Buffalo Bills | American Football Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia This article was featured on the Main Page in June 2008. It is one of American Football Wiki's finest articles. The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo, New York metropolitan area, and play their home games in the suburb of Orchard Park. They are currently members of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The Bills began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League and joined the NFL as part of the AFL-NFL Merger . The Bills won two consecutive AFL titles in 1964 and 1965, but the club has not won a championship since the merger. Buffalo is also the first and only team to win four consecutive American Football Conference Championships, though they failed to win any of the subsequent Super Bowls. The franchise name comes from the legendary western hunter and performer Buffalo Bill . The Bills conduct summer training camp at Saint John Fisher College. They are currently the only NFL team to actually play their home games within New York State.

Both the New York Jets and the New York Giants play in the suburb of East Rutherford, New Jersey. Contents File:Simpson bills.jpg The Buffalo Bills were a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) in 1960. After a public contest, the team adopted the same name as the former All-America Football Conference team in Buffalo. In the AFL, a predominantly offensive league, the Bills were a great defensive team. The 1964 Bills allowed just 913 yards rushing on 300 attempts during the regular season, a pro football record. The same defense registered fifty quarterback sacks, a team record that stands today, even though it was established in a 14-game season. They were the first American Football League team to win 13 games in a season. The 1964 defense also allowed only four touchdowns rushing all season, and started a string that would extend into the 1965 season: seventeen straight games without allowing an opponent to score a rushing touchdown. Eight members of the 1964 squad were on that year's AFL Eastern Division All-Star Team, including cornerback Butch Byrd.

Three were eventually named to the American Football League's All-Time Team, and six to the second team. The only professional football player ever inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame , without ever playing in the NFL, was a member of the 1964 Bills; guard Billy Shaw . The Bills won AFL championships in both 1964 and 1965 and were one of only three teams to appear in an AFL championship game for three consecutive years, and the only AFL team to play in the post-season for four straight years, 1963 through 1966. In addition to their defensive prowess, the Bills had offensive muscle as well, in stars such as fullback Cookie Gilchrist , quarterbacks Jack Kemp and Daryle Lamonica , and receivers Elbert Dubenion and Ernie Warlick . Tragedy struck the Bills when Bob Kalsu , an offensive lineman, quit the team after his 1968 rookie season to serve in the Vietnam War, where he was killed in action in 1970. Before the 1969 season, the Bills drafted running back O.J.

Simpson , who would become the face of the franchise through the 1970s. The Bills became part of the NFL when the latter absorbed the AFL in a merger in 1970. In 1971, not only did the Bills finish in sole possession of the NFL's worst overall record at 1–13, but they also scored the fewest points (184) in the league that year while allowing the most (394); no NFL team has since done all three of those things in the same season in a non-strike year. Lou Saban , who had coached the Bills' AFL championship teams, was re-hired in 1972. 1973 was a season of change: Joe Ferguson became their new quarterback, they moved into a new stadium, Simpson recorded a 2,000-yard season and was voted NFL MVP, and the team had its first winning record since 1966. The "Electric Company" of Simpson, Jim Braxton , Paul Seymour , and Joe DeLamielleure as recounted in the locally-recorded hit "Turn on the Juice", lead a dramatic turnaround on the field.

The "Electric Company" was the offensive line (OG Reggie McKenzie, OT Dave Foley, C Mike Montler, OG Joe DeLamielleure and OT Donnie Green) which provided the electric for the "Juice". The team made the NFL playoffs for the first time in 1974, but lost in the first round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers . After a mediocre 1975 season the Bills had internal troubles in 1976, as the team dropped to the bottom of the AFC East, where they stayed for the rest of the 1970s. After the 1977 season Simpson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers . Chuck Knox was hired as head coach and he would end up leading the Bills back to the top. 1980 marked another breakthrough for the Bills. They beat the archrival Miami Dolphins for the first time in 11 years in their season opener, en route to winning their first AFC East title. The following season they lost their title to the Dolphins, but won their first NFL playoff game (over the New York Jets ). They lost in the second round to the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals .

The following year—the strike-shortened season of 1982—the Bills slipped to a 4–5 final record. In the famous 1983 draft the Bills selected quarterback Jim Kelly as their replacement to an aging Joe Ferguson, but Kelly decided to play in the upstart United States Football League instead. Knox left his coaching position to take a job with the Seattle Seahawks , and new coach Kay Stephenson proved to be less than stellar. In 1984 and 1985 the Bills went 2–14. 1986-1997: The Levy-Kelly Era Edit After the USFL 's demise, Jim Kelly joined the Bills for the 1986 season, welcomed into town as a hero and a savior. He soon would prove to be worth the wait. Midway through the 1986 season, the Bills fired coach Hank Bullough and replaced him with Marv Levy , the former head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs .

Levy, along with general manager Bill Polian put together a receiving game featuring Andre Reed , a defense led by first-overall draft pick Bruce Smith , and a top-flight offensive line, led by center Kent Hull along with Jim Ritcher , Will Wolfford and Howard Ballard . After the strike year of 1987, in 1988, the rookie season of running back Thurman Thomas , the Bills went 12–4 and finished atop the AFC East for the first of four consecutive seasons. After having an easy time with the Houston Oilers in the divisional playoff, they lost the AFC championship to the Cincinnati Bengals . 1989 was a relative disappointment, with a 9–7 record and a first-round playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns . The Bills had a chance to win the game as time was running out, but a Kelly pass was dropped in the corner of the end zone by Ronnie Harmon . In 1990 the Bills switched to a hurry-up offense, (frequently with Kelly in the shotgun formation, the "K-gun", named for tight-end Keith McKeller) and it started one of the most successful runs in NFL history.

The team finished 13–3 and blew out the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Raiders in the playoffs on their way to Super Bowl XXV . The Bills were overwhelming favorites to beat the New York Giants , but the defensive plan laid out by coach Bill Parcells and defensive coordinator Bill Belichick kept Buffalo in check (and without the ball) throughout the game. The game featured many lead changes, and with the score 20–19 in favor of New York with eight seconds left, Bills kicker Scott Norwood attempted a 47-yard field goal. His miss was to become a famous failure. The Bills steamrolled through the 1991 regular season as well, finishing 13–3 again and with Thurman Thomas winning the Offensive Player of the Year award. They also had an easy time with the Kansas City Chiefs in their first playoff game and beat the Denver Broncos in a defensive struggle in the AFC Championship. The Bills looked to avenge their heartbreaking Super Bowl loss a year earlier by playing the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl XXVI , but it was not to be. The Redskins opened up a 24–0 halftime lead and never looked back, handing the Bills a 37–24 loss.

The Bills lost the 1992 AFC East title to the Miami Dolphins and Jim Kelly was injured in the final game of the regular season. Backup quarterback Frank Reich started their wild card playoff game against the Houston Oilers , and they were down 35–3 early in the third quarter. Undaunted, the Bills scored touchdowns on several consecutive possessions to tie the game and force overtime. Steve Christie kicked the game-winning field goal in the extra session to cap the biggest comeback in NFL history, 41–38. They then handily defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional playoff and upset the archrival Dolphins in the AFC Championship to advance to their third straight Super Bowl. Super Bowl XXVII , played against the Dallas Cowboys , turned out to be a mismatch. Buffalo committed 9 turnovers en route to a 52–17 loss. One of the sole bright spots for the Bills was Don Beebe's rundown and strip of Leon Lett after Lett had returned a fumble inside the Bills' 5 and was on his way to scoring. Lett held the ball out long enough for Beebe, who had made up a considerable distance to get to Lett, to knock it out of his hand.

