white border was moved farther into the blue star and was now a white pinstripe. The logo and this version of the uniform has seen little change to the present day.

The only notable changes in the last 40 years were:

• from 1970–1973 when the "TV" numbers were moved from the shoulders to the sleeves above the stripes
• from 1981–1988 the pants featured a white uniform number in an elliptical blue circle worn near the hip.
• the removal of the indented serifs on the front and back jersey numbers in the early 80's (seen currently on the throwback jersey)
• from 1981–1994 the dark jerseys sported numbers that were gray with white borders and a blue pinstripe. The stripes on the sleeves and socks also used the same gray with white border scheme (sans navy pinstripe).
• the 1996 addition of the word "Cowboys" in the center of the neckline which lasted until 1998 on the white jersey but currently remains on the blue jersey.

During the 1976 season, the blue-white-blue stripe on the crown of the helmets were temporarily changed to red-white-blue to commemorate the United States' bicentennial anniversary.

In 1994, the NFL celebrated their 75th Anniversary and the Dallas Cowboys celebrated their back-to-back Super Bowl titles by unveiling the white "Double-Star" jersey on Thanksgiving Day. This jersey was used for special occasions and was worn throughout the 1994-1995 playoffs.

During the 1995 season, the team wore the navy "Double-Star" jersey for games at Washington and Philadelphia and permanently switched to solid color two-toned socks. The navy "Double-Star" jersey was not seen again until the NFL's Classic Throwback Weekend on Thanksgiving Day 2001-2003.

In 2004, the Cowboys resurrected their original 1960–1963 uniform on Thankgsgiving Day. This uniform now serves as the team's alternate or "3rd jersey" and usually worn only on special occasions and the annual Thanksgiving Day game.

The Cowboys were the first NFL team to primarily wear their white jersey at home, as it was an unofficial rule that teams wear their colored jersey at home. This tradition started in the 1960s by Tex Schramm, who wanted fans to see a variety of opponents' colors at home games. Since then, a number of other teams have worn their white uniforms at home, including the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins.

Throughout the years, the Cowboys' blue jersey has been popularly viewed to be "jinxed" because the team often seemed to lose when they wore them. This curse purportedly became popular after the team lost Super Bowl V, when they were forced to wear their colored jersey because they were the designated home team. Since then, the rules were changed to allow the Super Bowl home team to pick their choice of jersey. Most of the time, Dallas will wear their blue jersey when they visit Washington, Miami, or one of the handful of other teams that traditionally wear their white jersey at home during the first half of the season due to the hot climates in their respective cities. Occasionally opposing teams will wear their white jerseys at home to try to invoke the curse, as when the Philadelphia Eagles hosted the Cowboys in the 1980 NFC Championship Game. Although Dallas has made several tweaks to their blue jerseys over the years, Schramm said he did not believe in the curse.

Rivalries

Historically, the Washington Redskins have been the Cowboys' greatest rival. Divisional opponents in the NFC East, Dallas and Washington have played each other twice each season since the early 1960s, fueling the rivalry. Redskins coach George Allen enhanced the rivalry during the 1970s.

The Cowboys also have strong rivalries with the other NFC East teams, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles. The competition with Philadelphia has been particularly intense since the late 1970s, when the long-moribund Eagles returned to contention. In 1981, the two teams faced off in that year's NFC Championship, with Philadelphia winning, 20-7 (The Eagles subsequently lost to the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XV). A series of other factors heightened tensions during the 1980s and 1990s, including several provocative actions by Philadelphia fans and Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan. Among these were the 1989 "Bounty Bowls," in which Ryan allegedly placed a bounty on Dallas kicker Luis Zendejas and Veterans Stadium fans pelted the Cowboys with snowballs and other debris. (Among those fans throwing snowballs was former Philadelphia District Attorney Ed Rendell, who would later serve as Philadelphia's mayor and is currently the governor of Pennsylvania.) A 1999 game at Philadelphia saw Eagles fans cheering as Michael Irvin lay motionless and possibly paralyzed on the field.

