Dallas Cowboys

The team will begin playing at the new site in 2009 after thirty-eight years in Irving. (WC)--Wild Card berth to NFC playoffs
(DT)-- NFC West/NFC South Division Title. 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 Saints current lease at the Louisiana Superdome has an exit clause that would allow the team to leave New Orleans. 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. In May, 2005 the Associated Press reported that Saints representatives were meeting with city representatives from Albuquerque, New Mexico and San Antonio, Texas about the possibility of moving the team to one of those cities. 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. Nevertheless, the four-game win streak to end the season left many Saints fans optimistic about the team's future prospects.

However, the 2004 season was one of turmoil. Louis Rams beat the New York Jets in a thrilling overtime game the Saints were eliminated. 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. In week 17, the Saints defeated division rivals Carolina; however, the Saints needed other results to break their way and when the St. However, Jones proved them wrong in 2003 by luring Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys. At that point Haslett's job appeared to be in jeopardy; however, he managed to pull the team together and put on a three-game win streak, leaving the Saints in playoff contention in the final week of the season. 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. The 2004 season started poorly for the Saints, as they went 2-4 through their first six games and 4-8 through their first twelve games.

Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons. In 2003 the Saints again missed the playoffs after finishing 8-8. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after a 8-8 season in 1999. The Saints failed to make the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, although in the latter year they had the distinction of beating the eventual Super Bowl XXXVII winners Tampa Bay in both of their regular season meetings. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take over head coaching duties. Current coach Jim Haslett has held the post since 2000, in which year he took the team to the playoffs but lost to the Minnesota Vikings a week after besting the St. Louis Rams for the team's first ever playoff win. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997 and Switzer was let go. Another playoff berth would follow in 1990, and the club's first division title came in 1991.

But the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to fade as free agency and injuries began taking their toll. That combination provided the Saints with their first-ever winning record and playoff appearance, going 12-3 in the 1987 season, which had one fewer game than normal due to a players' strike. 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. Current Saints owner Tom Benson acquired the franchise in 1985, and hired Jim Finks as general manager and Jim Mora as head coach. 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. In 1980, the Saints lost their first 14 games, prompting fans to design paper bags to wear over their heads to the team's home games; the bags rendered the club's name as the "'Aints" rather than the "Saints," and this practice then spread rapidly, first to fans of other poorly-performing teams within the NFL, and ultimately to those of other American team sports as well, and has become a firmly-established custom throughout the United States. However, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had a falling out and Johnson left the organization prior to the 1994 season. Their first season record was 3-11, and they could not manage to even finish as high as second in their division until 1979.

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. Despite a 94 yard opening kickoff return for a touchdown by John Gilliam, the Saints lost their first game 27-13 to the Los Angeles Rams. 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. became the majority stockholder, and the team was named the Saints on 9 January 1967, since the franchise had been granted to the Saints on All Saints' Day. By 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time in six years. Mecom, Jr. 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. John W.

In 1990, the Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith and the trifecta of Aikman, Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set. New Orleans was granted an NFL franchise on 1 November 1966. 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. The New Orleans Saints are a National Football League team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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. Sam Mills. Jones promptly fired the only coach the Cowboys had ever known and replaced him with University of Miami head coach, Jimmy Johnson. Pat Swilling.

"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. Rickey Jackson. In 1984, H.R. Morten Andersen. 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. Archie Manning. 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. Tom Dempsey.

Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season and the Cowboys began declining in the NFL. Doug Atkins 81. They would reach one final Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII, losing once again at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31. Jim Taylor 31. The glory days of the Cowboys in the 1970s were coming to an end. Darren Howard. 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. Charles Grant.

But the Cowboys would again taste Super Bowl victory, defeating the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. Deuce McAllister. The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X, where the Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17. Joe Horn. However, the Cowboys drafted well following the season, adding new legends like Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Aaron Brooks. The Cowboys faltered slightly in 1974, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years. Jim Finks.

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. Louis Rams; 34-16 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Their televised appearances on Thanksgiving Day games beginning in 1966 helped bring the Cowboys to a nationwide audience. 2000 season: 31-28 win over the St. The Cowboys were now beginning to grow in popularity not just in Dallas, but nationwide. 1992 season: 36-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. 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. 1991 season: 27-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

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. 1990 season: 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears. 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. 1987 season: 44-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 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. 2004 8-8. The game would later come to be known as the "Ice Bowl.". 2003 8-8.

The Cowboys lost 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Packers quarterback Bart Starr. 2002 9-7. 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). 2001 7-9. They went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game. 2000 10-6 (DT). In 1967, the Cowboys finished with a 9-5 record and had their first playoff victory: a 52-14 affair over the Cleveland Browns. 1999 3-13.

Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas suburb, would be completed for the 1971 season. 1998 6-10. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. 1997 6-10. 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. 1996 3-13. 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. 1995 7-9.

Similarly, the Cowboys were becoming an important part of the people of Dallas. 1994 7-9. 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. 1993 8-8. 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. 1992 12-4 (WC). During the 1960s, the Cowboys continued to improve their team. 1991 11-5 (DT).

The year 1961 also saw the Cowboys' first victory, a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 17. 1990 8-8 (WC). The following year, the Cowboys made their first NFL Draft selection, selecting Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft. 1989 9-7. In the Cowboys' first season, they finished winless with a 0-11-1 record. 1988 10-6. 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. 1987 12-3 (WC).

Clint Murchison, Jr. 1986 7-9. The city of Dallas, Texas was granted an NFL franchise on January 28, 1960. 1985 5-11. 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). 1984 7-9. The Dallas Cowboys are a National Football League team based in Irving, Texas. 1983 8-8.

Darren Woodson. 1982 4-5. Erik Williams. 1981 4-12. Randy White. 1980 1-15. Danny White. 1979 8-8.

Herschel Walker. 1978 7-9. Mark Stepnoski. 1977 3-11. Roger Staubach. 1976 4-10. Emmitt Smith. 1975 2-12.

Deion Sanders. 1974 5-9. Drew Pearson. 1973 5-9. Jay Novacek. 1972 2-11-1. Nate Newton. 1971 4-8-2.

Robert Newhouse. 1970 2-11-1. Bob Lilly. 1969 5-9. Leon Lett. 1968 4-9-1. Ed "Too Tall" Jones. 1967 3-11.

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.