The Bills won the AFC East championship in 1993 with a 12–4 record, and again won playoff games against the Los Angeles Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs , setting up a rematch with the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXVIII on January 30, 1994 . The Bills became the only team ever to play in four straight Super Bowls, and looked ready to finally win one when they led at halftime. A Thurman Thomas fumble returned for a touchdown by James Washington tied the game, and the Bills were stunned again, 30–13. The Bills would not get a chance to make it five straight in 1994. The team stumbled down the stretch and finished 7–9, fourth in the division and out of the playoffs. During this period Steve Tasker established himself year in and year out as the league's top special teams performer. In 1995 Buffalo, with free agent linebacker Bryce Paup anchoring the defense, again made the playoffs with a 10–6 record, and defeated Miami in the wild card round.

They would not get a chance to get back to the Super Bowl—the Pittsburgh Steelers, who went on to advance to the Super Bowl , beat Buffalo in the divisional playoffs 40-21. In 1996 the Bills saw their commanding lead in the AFC East race disappear to a surging New England Patriots team. They still made the playoffs, but as a wild card—and the first victim of the Cinderella Jacksonville Jaguars , the first visiting team ever to win a playoff game in Buffalo. Jim Kelly retired after the season, signaling an end to the most successful era in Bills history. Thurman Thomas gave way to new running back Antowain Smith . Kelly's loss was felt in 1997, with the Bills stumbling to 6–10. Coach Marv Levy retired after the season. 1998-present Edit The Bills, under new coach Wade Phillips signed two quarterbacks for the 1998 season, Rob Johnson and former Canadian Football League star Doug Flutie . Despite many Bills fans wanting Flutie to get the starting job, Phillips named Johnson to the position.

The Bills stumbled to begin the season, and after Johnson suffered a rib injury against the Indianapolis Colts, Flutie came in and led the Bills to a playoff spot and 10–6 record. They faltered in their first playoff game against the Miami Dolphins . Flutie's popularity continued into the 1999 season, with the Bills finishing 11–5, two games behind the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC East standings. Wade Phillips gave Rob Johnson the starting quarterback job in the first round playoff game against the Tennessee Titans even though Flutie had won 10 games and had gotten the Bills into the playoffs. The Bills scored a field goal with 16 seconds left to give them a 16–15 lead. But the Titans won the game on a controversial play that became to be known as the Music City Miracle : During the ensuing kickoff, Frank Wycheck lateraled the ball to Kevin Dyson who then scored the winning touchdown . Although Wycheck's pass may have seemed to be illegally forward, replays were found to be inconclusive and the call on the field was upheld as a touchdown. [1] The Titans went on to advance to the Super Bowl.

The final ties to the Bills' Super Bowl years were severed in 2000, when Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith were all cut. Antowain Smith , Eric Moulds , and Marcellus Wiley respectively had long since eclipsed them on the depth chart. After an 8–8 season, and the team still caught up in the Johnson vs. Flutie controversy, general manager John Butler departed for the San Diego Chargers —and took Flutie and Wiley with him. Doug Flutie left the Bills with a .677 winning percentage in 31 starts. Antowain Smith also left as a free agent for the New England Patriots, where he was the starting running back on their first two Super Bowl championship teams. Both Flutie and Smith were dominant in their final game as Bills, in a 42-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks . Thomas would be quickly replaced by rookie Travis Henry . Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took over as head coach for the 2001 season, which proved to be the worst in recent memory for the Bills. Rob Johnson went down in mid-season with an injury and Alex Van Pelt took over.

Buffalo finished 3–13. The Bills even lost a much-hyped mid-season match up with "Bills West" (the Flutie-led Chargers). After the season they traded for quarterback Drew Bledsoe , deemed expendable by the Patriots after Tom Brady led them to a Super Bowl victory. Bledsoe revived the Bills for the 2002 season, leading them to an 8–8 record, setting 10 team passing records in the process. However, in a tough division with all other teams finishing 9–7, they were still in last place. Another Patriots castoff, safety Lawyer Milloy , joined the Bills days before the 2003 season began and gave the team an immediate boost on defense. After beating eventual champions New England 31–0 in the first game, and crushing the Jaguars in their second game, the Bills stumbled through the rest of the season, finishing 6–10. In fact their season had ended the exact opposite of the beginning as they were trounced by New England 31–0.

In one game, however, the Bills' fans gained a small measure of satisfaction when the defense sacked Rob Johnson multiple times in his relief effort for the Washington Redskins . Gregg Williams was fired as head coach after the 2003 season and replaced with Mike Mularkey . The Bills also drafted another quarterback, J.P. Losman , to be used if Bledsoe continued to struggle in 2004. Bledsoe did continue to struggle in 2004. The Bills started the 2004 season 0–4, with Bledsoe and his offense struggling in their run-first offense, averaging only 13 points per game. Additionally, each loss was heartbreakingly close. The team finally managed to turn things around with a victory at home against the also winless Miami Dolphins. This, along with the emergence of Willis McGahee taking over the starting running back role from the injured Travis Henry , and emergence of Lee Evans to give the Bills a second deep threat, sparked the Bills to go 7–2 in their next nine games. This string of victories allowed the Bills to be in the hunt for a final AFC wildcard playoff spot.

Though they would lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of the season, costing them a playoff berth, the late season surge gave the team a positive direction to approach 2005. The Bills released quarterback Drew Bledsoe , who then signed with the Dallas Cowboys —reuniting him with former coach Bill Parcells . Many fans hoped that replacement J.P. Losman could lead the Bills to the playoffs in the 2005 season. Losman's development did not proceed as quickly as the Bills had hoped it would. He began the 2005 season 1-3 as a starter, prompting Kelly Holcomb to replace him. Losman would not see action again until Holcomb was injured in Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs . He led the Bills to a win in that game, but would again be replaced by Holcomb after losing the next several games. Perhaps the low point of Losman's season was a 24-23 loss to the Miami Dolphins, a game in which Buffalo led 21-0 and 23-3, but gave up 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter.

Buffalo's 2005 campaign resulted in a 5-11 record and the firing of General Manager Tom Donahoe in January 2006. Marv Levy was named as his replacement, with hopes that he would improve a franchise that failed to make the playoffs during Donahoe's tenure. That same month, Mike Mularkey resigned as head coach, citing family reasons along with disagreement over the direction of the organization. Dick Jauron was hired as his replacement. Logo and uniforms File:BuffaloBills 100.png When the Bills began playing in 1960, the team's colors were light blue, white, and silver. The team wore blue jerseys with gray numbers and white jerseys with blue numbers. The helmets were all silver with blue numbers on the side. [2] In 1962, the team's colors changed to red, white, and blue. The team started to wear blue jerseys with red and white stripes on the shoulders. A red standing bison logo was also put on the helmets, which became white with a red center stripe. [3] By 1965, red and blue center stripes were put on the helmets.

[4] In 1974, the standing bison logo was replaced by a blue charging one with a red slanting stripe streaming from its horn. Ten years later, the color of their helmets were switched to red. Then in 2002, a darker shade of blue was introduced, along with red and white pipe trimming on the jerseys in pants. Since 2005, the Bills have used the 1960s uniforms as the team's alternate/throwback jerseys. Fight songs 1980-1987 - "Talkin' Proud" - Alden Schutte 1988-present - "Buffalo Bills Shout" - Buffalo Bills All-Stars 83 Andre Reed , WR, 1985-99 Since the earliest days of the team, the number 31 was not supposed to be issued to any player.

The Bills had stationery and various other team merchandise showing a running player wearing that number, and it was not supposed to represent any specific person, but the 'spirit of the team.' The tradition was broken in 1969 when reserve running back Preston Ridlehuber was issued number 31 for one game while his normal number 36 jersey was repaired by equipment manager Tony Marchitte. The number 31 was not issued again until 1990 when first round draft choice James (JD) Williams wore it for the entire season. Other notable alumni Miami Dolphins | American Football Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit Miami joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion team franchise and was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965 for $7.5 million dollars, although Thomas would eventually sell his stake in the team to Robbie.[2] A contest was held in 1965 to find the name of the new Miami franchise for the American Football League. A total of 19,843 entries were submitted with over a thousand different names.

A dozen finalists were screened through by a seven-member committee made up of the local media, names considered included the Mariners, Marauders, Mustangs, Missiles, Moons, Sharks, and Suns. The winning name, "Dolphins," was submitted by 622 entrants. Mrs. Robert Swanson of West Miami won lifetime passes to Dolphin games when her nickname entry successfully predicted the winner and score of the 1965 football game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami , a scoreless tie. The first years Edit The Dolphins had a combined 15–39–2 record in their first four seasons (under head coach George Wilson ) when Don Shula was hired as head coach. Shula was a former Paul Brown disciple who had been lured from the Baltimore Colts after first losing Super Bowl III two seasons earlier to the AFL's New York Jets and finishing 8–5–1 the following season. The Colts charged the Dolphins with tampering in their hiring of Shula, costing them their first round draft pick in 1970 .

Shula introduced himself to the Miami press by saying that he didn't have any magic formulas and that the only way he knew to make his teams successful was through hard work. Shula's early training camps with the Dolphins, with four workouts a day, would soon be the stuff of sweltering, painful legend. But Shula's hard work paid immediate dividends, as Miami improved to a 10–4 record and their first-ever playoff appearance, losing 21–14 at Oakland . The early 70s: dominance Edit The Dolphins were successful in the early 1970s, becoming the first team to advance to the Super Bowl for three consecutive seasons. They captured the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese , running backs Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick , and wide receiver Paul Warfield . The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs , was the longest contest in NFL history (82 minutes 40 seconds). In Super Bowl VI , however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24–3.

In 1972 the Dolphins completed the NFL's first perfect season, winning 14 regular season games, two playoff games and Super Bowl VII , defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7. QB Griese fell victim to a broken leg and dislocated ankle in Week 5 versus the San Diego Chargers and was replaced by veteran Earl Morrall for the rest of the regular season, but returned to the field as a substitute during the AFC Championship game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers and then started in Super Bowl VII . The Dolphins set the NFL single-season rushing record, and running backs Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little and Pro Bowler Bob Kuechenberg . The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name Defense because Miami’s impressive offense received much more publicity, was the league’s best that year. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti , end Bill Stanfill , tackle Manny Fernandez and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott .

Before the 1972 Dolphins, only the Chicago Bears , in 1934[3] and 1942[4], had finished an NFL regular season with no losses or ties. The 1934 team lost the NFL Championship Game that year to the New York Football Giants , and the 1942 team lost the Championship to the Redskins. The Cleveland Browns were undefeated in the 1948 All-America Football Conference season. The Dolphins finished 12–2 after the 1973 regular season and repeated as NFL Champions, beating the Minnesota Vikings 24–7 in Super Bowl VIII at Rice Stadium in Houston. Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974 but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders, in what has entered NFL lore as the "Sea of Hands" game, considered one of the greatest games ever played. Following the 1974 season, the Dolphins lost Csonka, Kiick, and Warfield to the World Football League. Late 70s: fall from the top Edit Miami rebounded from a 6–8 record in 1976 by winning ten or more games in four of the next five seasons.

Shula built a solid defense around a new set of stars, including linebacker A.J. Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and Doug Betters . The Dolphins went 10–4 again in 1977, but again lost the division title (and playoff spot) to the Colts. They made the playoffs as a wild card in 1978, but lost in the first round to the Houston Oilers 17-9. Csonka returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season. After winning the division with a 10–6 record, the Dolphins lost the divisional playoff 34–14 to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium . 80s: Marino and the return to the top Edit In 1980, David Woodley , an athletic quarterback out of LSU , took over for Bob Griese, who severely injured his shoulder in a game against the Baltimore Colts. Griese would never play again, retiring after the season. The Dolphins finished 8–8 and did not make the playoffs.

The Dolphins were back up on top of the AFC East in the 1981 NFL season, with an 11–4–1 record. That season, the Dolphins quarterback position was actually manned by both Woodley and back-up quarterback Don Strock , causing the local media to identify the Miami quarterback as "Woodstrock." They reached the divisional playoff against the San Diego Chargers, known as The Epic in Miami and remembered as one of the most memorable games in NFL history, After being down 24–0 after the end of the first quarter, back-up quarterback Don Strock entered the game and engineered a frenetic comeback, culminating in the historic "Hook and Lateral" play, in which wide receiver Duriel Harris caught a pass from Strock and immediately lateraled the ball to the streaking running back Tony Nathan for the score on the last play of the half, which cut the Chargers lead to 24–17. After the Dolphins took the lead in the 4th quarter, San Diego tied it up 38–38 with under a minute to play.

Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow , playing through exhaustion, blocked Uwe von Schamann 's field goal try on the last play of regulation. In overtime, Von Schamann had another field goal attempt blocked, and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game-winner for San Diego (final score 41-38) after missing a chip shot field goal earlier. Strock finished the game with 403 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. In the strike-shortened 1982 NFL season, the Dolphins, led by the "Killer B's" defense (Bob Baumhower, Bill Barnett , Lyle Blackwood , Kim Bokamper , Glenn Blackwood , Charles Bowser , Doug Betters, and Bob Brudzinski ), held five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points en route to their fourth Super Bowl appearance. During the first two rounds of the playoffs, they got revenge for previous losses, crushing the Patriots, 28–13 (revenge for the infamous Snow Plow game at Schaeffer Stadium played earlier in the season) and the San Diego Chargers, 34–13 at the Orange Bowl.

After shutting out the New York Jets in the AFC Championship 14–0 (aided by Shula's instructions to the Stadium's grounds crew to leave the field uncovered throughout a week long rain in Miami). This was done to negate the Jets superior edge in team speed. They lost Super Bowl XVII to Washington, 27–17. After enjoying success rooted in a defense-first philosophy, and employing a ball control offense to take pressure off of lackluster quarterbacks, the next 17 seasons would be marked by an average rushing game and defense that limited a great quarterback. Dan Marino in charge File:Marino Dan Action 180-220.jpg During the third game of the 1983 season at the Los Angeles Raiders on Monday Night Football, Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino , who went on to win the AFC passing title with a ratio of 20 touchdowns versus 6 interceptions. Seldom sacked by defenders, Marino was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper .

Despite the regular season success (the Dolphins went 12–4 winning their last five regular season games, the only team in the AFC East with a winning record), they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle Seahawks at the Orange Bowl. Defensive end Doug Betters was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year . In 1984, the Dolphins won their first 11 games en route to a 14–2 season (the franchise's best 16-game season to date). Marino, in his first full season, produced the most impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history, setting single-season records for most yards (5,084), touchdown passes (48), and completions (362). He was voted NFL MVP . Miami avenged the Seahawks loss from the previous year 31-10 and crushed the Steelers 45–28 in the AFC Championship to get to Super Bowl XIX . In the title game, however, Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16. It would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.

Miami finished 12–-4 in 1985 and, in an epic Monday Night Football showdown, handed the previously-undefeated Chicago Bears their only defeat of the season. After rallying from a 21-3 third quarter deficit in the divisional playoffs to beat the Cleveland Browns 24–21, many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX . The Cinderella New England Patriots , the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. New England forced six turnovers on the way to a 31–14 win - the Patriots' first in Miami since 1966. The Patriots had lost 18 games in a row at the Orange Bowl. In 1969, the Boston Patriots had beaten the Dolphins at Tampa Stadium. In 1986, the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles, stumbled to a 2–5 start and finished 8–8, missing the playoffs for the first time since 1980. The Dolphins lost their last ever game at the Orange Bowl to the New England Patriots 34–27 on Monday Night Football.

