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The city of Dallas, Texas was granted an
NFL franchise on January 28, 1960. Clint Murchison, Jr. and
Bedford Wynne were the team owners and they 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;
they would not have another losing season until 1985) and
their first playoff appearance: a 34-27 loss to the Green
Bay Packers. By this time, the Cowboys had become a powerful
force in the NFL, sending eight players to the Pro Bowl including
Cowboy legends like Bob Hayes, Chuck Howley, Bob Lilly, Don
Meredith, Don Perkins and Mel Renfro.
In 1990, the Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith and the trifecta
of Aikman, Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set.
The Cowboys finished 7-9, but Smith was named NFC Offensive
Rookie of the Year and Jimmy 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 13-3 (second best in the league) and
exacted their revenge on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC
Championship Game, 30-20. The Cowboys went on to defeat the
Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, 52-17. The following season,
the Cowboys went 12-4, again defeating the 49ers in the NFC
Championship and again defeating the Buffalo Bills in the
Super Bowl, this time 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII. The Cowboys
sent a record 11 players to the Pro Bowl: Troy Aikman, Emmitt
Smith, Michael Irvin, Thomas Everett, Daryl Johnston, Russell
Maryland, Nate Newton, Ken Norton Jr, Jay Novacek, Mark Stepnoski
and Erik Williams.
However,
Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had a falling out and 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 lost in the NFC Championship game to the 49ers, 38-28.
But another 12-4 season in 1995 got the Cowboys to the playoffs
once again where they eventually defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers
27-17 in Super Bowl XXX.
But the
glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to fade as
free agency and injuries began taking their toll. The Cowboys
went 6-10 in 1997 and Switzer was let go. Former Steelers
offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take over head
coaching duties. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998,
but was let go after a 8-8 season in 1999. 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, preferring to hire coaches that 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 with
one of the most dominating defenses in the league. 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 drug use in favor of the 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 Browns and Redskins, but
quickly fell off to a 3-5 record by midseason.
Founded:
1960 (expansion NFL franchise)
Home stadium: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
(1971-)
Head coach: Bill Parcells (2003-)
Uniform colors: White jerseys - worn for
virtually all home games and most away games - have royal
blue numbers and lettering; colored jerseys feature a darker
shade of blue as background (similar to that of the star logo
shown to the upper right) with white numbers and lettering.
Opposing teams sometimes intentionally wear their white jerseys
when playing the Cowboys at home (when they do not do so normally)
in order to force the Cowboys to utilize this latter jersey.
Helmet design: Silver background with a blue
star
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Arizona
Cardinals 
