LANDRY HIRED:
Clint Murchison, Jr., and Bedford Wynne signed N.Y. Giants defensive
assistant Tom Landry to a personal services contract on December 27, 1959,
with the intention of naming him
head coach once they were awarded an
expansion franchise by the NFL. On January 28, 1960, Murchison and Wynne
were awarded an expansion franchise in the NFL at the annual league meeting
in Miami Beach.
FIRST LEAGUE WIN: Scoring ten points in the final 56 seconds, the Cowboys scored
their first NFL victory, 27-24, over Pittsburgh in the '61 league opener in the Cotton
Bowl. Allen Green kicked the decisive 27-yard field goal on the game's final play in front
of 23,500 fans on September 17, 1961.
THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP: The Cowboys won their first championship, capturing the Eastern
Conference title with a 10-3-1 record, but lost the NFL Championship Game to Green Bay,
34-27, in front of 75,504 fans at the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1967.
THE ICE BOWL: On December 31, 1967, Dallas squared off with Green Bay in one
of the most memorable and dramatic NFL games ever played. In minus 13-degree temperatures,
Vince Lombardi's Packers came from behind to defeat the Cowboys 21-17 on a one-yard goal
line plunge by Bart Starr in the game's closing seconds.
TEXAS STADIUM: The Cowboys opened a new era in their sparkling Irving, Texas
home with a 44-21 victory over the New England Patriots on October 24, 1971. Duane Thomas
scored the first touchdown in the new stadium, a 56-yard run just two minutes and 16
seconds after the opening kickoff. Attendance was 65,708.
FIRST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: The Cowboys downed the Miami Dolphins, 24-3, to win Super Bowl
VI in New Orleans on January 16, 1972. It was the 10th victory in a row for Dallas as
Roger Staubach passed for two touchdowns and was named the game's Most Valuable Player.
DALLAS COWBOYS CHEERLEADERS DEBUT: The Cowboys transformed the idea of sideline cheerleaders in
September of 1972 when they mixed a unique blend of glamour and dance with an old football
tradition. At the time, no one predicted that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders would become
an international phenomenon, but that is exactly what happened.
HAIL MARY: Roger Staubach completed a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson with 24
seconds remaining in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game in Minnesota on December 28, 1975.
The thrilling one- handed catch lifted the Cowboys to a 17-14 victory. The win also moved
Dallas into the NFC Championship Game, where the Cowboys knocked off the Los Angeles Rams
en route to a Super Bowl X defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
SECOND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: The Cowboys stopped the Denver Broncos, 27-10, to win Super Bowl
XII in New Orleans on January 15, 1978. In the process, Dallas tied Minnesota for most
Super Bowl appearances (four) and Green Bay, Miami and Pittsburgh for most Super Bowl
victories (two). Defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Randy White were named co-MVPs in the
game.
DORSETT GOES 99 YARDS ON MONDAY NIGHT: In one of the most memorable plays in NFL history, Tony Dorsett
raced 99 yards for a touchdown in a nationally televised Monday night game at Minnesota on
January 3, 1983.
NFL's LONGEST STREAK OF WINNING SEASONS:
The Cowboys' streak of 20 consecutive winning seasons, from 1966
through 1985, is the third longest in professional sports history. Only baseball's New
York Yankees (39 straight winning seasons, 1926-64) and hockey's Montreal
Canadians (32
from 1951-52 through 1982-83) surpassed the Cowboys' accomplishment. After the Cowboys
posted a 7-9 record in 1986, the San Francisco 49ers' 16 straight winning campaigns
(1983-98) represented the NFL's longest active streak.
JONES ACQUIRED COWBOYS, NAMED JOHNSON COACH: Jerry Jones reached an agreement to purchase the Cowboys from Bum
Bright on February 25, 1989 and announced that University of Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson
would replace Tom Landry.
AIKMAN SIGNED: The Cowboys, holding the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft for only
the second time in their history, announced the signing of quarterback Troy Aikman to a
six-year contract on April 20, 1989. The announcement came less than two months after
Jerry Jones purchased the team from Bum Bright on February 25 and named Jimmy Johnson as
the team's new coach.
THIRD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: After compiling a club-record 13 regular season wins, the
Cowboys defeated Buffalo 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on January
31, 1993. The victory enabled the Cowboys to become the only franchise in NFL history to
win more than one Super Bowl under two different ownerships. Troy Aikman was named the
game's MVP after throwing four touchdown passes. The Super Bowl crowd of 98,374 was the
largest crowd to ever witness a Dallas Cowboys game, and the television audience of 133.4
million viewers made Super Bowl XXVII the most watched event in television history at that
time.
FOURTH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP: In 1993 Dallas became one of just three NFL teams to win four
Super Bowls by defeating Buffalo (30-13) in Super Bowl XXVIII. The game, played at the
Georgia Dome in Atlanta, featured two rushing touchdowns by Super Bowl MVP Emmitt Smith.
Dallas raised its NFL record number of Super Bowl appearances to seven (one-fourth of all
the Super Bowl games played at that time).
THREE SUPER BOWL TITLES IN FOUR YEARS: After claiming an NFL-record eighth Conference championship,
Dallas became the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a four year period
by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium in
Tempe, Arizona. The game, played on January 28, 1996, was witnessed by 138.4 million
television viewers, making Super Bowl XXX the most watched event in television history.
The victory enabled Dallas to earn its fifth Super Bowl title--joining the San Francisco
49ers as the only NFL franchises to win five Super Bowls. During the 1995 regular season,
Emmitt Smith won his fourth NFL rushing title with a record 1,773 yards and
becoming just the
fifth player in NFL history to win at least four rushing crowns.
NFC EAST RECORD FIFTH STRAIGHT TITLE:
With a 12-6 win over the New England Patriots on December 15,
1996, the Cowboys wrapped up the division title and became the first team to ever win the
NFC East in five consecutive seasons.
NFL RECORD FOR SOLD OUT GAMES REACHES 160: The Dallas Cowboys' NFL-record of consecutive games played in
front of sold out stadiums came to an end on December 24, 1999 in a Christmas Eve game
against the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Super Dome. The streak, which included
home and away games, came to a halt after 160 games. It began on December 23, 1990 at
Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium, and it included 79 straight sell-outs at Texas Stadium
(including playoffs) and 81 straight sell-outs on the road (including playoffs).
TEAM OF THE 90s:
The Cowboys closed the century as the NFL's most successful team
in the decade of the 1990s. From 1990 to 1999, Dallas qualified for the playoffs eight
times, won six division titles, made four trips to the conference championship game and
won three Super Bowls.
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