Danny White became the Cowboys ' starting quarterback in 1980 after quarterback Roger Staubach retired.

" Bum " Bright purchased the Dallas Cowboys from Clint Murchison, Jr. As the Cowboys suffered through progressively poorer seasons ( from 10 – 6 in 1985 to 7 – 9 in 1986, 7 – 8 in 1987, and 3 – 13 in 1988 ), Bright became disenchanted with the team.

Gailey led the team to two playoff appearances with a 10 – 6 record in 1998 and an NFC East championship, but the Cowboys were defeated in the playoffs by the Arizona Cardinals 20-7 ; after an 8 – 8 season in 1999 ( during which Irvin suffered a career-ending spinal injury in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles ) ending in another playoff loss ( this time to the Minnesota Vikings 27-10 ), he was fired and became the first Cowboys coach who did not take the team to a Super Bowl.

The Cowboys became the surprise team of the 2003 season, posting a 10 – 6 record and a playoff berth by having the best overall defense in the NFL.

In 2008 the rivalry became more intense when in the last game of the year in which both teams could clinch a playoff spot with a victory, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Cowboys 44 – 6, and clinched a playoff spot, where they would go to lose the NFC Championship game to the Arizona Cardinals.

White and Martin, who helped the Cowboys defeat the Denver Broncos, became the first defensive linemen to win the award.

# Quarterback Troy Aikman – Super Bowl XXVII – Aikman became the second Cowboys quarterback to earn the MVP honor as he led the Cowboys to victory against the Buffalo Bills.

However, the Vikings lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the playoffs, 17 – 14, on a controversial touchdown pass from the Cowboys ' quarterback Roger Staubach to wide receiver Drew Pearson that became known as the Hail Mary.

Between 2001 and 2005, the Patriots became the second team in NFL history ( after the Dallas Cowboys ) to win three Super Bowls in four years ( Super Bowl XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XXXIX ), and the eighth ( and most recent ) to win consecutive Super Bowls.

However, they would fall victim to the Dallas Cowboys in week 14, going on to end the season with a 3 game losing streak ( Saints became the first team to win a Super Bowl after losing its last three regular season games ).

The Giants finished 10 – 6, and became NFC Champions after defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, and Green Bay Packers in the NFC Playoffs.

The Dallas Cowboys became the first team to win the Super Bowl after losing it the previous year.

The Cowboys, with their offense and " flex " defense, became the first NFC wild-card team to advance to the Super Bowl after posting a 10-4 regular season record and postseason victories over the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams.

As a result, the Cowboys became the first ever wild card team to advance to the Super Bowl.

The Cowboys became the first team to appear in five Super Bowls ( after playing in Super Bowls V, VI, X and XII ).

The Redskins became the second defending champion to lose a Super Bowl ( their divisional rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, were the first, losing Super Bowl XIII after winning Super Bowl XII ).

The Cowboys also became just the second team to score two non-offensive touchdowns in a game.

Dallas ' Larry Brown became the first cornerback to be named Super Bowl MVP, by recording two interceptions in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into 2 touchdowns to prevent a Steelers comeback.

Barry Switzer became the second head coach, after former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, to win a college football national championship ( University of Oklahoma 1974, 1975, 1985 ) and a Super Bowl title.

Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley became the first player from a losing team to be named Super Bowl MVP.

** The Green Bay Packers become the first team in the modern era to win their third consecutive NFL Championship, 21-17 over the Dallas Cowboys in what became known as " The Ice Bowl ".

That was an NFL record until Emmitt Smith of the Dallas Cowboys broke it in.

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise that plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference ( NFC ) of the National Football League ( NFL ).

The Cowboys joined the NFL as a 1960 expansion team.

The Cowboys are the only NFL team to record 20 straight winning seasons ( 1966 – 85 ), in which they only missed the playoffs twice ( 1974 and 1984 ), an NFL record that remains unchallenged.

Prior to the formation of the Dallas Cowboys, there was not an NFL team south of Washington DC.

The Cowboys defeated the Eagles for the first Cowboys ' post-season win since the 1996 season, ending a streak of six consecutive NFL post-season losses.

A " Cowboys " chest crest is directly under the NFL shield.

In 1964 the NFL allowed teams to wear white jerseys at home ; several teams did so, and the Cowboys have worn white at home ever since, except on certain " throwback " days.

In 1994, the NFL celebrated their 75th Anniversary, and the Dallas Cowboys celebrated their back-to-back Super Bowl titles by unveiling a white " Double-Star " jersey on Thanksgiving Day.

The Cowboys hosted the Green Bay Packers for the 1966 NFL Championship at the Cotton Bowl.

