Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise competing in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. Based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the Cowboys compete as a member of the NFC East. One of the NFL's most successful and popular franchises, the Cowboys have won five Super Bowls and eight conference championships. 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. Since their founding, the Cowboys have grown from a struggling expansion club into one of the most recognized and commercially dominant sports franchises in the world, earning the enduring nickname "America's Team."

Founding and Early Years

The Dallas Cowboys began on January 28, 1960, when the National Football League awarded the league's thirteenth franchise to Clinton W. Murchison, Jr., and Bedford Wynne for the sum of $600,000. The origins of the franchise were not without conflict. After Lamar Hunt was rebuffed in his efforts to acquire an NFL franchise for Dallas, he became part of a group of owners that formed the American Football League, with Hunt's AFL franchise in Dallas known as the Texans (later to become the Kansas City Chiefs). In an effort not to cede the South to the AFL, the NFL awarded Dallas a franchise, but not until after the 1960 college draft had been held.

The new owners subsequently hired CBS Sports executive and former Los Angeles Rams general manager Tex Schramm as president and general manager, San Francisco 49ers scout Gil Brandt as player personnel director, and New York Giants defensive coordinator Tom Landry as head coach. The team's name was not immediately settled, either. The team was first known as the Dallas Steers, then the Dallas Rangers. On March 19, 1960, the organization announced that the team name was the Cowboys to avoid confusion with the American Association Dallas Rangers baseball team.

The Cowboys began play in 1960, and played their home games a few miles east of Downtown Dallas at the Cotton Bowl. For their first three seasons, they shared this stadium with the Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs franchise), who began play in the American Football League that same year. The debut season was rocky: the 1960 Cowboys finished their inaugural campaign 0–11–1 with a roster largely made up of sub-par players, many well past their prime. The 1961 season saw the Cowboys pick up their first victory in franchise history, a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first game of the season.

None of Landry's wins would come in the Cowboys' first season, as the team went 0–11–1. The next four years were not much better, as the team failed to win more than five games a season. It was not until 1965 that the Cowboys would post their first non-losing record, finishing at 7–7.

The Landry Era and "America's Team"

The Cowboys' fortunes changed dramatically starting in 1966. In 1966, the Cowboys began an NFL-record streak of 20 consecutive winning seasons. That streak included 18 years in the playoffs, 13 divisional championships, five trips to the Super Bowl, and victories in Super Bowls VI and XII.

Dallas won its first two divisional championships in 1966 and 1967 but lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFL championship game each year. The 1967 title game became legendary: in 1967 Dallas reached the NFL championship game but lost to the Green Bay Packers in a contest that featured the lowest recorded on-field temperature in NFL history (−13 °F [−25 °C]) and became known as the "Ice Bowl."

With Roger Staubach, the Cowboys won five NFC championships and two Super Bowls (1972 and 1978), and the popular franchise became known by the nickname "America's Team." Other notable players of the Landry era included defensive tackles Bob Lilly and Randy White, wide receiver and former Olympic sprint champion Bob Hayes, cornerback Mel Renfro, and running back Tony Dorsett.

The Cowboys made their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history following the 1970 season. They defeated Detroit 5–0 in the lowest-scoring playoff game in NFL history and then defeated San Francisco 17–10 in the first-ever NFC Championship Game, before losing a mistake-filled Super Bowl V, 16–13, to the Baltimore Colts on a field goal by Jim O'Brien with five seconds remaining. Despite the loss, linebacker Chuck Howley was named the Super Bowl MVP, the first and only time in Super Bowl history that the game's MVP did not come from the winning team.

The Cowboys went on to win their first championship the following season. Among the most memorable games during this period were the team's 24–3 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VI in 1971; the 1975 "Hail Mary" game in which the Cowboys won on a last-minute desperation pass from quarterback Roger Staubach; and the Cowboys' 27–10 win over the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII in 1977.