The San Francisco 49ers have been another major Cowboy rival. Dallas has played seven postseason games against San Francisco. The Cowboys defeated the 49ers in the 1970 and 1971 NFC Championship games, and again in the 1972 Divisional Playoff Game, when Roger Staubach threw two touchdown passes with less than two minutes remaining for a 30-28 win. The 1981 NFC Championship Game in San Francisco, which saw the 49ers' Joe Montana complete a game-winning pass to Dwight Clark in the final minute (now known as "The Catch"), is one of the most famous games in NFL history. San Francisco subsequently won their first of five Super Bowls. During the 1992-1994 seasons, Dallas and San Francisco faced each other in the NFC Championship Game. Dallas won the first two match-ups, and San Francisco, loaded with star players from other teams in the new era of free-agency, won the third. In each of the three seasons, the game's victor went on to win the Super Bowl.

The Los Angeles Rams were a major rival of the Cowboys although this rivalry has cooled somewhat since the Rams moved to St. Louis. The Cowboys and Rams have met eight or nine times in postseason games, more than any other teams in the NFL. The meetings include 2 NFL Championship games, 4 playoff games, 2 wild card games and 1 Playoff Bowl. Although the Playoff Bowl was a playoff game at the time it was played, is now classified as an exhibition game played in the postseason and not counted as an official game.

The Cowboys have a lesser rivalry with the Green Bay Packers that began in the 1960s. The two teams have faced each other in the postseason six times. Green Bay defeated Dallas in the 1966 and 1967 NFL Championship games (the latter, known as the "Ice Bowl", is another of pro football's most famous games). Dallas, in turn, defeated Green Bay in the second round of the 1982 playoffs, the 1993 and 1994 NFC Divisional Playoff games, and the 1995 NFC Championship Game. Texas Stadium is one of the few places where the Packers quarterback Brett Favre has never won; he is 0–9 at Dallas. The rivalry was renewed during the 2007 season, when both teams met in a late-season matchup. Anticipations ran high as both teams boasted 10–1 records, and battled for first place in the NFC playoff hunt. Dallas prevailed, winning 37–27, and clinched the top seed a few weeks later. Many people expected a rematch in the NFC Championship game, and while Green Bay advanced, Dallas lost to the New York Giants in a Divisional Playoff game.

Some consider the Pittsburgh Steelers a rival. The two teams met in the first regular season game the Cowboys ever played in 1960 (a 35–28 loss to the Steelers), the first-ever regular season victory for the expansion Cowboys in 1961, and would later meet in three Super Bowls, all of which were close. The Steelers won Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII; both games were decided in the final seconds. The Cowboys won Super Bowl XXX in 1996. It is said that the rivalry was fueled in the 1970's due to the stark contrasts of the teams: The Cowboys, being more of a "flashy" team with Roger Staubach's aerial attack and the "flex" defense-based Doomsday Defense; while the Steelers were more of a "blue-collar" team with a strong running game and the 1930's-esque Steel Curtain defense. In addition, both teams have national fan bases rivaled by few NFL teams, and both come from areas with a strong following for football at all levels. The two are scheduled to play during the 2008 NFL season in Pittsburgh on December 7th, 2008.

The Houston Texans and the Houston Oilers were considered by some to be rivals of the Cowboys because of the in-state affiliation. Almost every year since 1967, the Cowboys have played their downstate rival during preseason play for "bragging rights" and the Governor's Cup trophy, but beyond that, no real rivalry has yet developed.

Season-by-season records

Players of note

Current roster

Pro Football Hall of Famers

• Troy Aikman Class of 2006 (QB 1989–2000)
• Tony Dorsett Class of 1994 (RB 1977–87)
• Michael Irvin Class of 2007 (WR 1988–1999)
• Tom Landry Class of 1990 (Head Coach 1960–88)
• Bob Lilly Class of 1980 (DT 1961–74)
• Mel Renfro Class of 1996 (S/CB 1964–77)
• Tex Schramm Class of 1991 (Pres/GM 1960–89)
• Roger Staubach Class of 1985 (QB 1969–79)
• Randy White Class of 1994 (DT 1975–88)
• Rayfield Wright Class of 2006 (OT 1967–1979)

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, L.C. 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.

