Dallas Cowboys

The team will begin playing at the new site in 2009 after thirty-eight years in Irving. See also AZON. In November of 2004, a vote was passed by the City of Arlington, Texas to build a new stadium adjacent to the existing Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. The Cowboys started strong, with victories against the Browns and Redskins, but quickly fell off to a 3-5 record by midseason, finishing the season 6-10. At about the same time a new release of the film finally gave them proper screen credit. 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 40-year-old veteran Vinny Testaverde, brought to the Cowboys from the New York Jets by his former coach in the off-season. Only in 1984 did the Academy rectify the situation by awarding the Oscar to Foreman and Wilson retrospectively (and posthumously in both cases, although Foreman did live long enough to know that it was going to happen).

However, the 2004 season was one of turmoil. Pierre Boulle, who did not speak English, was given screen credit for adapting his own novel, and the Oscar was awarded to him. 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.
The screenwriters, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson, were on the Hollywood blacklist and could only work secretly. However, Jones proved them wrong in 2003 by luring Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys.
Award nominations:. 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.
Award wins:.

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons. One memorable feature of the movie is the tune that is whistled by the POW's—the "Colonel Bogey March"—and is now widely associated with the movie, and even sometimes referred to as the "River Kwai March." Besides serving as an example of British fortitude and dignity in the face of privation, it suggested (whether or not intended by the screenwriters) a specific symbol of defiance to many movie-goers of the period: WW II veterans (and many of their baby-boom sons) thought of the tune as that of a mockery of Japan's principal ally. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after a 8-8 season in 1999. (Buster Keaton's The General includes an almost identical scene.). Former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take over head coaching duties. The destruction of the bridge in the film was accomplished by blowing up a full-sized bridge as a real train drove over it. This may have been the first time such a scene had been attempted without model shots since the silent film era. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997 and Switzer was let go. The steel bridge has been repaired and is still in use.

But the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to fade as free agency and injuries began taking their toll. In reality, a parallel steel bridge was added a few months after the wooden bridge was completed, and both were destroyed by Allied aerial bombing, the steel bridge first. 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.
The plot of the film is built around a fictional destruction of the wooden bridge by prisoner sabotage. 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.
. However, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had a falling out and Johnson left the organization prior to the 1994 season. About a hundred thousand conscripted Asian labourers and 16,000 prisoners of war died on the whole project, which was nicknamed the Death Railway.

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. This was part of a project to link existing Thai and Burmese railway lines to create a route from Bangkok, Thailand to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar) to support the Japanese occupation of Burma. 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 story is based on a real event, the building in 1942 of a railway bridge over the Mae Klong (not the Kwai) in the Thai town of Kanchanaburi. By 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time in six years. It was filmed in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and England. 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. An Anglo-American film in English based on the book appeared in 1957 and the name was changed slightly, to The Bridge on the River Kwai. The film portrays a group of British captives in a Japanese POW camp forced to build a railway bridge spanning the River Kwai in Thailand.

In 1990, the Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith and the trifecta of Aikman, Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set.
Le Pont de la Rivière Kwai (The Bridge over the River Kwai) is a novel by Pierre Boulle, published in 1954, that won France's "Prix Ste Beuve." It dramatizes the plight of Allied prisoners of war during World War II forced to build the 258-mile Death Railway by Japanese forces. 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. Grammy Award for Best Soundtrack Album, Dramatic Picture Score or Original Cast (Malcolm Arnold). With the first pick in the draft, the Cowboys selected quarterback Troy Aikman and traded away veteran running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for five veteran players and eight draft choices. Golden Globe Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Sessue Hayakawa). Jones promptly fired the only coach the Cowboys had ever known and replaced him with University of Miami head coach, Jimmy Johnson. Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Sessue Hayakawa).

"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. Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay - Pierre Boulle - Carl Foreman - Michael Wilson. In 1984, H.R. Academy Award for Original Music Score - Malcolm Arnold. 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. Academy Award for Film Editing - Peter Taylor. In the 1981-1982 NFC Championship game, the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers on a last-second touchdown pass from Joe Montana to Dwight Clark. Academy Award for Best Cinematography - Jack Hildyard.

Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season and the Cowboys began declining in the NFL. New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Actor (Alec Guinness). They would reach one final Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII, losing once again at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31. Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama (Alec Guinness). The glory days of the Cowboys in the 1970s were coming to an end. Academy Award for Best Actor (Alec Guinness). Bob Ryan, an NFL films editor, would dub the Cowboys "America's Team" following this season, a nickname that stuck through both the good and bad times to come. New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Director (David Lean).

