1-15 to Three Rings: How the 1990s Cowboys Dynasty Was Built

Three Super Bowls in four seasons. No team had done it before the 1990s Cowboys. What makes that run so remarkable is how fast it came together. In 1989 the Cowboys went 1-15. Three years later they were champions.

Here's how the dynasty was built, and the lessons it still offers.

Rock bottom

The late 1980s were rough. In 1988, Tom Landry's final season, Dallas had the worst record in the league. Owner Bum Bright, in financial trouble, sold the team to Arkansas businessman Jerry Jones in February 1989. Jones fired Landry the next day, an abrupt end for the only coach the franchise had ever had, and installed himself as general manager. He hired Jimmy Johnson, his former Arkansas teammate, from the University of Miami.

That league-worst record gave Dallas the first pick in 1989, and they took UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman. The 1989 team still went 1-15.

The trade

After an 0-5 start in 1989, Johnson traded running back Herschel Walker to Minnesota for five veteran players and eight draft choices. In all, 18 players or picks were involved, the largest trade in NFL history at the time.

That's the move everyone remembers, and it mattered. The picks from Minnesota gave Johnson extra chances in every draft that followed. But it was only part of the plan.

The drafts

Johnson rebuilt the roster through a run of strong drafts. Aikman, fullback Daryl Johnston and center Mark Stepnoski came in 1989. Running back Emmitt Smith arrived in 1990. Defensive tackle Russell Maryland and tackle Erik Williams came in 1991, and safety Darren Woodson in 1992.

Those young players joined Landry-era holdovers like receiver Michael Irvin, guard Nate Newton, linebacker Ken Norton Jr. and lineman Mark Tuinei, plus veterans brought in like tight end Jay Novacek and defensive end Charles Haley.

The climb was quick. Dallas went 7-9 in 1990, with Smith named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year and Johnson Coach of the Year. In 1991 they went 11-5 and won a playoff game in Chicago before Detroit routed them. That season Smith led the league in rushing and Irvin led it in receiving yards, the first time one team had both.

The titles

1992: Dallas beat San Francisco 30-20 in the NFC title game and crushed Buffalo 52-17 in Super Bowl XXVII, forcing a Super Bowl-record nine turnovers. Aikman was MVP after completing 73.3 percent of his passes with four touchdowns and no interceptions.

1993: After going 0-2 while Smith held out, Dallas finished 12-4, beat the 49ers again and beat Buffalo again, 30-13. The Cowboys sent an NFL-record 11 players to the Pro Bowl. Smith won the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season, the only non-quarterback among the six players to do it.

1995: Johnson had left after the second title, replaced by Barry Switzer. Jones signed Deion Sanders, Smith scored a then-record 25 rushing touchdowns, and Dallas beat Pittsburgh 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX, avenging two earlier Super Bowl losses to the Steelers.

Our Take

The Walker trade gets the headlines, but the real secret was the drafting. Picks only matter if you hit on them, and Johnson's staff hit on a quarterback, a running back, an offensive line and a secondary in about four years. Then they added the right veterans at the right moment.

The second lesson is how quickly it can end. The core was still young when Johnson left after the second title. There was one more ring, but the franchise has been chasing that peak for three decades. Building a contender is hard. Keeping the people who built it is harder.

How 'bout them Cowboys.

Sources: [Wikipedia, History of the Dallas Cowboys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Dallas_Cowboys)