| 1995 Dallas Cowboys season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jerry Jones |
| General manager | Jerry Jones |
| Head coach | Barry Switzer |
| Home field | Texas Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st NFC East |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Eagles) 30–11 Won NFC Championship (vs. Packers) 38–27 Won Super Bowl XXX (vs. Steelers) 27–17 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Troy Aikman RB Emmitt Smith WR Michael Irvin OT Mark Tuinei G Larry Allen C Ray Donaldson TE Jay Novacek OG Nate Newton DE Charles Haley S Darren Woodson |
The 1995 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the second year under head coach Barry Switzer and final of the three Super Bowl titles they would win during 1992 to 1995. Dallas would be the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a span of four seasons (would be later matched by the New England Patriots from the 2001 to 2004 seasons). Switzer guided the Cowboys to a fifth Super Bowl win by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 in Super Bowl XXX.
As of 2023, this is the most recent time the Cowboys appeared in the NFC Championship Game, and in turn, their most recent Super Bowl appearance. The last remaining active member of the 1995 Dallas Cowboys was offensive lineman Larry Allen, who retired after the 2007 season.
The 1995 NFL draft was one of the worst in Dallas Cowboys history. It is infamously known as the "backup draft", because the team considered their roster so strong, they drafted players based on their contributions as backups, which limited the future potential of their selections. The team traded their first-round draft choice (28th overall) to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (they selected Derrick Brooks), in exchange for two second-round picks. The best player drafted would end up being Eric Bjornson.
| 1995 Dallas Cowboys draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 46 | Sherman Williams | Running back | Alabama | |
| 2 | 59 | Kendell Watkins | Tight end | Mississippi State | |
| 2 | 63 | Shane Hannah | Guard | Michigan State | |
| 3 | 92 | Charlie Williams | Cornerback | Bowling Green | |
| 4 | 110 | Eric Bjornson | Tight end | Washington | |
| 4 | 129 | Alundis Brice | Cornerback | Ole Miss | |
| 4 | 130 | Linc Harden | Linebacker | Oklahoma State | |
| 5 | 166 | Ed Hervey | Wide receiver | USC | |
| 5 | 168 | Dana Howard | Linebacker | Illinois | |
| 7 | 236 | Oscar Sturgis | Defensive end | North Carolina | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
| Round | Overall | Name | Position | Expansion Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 21 | Willie Jackson | WR | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 16 | 31 | Dave Thomas | CB | Carolina Panthers |
The 1995 season once more saw a number of key veterans depart via free agency due to the NFL salary cap, including wide receiver Alvin Harper to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, safety James Washington to the Washington Redskins, center Mark Stepnoski to the Houston Oilers and longtime Cowboys veteran defensive end Jim Jeffcoat to the Buffalo Bills. Starting cornerback Kevin Smith was out the remainder of the season after an injury in week one. Perhaps the most prominent addition came on September 11, 1995, when Dallas signed All-Pro cornerback Deion Sanders away from the San Francisco 49ers. Running back Emmitt Smith earned his fourth NFL rushing title and set a then-record 25 rushing touchdowns in a season against the Arizona Cardinals to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The season began with victories against the Giants, Broncos, Vikings in overtime, and Cardinals. In week five at the Redskins, Troy Aikman was injured early and the Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season. Aikman returned the next week and led Dallas to wins over Green Bay, San Diego, the Falcons (marking Deion Sanders's debut game with the Cowboys), and the Eagles to move to 8–1.
In week ten, the struggling 49ers (only 5–4 and with Elvis Grbac substituting for injured Steve Young) came to Texas Stadium and shocked the Cowboys, 38–20; the game's signature play was San Francisco's second play from scrimmage, from the Niners' 19-yard line, as Grbac's pass split Dallas's safeties and Jerry Rice scored.
The win started a six-game win streak for San Francisco while Dallas rebounded, beating the Raiders and Chiefs to move to 10–2, but then was upset at home by the Washington Redskins (the Redskins, who finished only 6–10, swept the eventual world champions; it was the Skins' seventh win in fourteen meetings since the firing of Tom Landry). The Cowboys lost their second game in a row in a controversial loss at Philadelphia where, with the game tied at 17 late in the fourth quarter, Coach Barry Switzer elected to "go for it" on 4th down and a foot at the Cowboys' 29-yard line. The Eagles initially stopped Dallas for no gain but the play was ruled dead because the two-minute warning was reached before Dallas snapped the ball. Switzer then elected to try again instead of punting, and this time the play was stopped for a 1-yard loss; Philly took over and soon kicked a field goal to get the win. While the Cowboys in general and Switzer in particular were excoriated by fans and the media, the team became stronger and angrier after this game (Deion Sanders publicly supported Switzer and the decision to try the 4th-down conversion) and eventually used those emotions to end the losing streak.
The next week, Dallas appeared headed for a third straight defeat at home to the mediocre Giants (only 5–9 entering the game) but thanks to a clutch late reception by Kevin Williams and a last-second field goal by Chris Boniol, the Cowboys prevailed. Rejuvenated, the team defeated the Arizona Cardinals and (combined with a 49ers loss the day before) secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The movie Jerry Maguire used film footage from the Arizona matchup.
The Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoff game followed by a memorable NFC championship game victory against the Green Bay Packers at Texas Stadium. The team went on to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona in an attempt to tie the NFL record of a fifth league title. Dallas dominated early, but as the Steelers gained momentum and threatened an upset over the heavily favored Cowboys, starting cornerback Larry Brown, after the tragic loss of his son Kristopher during the season, made his second interception of a pass from Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell to seal the Cowboys' victory. Brown was named Super Bowl MVP after the game.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 29 | Buffalo Bills | W 21–15 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 5 | Oakland Raiders | L 14–27 | 1–1 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 12 | vs. Buffalo Bills | L 7–9 | 1–2 | SkyDome (Toronto) | Recap |
| 4 | August 21 | at Denver Broncos | L 17–20 | 1–3 | Mile High Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | August 26 | at Houston Oilers | W 10–0 | 2–3 | Houston Astrodome | Recap |
| NFC East | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| (1) Dallas Cowboys | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 435 | 291 | W2 |
| (4) Philadelphia Eagles | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 318 | 338 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 326 | 359 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 290 | 340 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 275 | 422 | L4 |
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Game Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | First-round bye | |||||
| Divisional | January 7, 1996 | Philadelphia Eagles (4) | W 30–11 | 1–0 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| NFC Championship | January 14, 1996 | Green Bay Packers (3) | W 38–27 | 2–0 | Texas Stadium | Recap |
| Super Bowl XXX | January 28, 1996 | Pittsburgh Steelers (A2) | W 27–17 | 3–0 | Sun Devil Stadium | Recap |
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eagles | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 11 |
| Cowboys | 3 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 10 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 38 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
Front office
Head coaches
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The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team is headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and has played its home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, since its opening in 2009. The stadium took its current name prior to the 2013 season, following the team's decision to sell the stadium's naming rights to telecommunications company AT&T. In January 2020, Mike McCarthy was hired as head coach of the Cowboys. He is the ninth in the team's history. McCarthy follows Jason Garrett, who coached the team from 2010 to 2019.
Super Bowl XXVIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1993 season. The Cowboys defeated the Bills, for the second straight year, by a score of 30–13, winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, tying the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers for most Super Bowl wins. The Buffalo Bills became the only team to both play and lose four consecutive Super Bowls for a 0-4 franchise Super Bowl record, and as of 2023, remains the team's most recent Super Bowl appearance. The game was played on January 30, 1994, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. Since the 1993 regular season was conducted over 18 weeks, the traditional bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl was not employed; the last time this had happened was before Super Bowl XXV.
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1995 season. The Cowboys defeated the Steelers by the score of 27–17, winning their fifth Super Bowl in team history. The game was played on January 28, 1996, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, the first time the Super Bowl was played in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Larry Christopher Allen Jr. is a former American football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Butte Roadrunners and the Sonoma State Cossacks, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft. Allen is regarded as one of the NFL's physically strongest players ever, while also capable of using his speed against defenders.
Troy Kenneth Aikman is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from the Oklahoma Sooners, he played college football for the UCLA Bruins, with whom he won the Davey O'Brien Award as a senior. Aikman was selected first overall in the 1989 NFL Draft by the Cowboys, received six Pro Bowl selections, and won three Super Bowls. He was also named MVP of Super Bowl XXVII, the franchise's first title in over a decade. Aikman was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
The 2006 Dallas Cowboys season was the 47th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005. The base offense was changed to a 2-tight end formation. Several high-profile free agents were signed including controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens and kicker Mike Vanderjagt. Veteran defensive end Greg Ellis was also converted into a linebacker.
This article contains an in-depth explanation of the history of the Dallas Cowboys, a professional American football team that competes in the National Football League (NFL).
The 2007 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their 19th under the ownership of Jerry Jones, their 36th playing their home games at Texas Stadium, their first season under offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and their first season under head coach Wade Phillips. The Cowboys finished the regular season tied for the best record in the NFC (13–3), and earned a first-round bye for the first time since 1995 and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The 2003 Dallas Cowboys season was the 44th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). For the first time since 1989, Emmitt Smith was not on the opening day roster. Coming off three consecutive 5–11 seasons, Dallas hired former New York Giants, New York Jets, and New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells. In a scheduling coincidence, the Cowboys faced all three said teams in the 2003 regular season. The team was vastly improved and posted a 10–6 record. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs the team lost to the Carolina Panters 29–10.
The 2000 season was the Dallas Cowboys' 41st in the National Football League (NFL). Cowboys owner Jerry Jones promoted the team's long-time defensive coordinator, Dave Campo, to be the fifth head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. This was also Troy Aikman's last season with the team.
The 1998 Dallas Cowboys season was the Cowboys' 39th season in the NFL. The Cowboys were looking to improve on their 6–10 mark from the year before and head to the Super Bowl for the final time in the 1990s.
The 1996 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 37th season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the third year under head coach Barry Switzer. Following their victory in Super Bowl XXX, the Cowboys endured a rough year failing to improve their 12–4 record from 1995 but still reached the playoffs with a 10–6 record. Star receiver Michael Irvin was suspended by the league for the first five games and before the playoffs was accused along with lineman Erik Williams of sexual assault. Controversy also took place when writer Skip Bayless published a scathing account of the Cowboys' 1995 season. Longtime trainer Mike Woicik also left the team after the season following a sideline dispute with coach Barry Switzer although Woicik returned in 2011. Additionally, late in the season; defensive tackle Leon Lett would be suspended for the last 3 games of the season and the first 13 of the following season after violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.
The 1994 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League (NFL). Following their second consecutive Super Bowl title, the Cowboys would see a multitude of changes. In March, months of setbacks finally reached its climax as team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson held a press conference and announced Johnson's resignation.
The 1993 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 34th season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the fifth and final year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson. During Johnson's tenure, the Cowboys made two of their three Super Bowl appearances between 1992 and 1995 and won back-to-back Super Bowl titles. The season is notable for seeing the Cowboys become the first team to start 0–2 and still reach the Super Bowl. The following off-season was marked by the surprising resignation of Johnson, who departed the Cowboys due to a dispute with owner Jerry Jones about who deserved more credit for the back-to-back Super Bowl wins. This would be Johnson's last head coaching job until 1996, when he became the new head coach of the Miami Dolphins to replace the retiring Don Shula, who had served as their head coach since 1970.
The 1992 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 33rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the fourth year of the franchise under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys made the first of three Super Bowl appearances between 1992–95.
The 1991 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the third year of the franchise under the ownership of Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson. This also marked Norv Turner's first year as offensive coordinator under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The Cowboys improved on their 7–9 record from 1990, finishing 11–5, and made the playoffs for the first time since 1985.
The 1992 Buffalo Bills season was the 33rd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Buffalo Bills entered the season as defending back to back AFC champions and finished the National Football League's 1992 season with a record of 11 wins and 5 losses, and finished second in the AFC East division. The Bills qualified for their third straight Super Bowl appearance, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys 52–17. This would be the only time the Bills did not finish first in the AFC Eastern Division from 1988 to 1993.
The 1993 Buffalo Bills season was the 34th season for the team in the National Football League (NFL). The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1993 season with a record of 12 wins and 4 losses, and finished first in the AFC East division.
The 1995 San Francisco 49ers season was the franchise's 46th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 50th overall.
The 2014 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 55th season in the National Football League (NFL), the sixth playing their home games at AT&T Stadium and the fourth full season under head coach Jason Garrett.
