# 2002 Dallas Cowboys season

The 2002 Dallas Cowboys season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and the third and final under head coach Dave Campo. It was Emmitt Smith's 13th and final season with the team, officially marking the end of the famed "triplets" tenure in Dallas after wide receiver Michael Irvin was forced to retire prematurely after the 1999 season and quarterback Troy Aikman retired prior to the start of the 2001 season. All three players would eventually be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was also the last of three consecutive 5–11 finishes for the Cowboys, which began in 2000. Texas Stadium also saw new RealGrass Turf surface by week 5, replacing the AstroTurf. The Cowboys' 5–11 record meant that they were the only NFL team operational from 2000 to 2002 that did not win more than 5 games in a season.

## Offseason

| Additions | Subtractions |
| TE Tony McGee (Bengals) | QB Ryan Leaf (Seahawks/Retirement) |
| LB Kevin Hardy (Jaguars) | LS Mike Solwold (Buccaneers) |
| DT La'Roi Glover (Saints) | WR Darrin Chiaverini (Falcons) |
| WR Darnay Scott (Bengals) | FS Izell Reese (Broncos) |
Despite an off-season filled with promise, the season would again prove to be a disaster. Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and head coach Bruce Coslet was brought in to run the offense for Dallas. Even though he had been dismissed by Cincinnati, his history of high-powered offenses while running the Bill Walsh–style West Coast offense provided hope for the Cowboys. A promising draft which included former Oklahoma Sooners All-American selection safety Roy Williams in the first round and the free agent addition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle La'Roi Glover provided even more hope for weary Cowboy fans. The team was also covered throughout training camp and featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks with a strong emphasis on the anticipation of running back Emmitt Smith's road to the NFL's all-time rushing record.

## 2002 draft class

2002 Dallas Cowboys draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 8 | Roy Williams * | S | Oklahoma | |
| 2 | 37 | Andre Gurode * | C | Colorado | |
| 2 | 63 | Antonio Bryant | WR | Pittsburgh | |
| 3 | 75 | Derek Ross | CB | Ohio State | |
| 4 | 129 | Jamar Martin | FB | Ohio State | |
| 5 | 168 | Pete Hunter | DB | Virginia Union | |
| 6 | 179 | Tyson Walter | G | Ohio State | |
| 6 | 208 | Deveren Johnson | WR | Sacred Heart | compensatory |
| 6 | 211 | Bob Slowikowski | TE | Virginia Tech | compensatory |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
Notes
* The Cowboys traded their original first-round (No. 6 overall) selection to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for first (No. 8 overall) and third-round (No. 75 overall) selections, and a 2003 sixth-round (No. 186 overall) selection.
* The Cowboys traded their original third (No. 72 overall), fourth (No. 104 overall) and fifth-round (No. 140 overall) selections to the Chicago Bears in exchange for second (No. 63 overall) and fourth-round (No. 129 overall) selections.
* The Cowboys traded return man Jeff Ogden to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round (No. 237 overall) selection.
* The Cowboys traded their seventh-round (No. 237 overall) and 2003 fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection.
* The Cowboys traded their 2001 fourth-round (No. 102 overall) and 2002 seventh-round (No. 217 overall) selections to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for tight end O.J. Santiago.

### Undrafted free agents

2002 Undrafted Free Agents of note :
| Player | Position | College |
| Khary Campbell | Linebacker | Bowling Green |
| Billy Cundiff | Placekicker | Drake |
| Woodrow Dantzler | Running back | Clemson |
| Keith Davis | Safety | Sam Houston State |
| Filip Filipović | Punter | South Dakota |
| Chad Hutchinson | Quarterback | Stanford |

## Regular season

The air was immediately let out of the Cowboys' balloon in the opening regular-season contest which saw the team lose to first-year expansion team and new cross-state rival, the Houston Texans. Though quarterback Quincy Carter again opened the season as the starter, he was eventually benched in favor of newly signed Chad Hutchinson who, until that year, had been a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals after leaving Stanford as a two-sport star. Many believed that owner Jerry Jones pressured head coach Dave Campo into starting Hutchinson much too early, due in part to the large signing bonus Jones paid to acquire the quarterback. Regardless, neither quarterback proved effective and the team once again spiraled towards a losing season.
It is believed 2002 was the first time an NFL franchise had five African American starters on their offensive line, when the Cowboys lined up rookie center Andre Gurode, tackles Flozell Adams and Solomon Page, guards Larry Allen and Kelvin Garmon.
The Cowboys kept making NFL history on October 27 at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite a close loss, Emmitt Smith broke the all-time career yardage rushing record previously held by Walter Payton. The game was stopped momentarily in recognition of the moment, allowing an emotional Smith to briefly celebrate with teammates both current and past who attended the game, as well as members of Payton's family. Smith later scored the 125th rushing touchdown of his career on the same drive. The milestone moment would provide the lone bright spot of the year for the team and Smith, who failed to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season for the first time in his career since his rookie season of 1990. Overshadowed by the NFL rushing landmark, safety Darren Woodson quietly became the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler.
During a late-season loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, reports began to surface that owner Jerry Jones had secretly met with Bill Parcells, the former head coach of the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets, about the Cowboys' head-coaching position, on board Jones's private jet. Though this would prove to be a critical move to the Cowboys' future success, it was nonetheless embarrassing for current head coach Dave Campo, who had received no word that any potential moves were pending, and Jones was roundly criticized for the incident. On-field ineptitude and off-field controversy once again led to a 5–11 season, the team's third consecutive such finish. Dave Campo was predictably dismissed after the season.
Notable additions to the team included wide receiver Antonio Bryant and center Andre Gurode.

### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance | Record |
| 1 | September 8, 2002 | at Houston Texans | L 10–19 | 69,604 | 0–1 |
| 2 | September 15, 2002 | Tennessee Titans | W 21–13 | 62,527 | 1–1 |
| 3 | September 22, 2002 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–44 | 65,537 | 1–2 |
| 4 | September 29, 2002 | at St. Louis Rams | W 13–10 | 66,165 | 2–2 |
| 5 | October 6, 2002 | New York Giants | L 17–21 | 63,447 | 2–3 |
| 6 | October 13, 2002 | Carolina Panthers | W 14–13 | 61,773 | 3–3 |
| 7 | October 20, 2002 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 6–9 (OT) | 59,702 | 3–4 |
| 8 | October 27, 2002 | Seattle Seahawks | L 14–17 | 63,854 | 3–5 |
| 9 | November 3, 2002 | at Detroit Lions | L 7–9 | 61,789 | 3–6 |
| 10 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 11 | November 17, 2002 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 3–20 | 57,057 | 3–7 |
| 12 | November 24, 2002 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 21–19 | 62,204 | 4–7 |
| 13 | November 28, 2002 | Washington Redskins | W 27–20 | 63,606 | 5–7 |
| 14 | December 8, 2002 | San Francisco 49ers | L 27–31 | 64,097 | 5–8 |
| 15 | December 15, 2002 | at New York Giants | L 7–37 | 78,698 | 5–9 |
| 16 | December 21, 2002 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 3–27 | 63,209 | 5–10 |
| 17 | December 29, 2002 | at Washington Redskins | L 14–20 | 84,142 | 5–11 |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: September 15, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 PM
* Game weather: Cloudy skies, 81 °F (27.2 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,527
* Referee: Ed Hochuli (85)
* TV: CBS
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter'
TEN – Frank Wycheck 1-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 0:00. Titans 7-0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 8:27.
Second quarter
DAL – Tony McGee 17-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 12:00. Tied 7-7. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 3:00.
TEN – Joe Nedney 37-yard field goal, 5:31. Titans 10-7. Drive: 13 plays, 55 yards, 6:29.
Third quarter
DAL – Dexter Coakley 52-yard interception return (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:10. Cowboys 14-10.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Joey Galloway 38-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:25. Cowboys 21-10. Drive: 7 plays, 95 yards, 3:22.
TEN – Joe Nedney 53-yard field goal, 5:18. Cowboys 21-13. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 2:36.
Top passers
TEN – Steve McNair – 20/38, 226 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Quincy Carter – 14/24, 240 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
TEN – Eddie George – 19 rushes, 65 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 18 rushes, 59 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Derrick Mason – 7 receptions, 118 yards
DAL – Joey Galloway – 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD :

#### Week 9: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Lions | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: November 3, 2002
* Game time: 1:00 pm
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 64,013
* Referee: Walt Coleman (65)
* TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
No scoring plays.
Third quarter
DET – Jason Hanson 42-yard field goal, 12:06. Lions 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, -7 yards, 2:08.
DET – Jason Hanson 44-yard field goal, 6:09. Lions 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 2:27.
Fourth quarter
DAL – Troy Hambrick 3-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 7:42. Cowboys 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:06.
DET – Jason Hanson 43-yard field goal, 0:48. Lions 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 2:59.
Top passers
DAL – Chad Hutchinson – 22/39, 208 yards
DET – Joey Harrington – 14/33, 104 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 16 rushes, 39 yards
DET – James Stewart – 19 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Joey Galloway – 6 receptions, 56 yards
DET – James Stewart – 4 receptions, 41 yards :

#### Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 5 | 0 | 14 | 19 |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Date: November 24, 2002
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Partly Cloudy, 63 °F (17 °C)
* Game attendance: 62,204
* Referee: Larry Nemmers
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Tasker
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
JAX – Ross Tucker tackled in the end zone by Rob Meier for a safety, 10:18. Jaguars 2–0.
DAL – Joey Galloway 43-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 2:17. Cowboys 7–2. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 2:12.
JAX – Tim Seder 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Cowboys 7–5. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2:17.
Third quarter
DAL – Emmitt Smith 1-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 4:15. Cowboys 14–5. Drive: 13 plays, 99 yards, 7:05.
Fourth quarter
JAX – Stacey Mack 3-yard run (Tim Seder kick), 14:16. Cowboys 14–12. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 3:36.
DAL – Joey Galloway 11-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:09. Cowboys 21–12. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 3:07.
JAX – Kevin Lockett 8-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 1:54. Cowboys 21–19. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 1:44.
Top passers
JAX – Mark Brunell – 22/40, 202 yards, TD, INT
DAL – Chad Hutchinson – 16/24, 301 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
JAX – Fred Taylor – 20 rushes, 100 yards
DAL – Emmitt Smith – 20 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD
Top receivers
JAX – Jimmy Smith – 13 receptions, 90 yards
DAL – Joey Galloway – 9 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD :

### Standings
#### Division

NFC East :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Philadelphia Eagles | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 11–1 | 415 | 241 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ New York Giants | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 320 | 279 | W4 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 307 | 365 | W2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 217 | 329 | L4 |

#### Conference

NFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV |
| Division leaders |||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 11–1 | .469 | .432 |
| 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .482 | .432 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .451 | .414 |
| 4 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .504 | .450 |
| Wild Cards |||||||||||
| 5 | New York Giants | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .482 | .450 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .494 | .429 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason |||||||||||
| 7 | New Orleans Saints | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .498 | .566 |
| 8 | St. Louis Rams | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .508 | .446 |
| 9 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .506 | .433 |
| 10 | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .527 | .438 |
| 11 | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .486 | .357 |
| 12 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .498 | .417 |
| 13 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .500 | .400 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .500 | .475 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .521 | .430 |
| 16 | Detroit Lions | North | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .494 | .375 |
| Tiebreakers |||||||||||
| 1 2 3 Philadelphia finished ahead of Tampa Bay and Green Bay based on conference record (11–1 vs 9–3/9–3). 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Green Bay based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 St. Louis finished ahead of Seattle based on division record (4–2 to 2–4). 1 2 Washington finished ahead of Carolina based on common games (2–3 to 1–4) 1 2 Arizona finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. |||||||||||

## Awards and records

* Darren Woodson, Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award

## Publications

The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4 Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3 Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2