But the Cowboys would again taste Super Bowl victory, defeating the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture (David Lean). The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X, where the Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17. Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures (David Lean, Assistants: Gus Agosti & Ted Sturgis). However, the Cowboys drafted well following the season, adding new legends like Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Academy Award for Directing (David Lean). The Cowboys faltered slightly in 1974, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Film.

Under Tom Landry, the so-called "Doomsday Defense" became a powerful and dominating force in the NFL and their offense was also exciting to watch. Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama. Their televised appearances on Thanksgiving Day games beginning in 1966 helped bring the Cowboys to a nationwide audience. BAFTA Award for Best Picture. The Cowboys were now beginning to grow in popularity not just in Dallas, but nationwide. Academy Award for Best Picture. However, the disappointing Super Bowl loss was made up for the next year when the Cowboys, led by Staubach, won their first Super Bowl, Super Bowl VI, a 24-3 victory over the Miami Dolphins. M.R.B. Chakrabandhu  : Yai.

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 as time expired. Miura. Meredith and Perkins retired in 1969 and the many new players were joining the organization, like Cliff Harris, Lee Roy Jordan, Rayfield Wright, Dan Reeves, Mike Ditka and Roger Staubach. Keiichiro Katsumoto  : Lt. 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. Kanematsu. The game would later come to be known as the "Ice Bowl.". Heihachiro Okawa  : Capt.

The Cowboys lost 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Packers quarterback Bart Starr. Ann Sears  : Nurse at Ceylon hospital. 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). Baker. They went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game. Harold Goodwin  : Pvt. In 1967, the Cowboys finished with a 9-5 record and had their first playoff victory: a 52-14 affair over the Cleveland Browns. Percy Herbert  : Pvt. Grogan.

Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas suburb, would be completed for the 1971 season. John Boxer  : Maj. Hughes. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. Green. 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. André Morell  : Col. 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. Reeves.

Similarly, the Cowboys were becoming an important part of the people of Dallas. Peter Williams  : Capt. 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. Geoffrey Horne  : Lt. Joyce. 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. Clipton. During the 1960s, the Cowboys continued to improve their team. James Donald  : Maj.

The year 1961 also saw the Cowboys' first victory, a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 17. Warden. The following year, the Cowboys made their first NFL Draft selection, selecting Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft. Jack Hawkins  : Maj. In the Cowboys' first season, they finished winless with a 0-11-1 record. William Holden  : Shears. 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. Saito.

Clint Murchison, Jr. Sessue Hayakawa  : Col. The city of Dallas, Texas was granted an NFL franchise on January 28, 1960. Alec Guinness  : Colonel Nicholson. The team is sometimes referred to colloquially as America's Team due its having a large number of fans who live outside its immediate local area (the term itself is derived from the title of the team's 1979 highlight film). The Dallas Cowboys are a National Football League team based in Irving, Texas.

Darren Woodson. Erik Williams. Randy White. Danny White.

Herschel Walker. Mark Stepnoski. Roger Staubach. Emmitt Smith.

Deion Sanders. Drew Pearson. Jay Novacek. Nate Newton.

Robert Newhouse. Bob Lilly. Leon Lett. Ed "Too Tall" Jones.

Darryl Johnston. Michael Irvin. Tony Hill. Calvin Hill.

Alvin Harper. Charles Haley. Peter Gent. Joey Galloway.

Tony Dorsett. Quincy Carter. Troy Aikman. Members of the Ring of Honor include Bob Lilly, Don Meredith, Don Perkins, Chuck Howley, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Lee Roy Jordan, coach Tom Landry, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Bob Hayes, Tex Schramm, Rayfield Wright and Cliff Harris.

Instead, the team has a "Ring of Honor" in which its all-time greats are honored. The Dallas Cowboys do not retire the numbers of past standouts as a matter of policy. Jason Witten. Roy Williams.

Bill Parcells (coach). Dat Nguyen. Terence Newman. Quincy Morgan.

Julius Jones. Keyshawn Johnson. La'Roi Glover. Drew Bledsoe.

Larry Allen. Flozell Adams. Randy White. Roger Staubach.

Tex Schramm (executive). Mel Renfro. Bob Lilly. Tom Landry (coach).

Tony Dorsett. Mike Ditka.