An alternate explanation is 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 even go so far as to 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 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 games played (8) and the most Super Bowl MVPs with 7:

1. Linebacker Chuck Howley - Super Bowl V - Howley was named the MVP for Super Bowl V despite the Cowboys' loss to the Baltimore Colts. He is 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.
2. Quarterback Roger Staubach - Super Bowl VI - Staubach became the fifth quarterback overall to be awarded the MVP trophy after Dallas' win over the Miami Dolphins. He completed 12 out of 19 passes for , threw 2 touchdown passes, and rushed 5 times for .
3. (Tie) Defensive tackle Randy White and defensive end Harvey Martin - Super Bowl XII - Super Bowl XII marked the first time that two players won MVP honors. White and Martin, who helped the Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos, became the first defensive linemen to win the award.
4. See #3
5. Quarterback Troy Aikman - Super Bowl XXVII - Aikman became the second Cowboys quarterback to earn the MVP honor as he led the Cowboys to victory against the Buffalo Bills. He completed 22 of 30 passes for and 4 touchdowns, while also rushing for .
6. Running back Emmitt Smith - Super Bowl XXVIII - Smith's 30 carries for , 4 receptions for , and two touchdowns led Dallas to a victory over the Buffalo Bills. In that same year, Smith became the first player to win the Super Bowl, the NFL rushing title (i.e. lead the league in rushing), the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and the Super Bowl MVP all in one season.
7. Cornerback Larry Brown - Super Bowl XXX - Brown became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, recording two interceptions for a total of 77 return yards. The Cowboys sealed the victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers by converting both of Brown's interceptions into 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. Although the team does not officially retire jersey numbers, some are kept "unofficially inactive", so it is uncommon to find any current players wearing the number of one of the "Ring of Honor" inductees. For instance, the jersey numbers of inductees Aikman (8), Staubach (12), Hayes and Smith (22), Perkins and Harris (43), Irvin (88), and Lilly (74) were not worn during the 2008 season.

The Ring of Honor has been a source of controversy over the years. Tex Schramm was believed to be a "one man" committee in choosing inductees and many former Cowboys players and fans felt that Schramm deliberately excluded linebacker Lee Roy Jordan because of a bitter contract dispute the two had during Jordan's playing days. When Jerry Jones bought the team he inherited Schramm's Ring of Honor "power" and immediately inducted Jordan.

Jones also had controversy. For four years he was unsuccessful in convincing Tom Landry to accept induction. Meanwhile, he refused to induct Tex Schramm (even after Schramm's induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame). In 1993, thanks in part to the efforts of Roger Staubach as an intermediary, Landry accepted induction and had a ceremony on the day of that year's Cowboys-Giants game (Landry had played and coached for the Giants). In 2003, Jones finally chose to induct Tex Schramm. Schramm and Jones held a joint press conference at Texas Stadium announcing the induction. Unfortunately, Schramm did not live to see his ceremonial induction at the Cowboys-Eagles game that fall.

The most recent inductees were: Troy Aikman, All-Time NFL leading rusher Emmitt Smith and Michael "the Playmaker" 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 halftime at a Monday Night Football home game against the arch-rival Washington Redskins on September 19, 2005.

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:

All-time first-round draft picks

Year	Player	College	Position
1961	Bob Lilly	TCU	Tackle
1962	No Selection
1963	Lee Roy Jordan	Alabama	Linebacker
1964	Scott Appleton	Texas	Tackle
1965	Craig Morton	California	Quarterback
1966	John Niland	Iowa	Guard
1967	No Selection
1968	Dennis Homan	Alabama	End
1969	Calvin Hill	Yale	Running back
1970	Duane Thomas	W. Texas State	Running back
1971	Tody Smith	USC	Defensive end
1972	Bill Thomas	Boston College	Running back
1973	Billy Joe Dupree	Michigan State	Tight end
1974	Ed "Too Tall" Jones	Tennessee State	Defensive end
1974	Charley Young	North Carolina St.	Running back
1975	Randy White	Maryland	Linebacker
1975	Thomas Henderson	Langston	Linebacker
1976	Aaron Kyle	Wyoming	Defensive back
1977	Tony Dorsett	Pittsburgh	Running back
1978	Larry Bethea	Michigan State	Defensive end
1979	Robert Shaw	Tennessee	Center
1980	No Selection
1981	Howard Richards	Missouri	Tackle
1982	Rod Hill	Kentucky State	Defensive back
1983	Jim Jeffcoat	Arizona State	Defensive end
1984	Billy Cannon, Jr.	Texas A&M	Linebacker
1985	Kevin Brooks	Michigan	Defensive end
1986	Mike Sherrard	UCLA	Wide receiver
1987	Danny Noonan	Nebraska	Defensive tackle
1988	Michael Irvin	Miami	Wide receiver
1989	Troy Aikman	UCLA	Quarterback
1990	Emmitt Smith	Florida	Running back
1991	Russell Maryland	Miami	Defensive tackle
1991	Alvin Harper	Tennessee	Wide receiver
1991	Kelvin Pritchett	Mississippi	Defensive tackle
1992	Kevin Smith	Texas A&M	Defensive back
1992	Robert Jones	South Carolina State	Linebacker
1993	No Selection
1994	Shante Carver	Arizona State	Defensive end
1995	No Selection
1996	No Selection
1997	David LaFleur	LSU	Tight end
1998	Greg Ellis	UNC	Defensive end
1999	Ebenezer Ekuban	UNC	Defensive end
2000	No Selection
2001	No Selection
2002	Roy Williams	Oklahoma	Safety
2003	Terence Newman	Kansas State	Cornerback
2004	No Selection
2005	DeMarcus Ware	Troy State	Defensive end
2005	Marcus Spears	Louisiana State	Defensive end
2006	Bobby Carpenter	Ohio State	Linebacker
2007	Anthony Spencer	Purdue	Linebacker
2008	Felix Jones	Arkansas	Running Back
2008	Mike Jenkins	South Florida	Cornerback

Coaches of note

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.)

Year	Coach	Record	Notable Wins
1960-1988	Tom Landry	(270-178-6)	Ranked 3rd All-Time. 5 Conference Championships and Super Bowl appearances (1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, and 1978 seasons), 2 Super Bowl victories (1971, 1977). 20 straight winning seasons (1966-1985).
1989-1993	Jimmy Johnson	(51-37)	3 Playoff Appearances (1991-93 seasons), 2 Division Titles, 2 Conference Championships, 2 Super Bowl victories (the last three all happened during the 1992 and 1993 seasons).
1994-1997	Barry Switzer	(45-26)	3 Playoff Appearances, 3 Division Titles (1994-96 seasons), 1 Conference Championship, 1 Super Bowl victory (the last two happened during the 1995 season).
1998-1999	Chan Gailey	(18-14)	2 Playoff Appearances (Both seasons), 1 Division Title (1998 season). 4-0 versus the Washington Redskins
2000-2002	Dave Campo	(15-33)	5-1 versus the Washington Redskins
2003-2006	Bill Parcells	(34-32)	2 Playoff Appearances, 5-3 against the arch-rival Washington Redskins. The 2006 squad became the first of that season to beat the then-undefeated Indianapolis Colts. The Colts entered the game with a 9-0 record, before falling to the Cowboys, 21-14, on November 19. Despite the loss, the Colts went on to win Super Bowl XLI.
2007-present	Wade Phillips	(15-4)	First 12-1 start in franchise history, first loss coming from the New England Patriots (16-0) in Week 6. Clinched a playoff berth with 37–27 win over the Green Bay Packers on November 29, 2007. Both teams entered that game tied for first in the NFC, at 10–1. Won the NFC East title the following week. Eliminated by the NY Giants 21–17 in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Current staff

Radio and television

As of 2007, the Cowboys' flagship radio stations were KDBN-FM (93.3 The Bone) and KTCK (1310 The Ticket). Both are owned by Cumulus Media. Brad Sham returns as the team's longtime play-by-play voice. Working alongside him in 2007 is former Cowboy quarterback Babe Laufenberg, who returns after a one-year absence to replace former safety Charlie Waters. The Cowboys, who retain rights to all announcers, chose not to renew Laufenberg's contract in 2006 and brought in Waters. However, Laufenberg did work as the analyst on the "Blue Star Network," which televises Cowboys preseason games not shown on national networks. The anchor station is KTVT, the CBS owned and operated station in Dallas. Previous stations which aired Cowboys games included KVIL-FM,KRLD, and KLUV-FM. Kristi Scales is the sideline reporter on the radio broadcasts.