The Redskins and Dallas Cowboys enjoy what has been called by Sports Illustrated the top NFL rivalry of all time and " one of the greatest in sports.

Unlike many NFL teams, the Cowboys do not retire jersey numbers of past standouts as a matter of policy.

* NFL. com – Dallas Cowboys

On a cold night in New Jersey, the Giants defeated Dallas Cowboys 31 – 14 in Week 17 to clinch the NFC East and thus their NFL record 31st playoff appearance, breaking their tie with the Cowboys at 30.

With the merger of the NFL and AFL in 1970, the Eagles were placed in the NFC East Division with their archrivals the New York Giants, the Washington Redskins, and the Dallas Cowboys.

The Packers finished the 1966 NFL season at 12-2, and defeated the Dallas Cowboys, 34-27, in the 1966 NFL Championship Game.

Green Bay also had a superb defense, which displayed its talent on the final drive of the NFL Championship Game, stopping the Dallas Cowboys on 4 consecutive plays starting on the Packers 2-yard line to win the game.

The Packers, the defending Super Bowl I champions, posted a 9-4-1 record during the 1967 NFL season before defeating the Dallas Cowboys, 21-17, in the 1967 NFL Championship Game ( also popularly known as the Ice Bowl ).

An article from Forbes Magazine, dated September 5, 2012, lists the Cowboys as the highest valued sports franchise in the history of the United States, and second in the world ( behind Manchester United of the English Premier League ), with an estimated value of approximately $ 2. 1 billion.

When the Dallas Cowboys franchise debuted in 1960, the team's uniform included a white helmet adorned with a simple blue star and a blue-white-blue stripe down the center crown.

The Vikings played the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round on January 17, 2010, and won the game by a score of 34 – 3, advancing the Vikings to the NFC Championship game, the ninth in franchise history.

After the Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Day 2006, the Saints clinched a first-round playoff bye for the first time in franchise history.

This was the Cowboys ’ 8th appearance in the Super Bowl, the most of any franchise ; the Steelers tied this record in 2010 when that team advanced to Super Bowl XLV.

According to Forbes Magazine, the Redskins are the second most valuable franchise in the NFL, behind the Dallas Cowboys, and were valued at approximately $ 1. 55 billion as of 2009.

Hayes was the second player in the history of the Dallas Cowboys franchise to surpass 1000 yards receiving in a single season, and he did that in his rookie year by finishing with 1, 003 yards.

To this day, Hayes holds ten regular-season receiving records, four punt return records and twenty-two overall franchise marks, making him one of the greatest receivers to ever play for the Cowboys.

As a first-round draft pick in the 1961 NFL Draft, and the first draft pick in Dallas Cowboys franchise history, Lilly went on to be All-Pro seven times, and was selected to play in 11 Pro Bowl games.

The franchise with the most Monday night appearances is the Miami Dolphins, followed by the Dallas Cowboys, who have the most victories on Monday night.

The Bulldogs then returned in 1927, bolstered by players from the folded Kansas City Cowboys franchise.

* Tex Schramm ( 1920 – 2003 ), original president and general manager of the U. S. National Football League's Dallas Cowboys franchise

Texas Earnest " Tex " Schramm, Jr. ( June 2, 1920-July 15, 2003 ) was the original president and general manager of the National Football League's Dallas Cowboys franchise.

During a halftime interview at a Cowboys preseason game on August 12, 2000, Jerry Jones revealed to Babe Laufenberg that the AFL had granted him an expansion franchise to begin play in 2002.

) The next season, Owens was released by the Philadelphia Eagles franchise and eventually signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys misfortunes continued the following year as they finished with a 1 – 15 record, the worst in franchise history, while injuries limited Irvin to only six games.

On December 16, 2007, in a 10-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Akers set the Philadelphia Eagles franchise record for most points and on Thanksgiving in 2008, Akers passed 1, 000 career points during a 48-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Even though public opinion is that he would never let go of his team's presence in the San Antonio market, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has acknowledged his support for the city's efforts to become home to an NFL franchise.

In their first season, the Cowboys were not expected to ice a strong team, having inherited a franchise that finished in a last place tie with the Oilers the previous year.

Angus Wynne, Jr .' s brother Bedford S. Wynne, was one of the initial owners and founders of the Dallas Cowboys professional football franchise, along with Clint Murchison, Jr.

The Dallas Cowboys franchise was admitted to the league too late to participate in the 1960 NFL Draft, so on November 28, 1959, one month prior to the draft, Meredith signed a personal services contract with Tecon Corporation which, like the Cowboys, was owned by Clint Murchison.

This contract meant he would play for the Cowboys if and when they received an NFL franchise.