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January 27, 2022By Rock Westfall
Today the Dallas Cowboys are the world’s most valuable sports franchise. Thus, it would shock observers to discover that the Cowboys were born out of war.
When the Dallas Texans of the rival American Football League began in 1960, the Cowboys were created solely to destroy the AFL’s flagship franchise. Instead, the Texans and Cowboys gushed red ink. When the Texans moved in 1963 to become the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cowboys meekly paid their moving expenses and bought their training facility and offices. Yet, out of those desperate beginnings would come America’s Team.
Super Bowl Futures – Next Year’s Team
By 1966 the Cowboys became a serious championship contender. Under flamboyant president Tex Schramm, innovative scout Gil Brandt, and head coach Tom Landry, Dallas made the playoffs from 1966-70 but suffered heartbreak each time. In 1970 Dallas made their first Super Bowl but lost in the final seconds 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts on a field goal. Such postseason disasters earned them the derisive nickname of “Next Year’s Team.”
Super Bowl Predictions – Reaching the Summit
In 1971 the Cowboys finally put it all together. The key was quarterback Roger Staubach. He had the brains, guile, and raw talent that previous Cowboys quarterbacks lacked. And then there was the punishing Doomsday Defense led by such legends as Bob Lilly, LeRoy Jordan, and Chuck Howley. Dallas beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in Super Bowl VI to end all jinxes and affirm its greatness.
Super Bowl Lines – America’s Team
Under the trio of Schramm, Brandt, and Landry, the Cowboys remained a perennial contender. They also became the first NFL team to comprehend branding fully. In 1977 Dallas ripped through the NFL with a 12-2 record and destroyed the Denver Broncos 27-10 in Super Bowl XII.
NFL Films titled the 1977 Cowboys highlight movie “America’s Team.” And there was plenty of good reason for the name. Dallas led the NFL in merchandise sales and TV ratings. NFL TV executives began to say, “when in doubt, give them the Cowboys.”
Dallas made the Super Bowl three times in four years, from 1975 through 1978. And made the playoffs every year from 1966 through 1983.
Staubach, Lilly, Schramm, Brandt, and Landry, among many others, made the NFL Hall of Fame.
As great as that Cowboys era was, nobody saw anything yet!
Super Bowl Bets – Jerry and Jimmy
By 1988 the Schramm, Brandt, and Landry era had gone stale. The Cowboys needed new blood and got it. Jerry Jones bought the team in early 1989 and cleaned house. He hired his Arkansas Razorback football roommate Jimmy Johnson as head coach. And Dallas has never been the same.
At first, Johnson and Jones were a phenomenal team that complemented each other’s strengths. The uber-driven Johnson proved to be a shrewd judge of talent and masterful motivator. Jones marketed the Cowboys 30 years ahead of the concept and gave Johnson a blank check.
Johnson acquired “The Triplets,” which set the foundation for glory. Quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irving revolutionized offensive football. Johnson had the Cowboys in the playoffs by his third season. A dynasty was budding.
Odds to win the Super Bowl – How Bout Them Cowboys!
In 1992, Johnson’s Cowboys went 13-3. In the NFC championship game at San Francisco, the Cowboys prevailed 30-20. In the post-game celebration, Johnson bellowed, “How Bout Them Cowboys!” It became a rallying cry for the team. In Super Bowl XXVII, Dallas routed the Buffalo Bills 52-17.
Nuclear Ego Warfare
In 1993 the Cowboys went 12-4 and destroyed the Bills again in the Super Bowl 30-13. But all was not well. Johnson was tired of Jones grabbing undeserved credit and bringing his celebrity guests to the Dallas bench during games. Johnson passed up an almost certain and unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl championship. Jones wrote him a check to send him out the door. The Cowboys won the Super Bowl two years later, a final championship team originally built by Johnson. They haven’t seen Super Sunday since.
Online betting Super Bowl – History’s Verdict
An ego clash between Jones and Johnson was inevitable and yet tragic. It prevented the real potential of Dallas becoming the greatest NFL dynasty of all time.
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