During his tenure as Cowboys coach, Tom Landry co-hosted his own coach's show with late veteran sportscaster Frank Glieber and later with Brad Sham. Landry's show was famous for his analysis of raw game footage and for he and his co-host making their NFL "predictions" at the end of each show. Glieber is one of the original voices of the Cowboys Radio Network, along with Bill Mercer, famous for calling the Ice Bowl of 1967 and both Super Bowl V and VI. Mercer is perhaps best known as the ringside commentator of World Class Championship Wrestling in the 1980s. Upon Mercer's departure, Verne Lundquist joined the network, and became their play-by-play announcer by 1977, serving eight years in that capacity before handing those chores permanently over to Brad Sham, who joined the network in 1977 as the color analyst and occasional fill-in for Lundquist.

Longtime WFAA-TV Sports Anchor, Dale Hansen, was the Cowboys color analyst with Brad Sham as the play-by-play announcer from 1985-1996.

Other broadcasters with Cowboy ties

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. Meredith's last game for ABC was Super Bowl XIX, ABC's first Super Bowl broadcast. Meredith was also a color commentator for Super Bowl IX and Super Bowl XI while at NBC.
• In the early 1980s, Roger Staubach worked for a short time as a color commentator for CBS Sports.
• Drew Pearson - has worked exclusively as a sportscaster for such networks as CBS, HBO and NBC5 in Dallas/Ft. Worth since his retirement in 1983.
• Daryl Johnston - aka "Moose" is a color commentator for the NFL on Fox telecasts, teaming with Kenny Albert 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 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 along with Brad Sham, who was instrumental in starting Aikman's broadcasting career.
• After 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, Michael Irvin co-hosted NBC Sports studio coverage of Arena Football League games in 2003. Irvin co-anchored the widely-viewed Sunday football pre-game show Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown on ESPN from 2003 through the 2006 season. As of 2008, he hosts his own radio show (with Kevin Kiley) on 103.3 FM ESPN Radio, called the Michael Irvin Show , and he's made numerous guest appearances on NFL Network. He's also starred in a major motion picture, "The Longest Yard" with comedian Adam Sandler.
• Emmitt Smith - signed on to serve as a studio analyst on the NFL Network show, NFL Total Access in August 2005. Smith was hired by ESPN in March 2007 to replace Michael Irvin. He also appeared on the TV series "Dancing with the Stars" in which he won the competition.
• 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. He has returned to broadcasting by working as an analyst for the NFL Network on NFL GameDay.
• Jimmy Johnson - became a TV analyst for Fox Sports after retiring from coaching in 1999, and (as of 2006) 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 was seen on NFL Playbook, an NFL Network program, until his hiring on November 14, 2006 as coach of the University of North Carolina football 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.
• Nate Newton - is a co-host of "Talkin' Cowboys", a daily radio program
• James Washington - co-host of one of fastest growing Sports Talk Radio programs (Out of Bounds) available on Fox Sports Radio
• Keyshawn Johnson - retired in May 2007 after 11 years in the NFL (2 seasons with the Cowboys) to join the ESPN crew of Sunday NFL Countdown and Monday Night Countdown as an analyst. He contributed to a weekly ESPN Radio NFL show hosted by Chris Mortensen and former Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells during the 2007 season.
• Joe Avezzano is an NFL analyst for Dale Hansen's Sports Special on WFAA-TV. He appears weekly during football season with Dale Hansen.
• Bill Parcells - after retiring following the 2006 season, he joined ESPN's NFL commentary staff, joining former Cowboys Emmitt Smith and Keyshawn Johnson, the latter of whom played for Parcells during his New York Jets and Cowboys coaching tenures of the late-1990s and mid-2000s. But is now a part of the Miami Dolphins organization.

See also

• List of Dallas Cowboys players
• Dynasty (sports)
• NFL Cheerleading

References

• NFL 2002 Record & Fact Book ISBN 0761126430

External links

• Dallas Cowboys Official Website
• Sports E-Cyclopdia.com
• Dallas Cowboys Video on ESPN Video Archive
• Dallas Cowboys Video on FoxSports Video Archive
• Dallas Cowboys on SportsIllustrated.com