The problems continued in 1987, with an 8–7 (7-5 in non-strike games) record in a strike-shortened year, their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium. Miami had their first losing season (6–10) since 1976 in 1988, and finished 8–8 following the 1989 regular season. 1990s Edit By 1990, the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense and finished with a 12–4 record, second in the AFC East. They came from behind to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 17–16 in the Wild Card round, but lost to the Buffalo Bills 44–34 in the divisional playoffs. The team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991, and narrowly missed the playoffs in an overtime loss to the New York Jets during the final week of the season, losing the AFC's final playoff berth to their arch rivals from New York.

The Dolphins rebounded in 1992 and started the season 6-0 and then finished 11–5 and capturing the AFC East title behind a career year from running back Mark Higgs and tight end Keith Jackson , newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles as an unrestricted free agent. They crushed the Chargers in the divisional playoffs 31–0, but were defeated by the Buffalo Bills 29–10 in the AFC Championship. A season-ending Achilles injury to Dan Marino led to the team missing the playoffs in 1993 despite a league-leading 9-2 start. Marino returned in 1994 to lead the Dolphins to a 10–6 record and the AFC East crown. After defeating Joe Montana and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round, the Dolphins gave up a 15-point halftime lead and suffered a heart-breaking 22–21 loss to the San Diego Chargers. Pete Stoyanovich missed a 46 yard field goal on the last play of the game and denied Marino a chance to play the Steelers in his hometown of Pittsburgh in the AFC Championship.

In 1995, Marino broke the career passing records formerly held by Fran Tarkenton for yards (48,841), touchdowns (352), and completions (3,913), though two of the games where he broke those records were losses to the Indianapolis Colts. The Dolphins finished 9–7, second in the AFC East, but still made the playoffs as a wild card, losing to Buffalo in the first round. Following the 1995 season, Don Shula retired and became an executive in the Dolphins’ front office. Jimmy Johnson , who had won a collegiate national championship at the University of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, was named as Shula’s replacement. At the press conference announcing his retirement, Shula said that he "agreed to step aside", leading some to speculate that Huizenga had all but fired him. In 1996, Miami finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs, with rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar 's 1,116-yard rushing season and the standout play of rookie linebacker Zach Thomas serving as two of the few bright spots.

In 1997, Miami stumbled late and backed into the playoffs with a 9–7 season, losing to the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round. Miami had a solid 10-6 season in 1998 with a career season for receiver O.J. McDuffie , but it was not enough to get past the New York Jets into first place in the division. The Dolphins beat the Bills in the Wild Card round, but lost in the next round to the eventual champion Denver Broncos. (The Broncos lost only two regular season games in 1998, one of which was to the Dolphins.) In 1999, the team advanced to the playoffs at 9-7. After a close win at Seattle in the Wild Card round 20-17, they suffered the second worst playoff loss in NFL history against the Jacksonville Jaguars : 62-7. Noteworthy, in the 1940 NFL Championship game , the Chicago Bears beat the host Washington Redskins 73-0 for the worst playoff game in history. After the season, Jimmy Johnson left the team and Marino retired.

Current Roster 42 Paul Warfield , WR, 1970-74, elected 1983 39 Larry Csonka , RB, 1968-74 & 1979, elected 1987 62 Jim Langer , C, 1970-79, elected 1987 12 Bob Griese , QB, 1968-80, elected 1990 66 Larry Little , G, 1969-80, elected 1993 347 Don Shula , Head Coach, 1970-95, elected 1997 57 Dwight Stephenson , C, 1980-87, elected 1998 85 Nick Buoniconti , LB, 1969-76, elected 2001 13 Dan Marino , QB, 1983-99, elected 2005 Each of these players is honored with a placard on the facing of the upper level of one end zone at Dolphins Stadium.

So is team founder-owner Joe Robbie , who has not yet been elected to the Hall of Fame. In place of a uniform number, Shula has the number 347, representing his record number of NFL coaching victories, 276 of them as Dolphins head coach.

