New Jersey Nets

A proposed arena in Brooklyn is in the planning stages and if apporoved, the Nets would move across the Hudson River for the 2007-2008 season. The team will begin playing at the new site in 2009 after thirty-eight years in Irving. The owner has threatened to move the franchise beginning with the 2005-2006 season. 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. In 2004 and 2005 there were constant rumors that the Nets were going to move back to New York. 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. Teaming with Kidd, Carter rallied the team from being more than 10 games out of the playoffs to gain the final seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the duo could not overcome O'Neal again and were swept by the Miami Heat in the 2005 postseason. 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.

In 2005, after two disappointing seasons, the Nets acquired disgruntled star Vince Carter from the Toronto Raptors. However, the 2004 season was one of turmoil. The following season Kidd again led the Nets to the finals, only to be thwarted by the San Antonio Spurs. 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. Under Kidd, the Nets advanced to the NBA Finals that season, but were defeated by Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, Jones proved them wrong in 2003 by luring Bill Parcells out of retirement to coach the Cowboys. In 2001, though, the Nets acquired Jason Kidd, a perennial all-star. 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.

In the mid 1990s, the team continually tried to rebuild, as the Nets brought in star after star, only to see them fail. Players, such as Stephon Marbury, Kendall Gill, Keith Van Horn, and Jayson Williams each played for the Nets a few seasons before being traded again. Defensive coordinator Dave Campo was promoted to head coach, but he could only post three consecutive 5-11 seasons. However, the team failed to advance in the playoffs, and after the stunning death of Petrovic, the others were traded. Gailey led the team to a 10-6 record in 1998, but was let go after a 8-8 season in 1999. However, the next few seasons yielded a shift from veterans to young players, as the Nets acquired Derrick Coleman, Drazen Petrovic, and Kenny Anderson. Former Steelers offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was hired to take over head coaching duties. Led by Darryl Dawkins, Buck Williams, Otis Birdsong, and Michael Ray Richardson, the team finally had a winning season and advanced into the playoffs, beating the Philadelphia 76ers before falling to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Cowboys went 6-10 in 1997 and Switzer was let go.

In the 1983-1984 season, though, the Nets fielded what was believed to be their best team since joining the NBA. But the glory days of the Cowboys were again beginning to fade as free agency and injuries began taking their toll. The next few years were disappointing, as the Nets compiled losing season after losing season, never advancing in the playoffs. 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 year after the Nets joined the NBA, the franchise relocated to New Jersey, becoming the New Jersey Nets. 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. The next season the ABA merged to form the NBA. Hampered by contract disputes, the Nets were forced to send Erving to the Philadelphia 76ers, ending a highly-promising era. However, Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones had a falling out and Johnson left the organization prior to the 1994 season.

After a grueling series with the Denver Nuggets, the Nets won the championship series and could boast their second championship in three years. 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. Erving again led them to a successful 55-win season; he also was named MVP again that year. 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. However, the team rebounded in the 1975-1976 season. By 1991, the Cowboys finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the first time in six years. The next season also looked to be promising, but the Nets were stunned early on in the playoffs and were denied their second championship. 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.

After Erving was declared the ABA's MVP, the Nets advanced in the playoffs and won their first ever ABA title. In 1990, the Cowboys drafted Emmitt Smith and the trifecta of Aikman, Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin was now set. In the 1973-1974, with Erving, the Nets dramatically improved their record to a 55- win season. 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. J". 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. In the 1973 offseason, however, the Nets acquired Julius Erving, known as "Dr. Jones promptly fired the only coach the Cowboys had ever known and replaced him with University of Miami head coach, Jimmy Johnson.

The 1972 - 1973 season was one of disappointment, as the Nets only won 30 games. "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. Barry left after that postseason, sending the Nets into rebuilding mode. In 1984, H.R. However, they could not overcome the Indiana Pacers and lost the series four games to two. 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. In 1972, two years after the acquisition of star Rick Barry, the Nets advanced to the ABA finals. 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.

The team was renamed to "Nets" to rhyme with the two other professional sports team in New York: the New York Mets and New York Jets. Roger Staubach retired following the 1979 season and the Cowboys began declining in the NFL. Originally called the New Jersey Americans, the team changed its name and location to become the New York Nets. They would reach one final Super Bowl, Super Bowl XIII, losing once again at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers, 35-31. The franchise was established in 1967 as part of the American Basketball Association. The glory days of the Cowboys in the 1970s were coming to an end. In 2004, the franchise was sold to Bruce Ratner. 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.

The New Jersey Nets are a National Basketball Association team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. But the Cowboys would again taste Super Bowl victory, defeating the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII. Rod Thorn. The fresh influx of talent helped the Cowboys to Super Bowl X, where the Cowboys lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17. Kevin Loughery. However, the Cowboys drafted well following the season, adding new legends like Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. Lawrence Frank. The Cowboys faltered slightly in 1974, missing the playoffs for the first time in eight years.

Byron Scott. 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. Chuck Daly. Their televised appearances on Thanksgiving Day games beginning in 1966 helped bring the Cowboys to a nationwide audience. Nenad Krstic. The Cowboys were now beginning to grow in popularity not just in Dallas, but nationwide. Richard Jefferson. 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.

Jason Kidd. 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. Vince Carter. 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. 52 Buck Williams. 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. 32 Julius Erving. The game would later come to be known as the "Ice Bowl.".

25 Bill Melchionni. The Cowboys lost 21-17 on a one-yard quarterback sneak by Packers quarterback Bart Starr. 23 John Williamson. 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). 4 Wendell Ladner. They went on to face the Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship game. 3 Drazen Petrovic. In 1967, the Cowboys finished with a 9-5 record and had their first playoff victory: a 52-14 affair over the Cleveland Browns.

Richard Jefferson. Texas Stadium in Irving, a Dallas suburb, would be completed for the 1971 season. Vince Carter. By 1969, ground was being broken on a new stadium for the Cowboys to replace the Cotton Bowl. Jason Kidd. 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. Alonzo Mourning. 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.

Keith Van Horn. Similarly, the Cowboys were becoming an important part of the people of Dallas. Kenyon Martin. 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. Stephon Marbury. 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. Kerry Kittles. During the 1960s, the Cowboys continued to improve their team.

Armon Gilliam. The year 1961 also saw the Cowboys' first victory, a 27-24 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 17. Kendall Gill. The following year, the Cowboys made their first NFL Draft selection, selecting Bob Lilly with the 13th pick in the draft. Yinka Dare. In the Cowboys' first season, they finished winless with a 0-11-1 record. Chris Childs. 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.

Kenny Anderson. Clint Murchison, Jr. Bob McAdoo. The city of Dallas, Texas was granted an NFL franchise on January 28, 1960. Nate Archibald. 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). Rick Barry. The Dallas Cowboys are a National Football League team based in Irving, Texas.

Drazen Petrovic. Darren Woodson. Julius Erving. 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.