Off the field, the Cowboys became as influential as they were on it. The Cowboys of the 1970s and early 1980s were known as "America's Team," an outfit that was just a step ahead of almost every other club when it came to image-enhancing promotions such as The Dallas Cowboys Newsweekly with a circulation of 100,000, sales of Cowboys souvenirs and apparel, and the famous Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. In their seventh season in 1966, the Cowboys agreed to host a second NFL Thanksgiving game. General manager Tex Schramm wanted to find a way to boost publicity on a national level for his team. The Thanksgiving tradition greatly expanded the team's national audience and became one of the most watched annual fixtures in American sports.

The team also moved into a new home during this era. In 1967, Murchison announced that the Cowboys would build their own stadium in suburban Irving, Texas. A new Dallas pro football era began on October 24, 1971, when the 65,024-seat Texas Stadium was opened.

Decline, Sale, and the 1990s Dynasty

After two decades of sustained success, the Cowboys fell into decline. The Cowboys suffered their first losing season in two decades in 1986 and fell all the way to 3–13 in 1988. With most of the rest of his money tied up in the Cowboys, H.R. "Bum" Bright was forced to sell the team to Jerry Jones on February 25, 1989, for $150 million.

Businessman Jerry Jones purchased the franchise in 1989 and fired Landry soon thereafter, earning the ire of the many loyal Cowboys fans who had grown attached to the coach in his 28 years with the team. Jones named former University of Miami coach Jimmy Johnson to replace Landry, who finished his career with 270 victories, third most by any coach in history.

The rebuild was swift. The Cowboys had a string of excellent drafts, acquiring future Hall of Famers Michael Irvin, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith in successive drafts from 1988 to 1990. Johnson's first team won only once in 16 games, but some daring trades and shrewd selections in the annual NFL draft quickly returned the Cowboys to championship status in Super Bowl XXVII, the fourth season of the Jerry Jones regime.

The team went on to dominate the NFL for the better part of the decade: the Cowboys of the 1990s won Super Bowls in 1993, 1994, and 1996. The Cowboys defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVIII, 30–13, becoming the first team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl after starting 0–2. Only weeks after Super Bowl XXVIII, friction between Johnson and Jones culminated in Johnson announcing his resignation. Jones then hired former University of Oklahoma head coach Barry Switzer to replace Johnson. Switzer led Dallas to its fifth championship, a victory in Super Bowl XXX.

Home Venues and Headquarters

The Cowboys have played in three primary home venues across their history. They began at the Cotton Bowl near downtown Dallas, sharing the facility for several years before moving to Texas Stadium in Irving in 1971. The Cowboys changed homes in 1971 and moved from the Cotton Bowl near downtown Dallas to Texas Stadium in suburban Irving.

The team 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. With a seating capacity of 80,000 spectators, AT&T Stadium is one of the largest in the NFL.

The team's front-office operations have also relocated in recent decades. The Cowboys moved to The Star in Frisco, their new home in the northern suburb of Dallas that houses the Cowboys franchise headquarters, along with two outdoor practice fields, a 12,000-seat indoor arena shared with Frisco ISD, and an entertainment complex complete with a high-rise hotel, fitness club, retail space, and several dining establishments.

Records, Legacy, and Franchise Value

The Cowboys' on-field legacy is among the most decorated in professional football. The Dallas Cowboys have 32 Pro Football Hall of Famers and 22 members in their Ring of Honor. The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 straight winning seasons (from 1966 to 1985), during which they missed the playoffs only twice (1974 and 1984). The franchise's Super Bowl championships came in Super Bowls VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX.

The Cowboys' streak of 190 consecutive sold-out regular and post-season games (home and away) began in 2002. The franchise has made it to the Super Bowl eight times, tying it with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and San Francisco 49ers for second-most Super Bowl appearances in history.

Off the field, the Cowboys have become one of the most financially powerful sports franchises on earth. In 2015, the Dallas Cowboys became the first sports team to be valued at $4 billion, making it the most valuable sports team in the world, according to Forbes. As of late 2025, the Cowboys are valued at about $13 billion.

Leadership transitions have continued into the modern era. On January 13, 2025, it was announced that head coach Mike McCarthy would not be returning as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys due to a contract dispute. On January 24, 2025, it was announced that Brian Schottenheimer had been promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach.