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In today’s NFL, the Dallas Cowboys have become the butt of many jokes, but during the 1970s and especially the 1990s, they were a dominant force in the NFL and did enough to win five Super Bowl rings.
These combined decades brought five championships to “America’s Team,” though they have not won an NFC Championship Game since 1995.
We’ll reflect on the Cowboys Super Bowl wins and other accolades here.
Let’s start with Super VI.
With Roger Staubach as the starting quarterback, the Cowboys had a legend and one of the greatest ever to play. Of course, these days, passing wasn’t as prominent. Staubach attempted just 19 passes, completing 12 of them. He threw for 119 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Duane Thomas added 95 rushing yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, while Walt Garrison had 14 carries for 74 yards.
Of Staubach’s two touchdowns, one went to Lance Alworth and the other to infamous Chicago Bears head coach and later analyst Mike Ditka.
Ditka finished the game with two catches for 28 yards and his touchdown.
Going up against the Dolphins, the Cowboys allowed just three points and held Bob Griese to 134 passing yards and an interception.
The Cowboys won this one 24-3, displaying utter dominance throughout.
Going up 10-0 in the first quarter, this was another Super Bowl for the Cowboys that was never particularly close. Ultimately, they won 27-10 with Staubach still at quarterback.
This time, though, he had some notable names on the team, including Tony Dorsett. Dorsett had 15 carries for 66 yards and a score.
Staubach completed 17-of-25 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown.
The Broncos scored just 10 points here, all coming in the third quarter. Their touchdown was a Rob Lytle rushing score. He finished the game with 35 yards on ten carries.
After a decade and a half, the Cowboys made it back to the Super Bowl in 1993 for the 1992-92 season, and this would be the start of their dynasty over this decade.
The Cowboys utterly dismantled the Buffalo Bills here, winning 52-17. Ironically, the Bills scored first and held a 7-7 lead, their only lead.
At quarterback, the Cowboys had Troy Aikman, one of the greatest quarterbacks in franchise history. He opposed Jim Kelly and Frank Reich for the Bills, who’s now the head coach of the Carolina Panthers heading into the 2023 season. Reich relieved Kelly, who suffered a knee injury.
Aikman completed 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns. Emmitt Smith added 108 yards on the ground on 22 carries and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Michael Irvin caught two of Aikman’s four touchdowns while adding six catches for 114 yards.
As you’re starting to see, the Cowboys three Super Bowl wins to this point weren’t close games whatsoever.
For Super Bowl XXVIII, it was the same teams as the year before, just instead of it being played in 1993, it was 1994.
It would be a full game of Aikman vs. Kelly this time, but the Cowboys still dominated here, winning 30-14. Heading into the third quarter, the Bills held a 13-6 lead, but they wouldn’t score again after this, as the Cowboys scored 24 unanswered across the final two quarters.
Instead of Aikman leading the way here, running back Emmitt Smith took over, carrying the ball 30 times for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The other scores came from three Eddie Murray field goals and a fumble return for a touchdown by James Washington.
Aikman finished the game with 207 passing yards and an interception. Kelly threw 50 passes and wasn’t able to score a touchdown.
Two of the most winningest franchises in NFL history squared off here in Super Bowl XXX as Bill Cowher coached the Pittsburgh Steelers and Barry Switzer for the Cowboys.
Aikman was still the quarterback for the Cowboys, and like their other Super Bowl wins, there was never a threat of losing here. The final score was 27-17, but the Steelers scored seven in the second and 10 in the fourth. At one point during the fourth quarter, the score was 20-7.
Aikman threw for 209 yards and a score with, you guessed it, Smith added 49 yards on the ground and two scores.
The Steelers start, Neil O’Donnell, attempted 49 passes and had 239 passing yards and a score.
All five of the Cowboys Super Bowl wins were rather one-sided.
With five Super Bowl rings, the Cowboys are tied for the second-most all-time with the San Francisco 49ers, while the New England Patriots and Steelers have six each.
As mentioned, the Cowboys hasn’t won an NFC Championship game since 1995, so these championships are not nearly as recent as the Steelers, Patriots, or even 49ers.
Nonetheless, we have to appreciate the Cowboys dominance from the 1990s.
Player | No. of Rings | Years Won |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 6 | 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005, 2008 |
New England Patriots | 6 | 2011, 2003, 2004, 2014, 2016, 2018 |
San Francisco 49ers | 5 | 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994 |
Green Bay Packers | 4 | 1966, 1967, 1996, 2010 |
New York Giants | 4 | 1986, 1990, 2007, 2011 |
Oakland Raiders | 3 | 1976, 1980, 1983 |
Washington Redskins | 3 | 1982, 1987, 1991 |
Denver Broncos | 3 | 1997, 1998, 2015 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 3 | 1969, 2019, 2022 |
Baltimore Ravens | 2 | 2000, 2012 |
Throughout the history of the Cowboys, they’ve appeared in 14 Conference Championship games, which is fourth all-time behind the 49ers, Steelers, and Patriots. However, as mentioned before, they haven’t won this game since 1995, nearly 30 years from this writing.
They’re 8-6 in these games, which is a fantastic record. They averaged 22.6 points per game in these crucial games.
Considering they haven’t won the game since 1995, this is still an impressive record and continues to speak to that dominance.
Player | Finals Appearances | Winning Percentage | Years Won |
San Francisco 49ers | 18 | .388 | 1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994, 2012, 2019 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 16 | .500 | 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1995, 2005, 2008, 2010 |
New England Patriots | 15 | .733 | 1985, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 |
Los Angeles Rams | 11 | .454 | 1979, 1999, 2001, 2018, 2021 |
Oakland Raiders | 11 | .364 | 1976, 1980, 1983, 2002 |
Denver Broncos | 10 | .800 | 1977, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1997, 1998, 2013, 2015 |
With five Super Bowl rings, the Cowboys trail the Patriots by one ring. However, the Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995-96, while the Patriots titles came during the 2000s and 2010s.
It’s possible. The Cowboys are always a team that seems to have high preseason expectations, but for whatever reason, they can’t put it together in the postseason. Heading into the 2023 season, their team is filled with talent on the offensive side of the ball, and they should be in the hunt for a postseason berth.
The Kansas City Chiefs have three Super Bowls in their history, but two have come over the last couple of years. The Chiefs are reminiscent of the Patriots from the 2000s and 2010s or even the Cowboys in the 1990s. They still have the second-most Super Bowls ever, but the 49ers, who are tied with them for second-most all-time, have a realistic chance to win it this year to make it six for them, too.
After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Journalism, Richard Janvrin has been covering iGaming and sports betting since December 2018. Richard has covered betting at Bleacher Report, Gambling.com, The Game Day, Forbes, and more.
More info on Richard Janvrin
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