Retired numbers 12 Bob Griese , QB, 1967-80 (retired May 6, 1982, at the Dolphins' annual awards banquet) [1] 13 Dan Marino , QB, 1983-99 (retired September 17, 2000, at halftime of the Dolphins-Baltimore Ravens game) [2] 39 Larry Csonka , FB, 1968-74, 1979 (retired December 9, 2002, at halftime of the Dolphins-Chicago Bears game) [3] Unofficially retired 57 Dwight Stephenson, C, 1980-87 62 Jim Langer, C, 1970-79 85 Nick Buoniconti, LB, 1969-76 Dolphins Honor Roll Edit The Dolphins Honor Roll consists of all the Hall of Famers listed above, plus WR Mark Duper , WR Mark Clayton , G Bob Kuechenberg, WR Nat Moore, founder and owner Joe Robbie, and a special entry for the entire undefeated 1972 team.

Other notable alumni DALLAS COWBOYS | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Site DALLAS COWBOYS Dallas Cowboys Logo. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Bedford Wynne, Clint Murchison Jr., George Preston Marshall, and Tex Schramm. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Tex Schramm and Tom Landry, circa 1960. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Quarterback Eddie Lebaron and Clint Murchison Jr. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . DALLAS COWBOYS. The Dallas Cowboys, a professional football team, 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. In 1952 another NFL franchise played in Dallas, but it later moved to Baltimore. Because the NFL’s first expansion franchise was approved after the NFL Draft of college players for the 1960 season, Murchison, Wynne, and general manager Tex Schramm were forced to select their initial roster from a pool composed of unprotected players from the existing twelve NFL teams. The owners selected native Texan Tom Landry to be the team's first coach. Landry had played for the University of Texas and for the New York Giants. He also had been a defensive coach with the Giants between 1955 and 1959. Despite Landry's experience and expertise, the Cowboys had difficulty overcoming the disadvantages of missing the college draft that first year. The team, an unusual mixture of veterans and free agents, did not win a single game that inaugural year and finished with a record of 0–11–1. The Cowboys, playing at the Cotton Bowl from 1960 through the early portion of the 1971 season, were beset by poor attendance and little success.

None of the first six seasons produced a winning record; the team finally broke even in 1965 and went 7–7. Then in 1966 the Cowboys went 10–3–1 to win the Eastern Conference title, though barely losing to the Green Bay Packers, 34–27, in the NFL Championship game at the Cotton Bowl and just missing out on appearing in Super Bowl I against the American Football League champion Kansas City Chiefs, who also had played in Dallas at the Cotton Bowl from 1960 to 1962. The Cowboys returned to the NFL Championship game the following season but once again fell to the Packers in the final seconds—this time 21–17 on Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr’s one-yard sneak on what became known as Lambeau Field’s “Frozen Tundra.” The game forever more became known as the Ice Bowl because of the minus-13 degree temperatures. Quarterback Roger Staubach at Super Bowl VI in 1972. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

While the Cowboys had winning seasons in each of the next two years, they did not capture their first of what turned out to be eight National Football Conference championships until 1970, the year of the NFL-AFL merger. But they still could not get over the hump in Super Bowl V and lost 16–13 to the Baltimore Colts on a last-second field goal. Thus, the local media pegged the Cowboys as “Next Year’s Champions,” seemingly always having to wait until next year. The wait, though, was not long. The Cowboys won the NFC once again in 1971 and went on to win Super Bowl VI for their first world championship, decisively beating the Miami Dolphins, 24–3, behind the play of quarterback Roger Staubach, the game’s Most Valuable Player. Clint Murchison Jr., Tex Schramm, and Mayor R. Dan Matkin survey progress at Texas Stadium in Irving. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowl XII in 1978. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.

Section 107 . Randy White and Harvey Martin share MVP honors at Super Bowl XII. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The Cowboys also changed homes in 1971 and moved from the Cotton Bowl near downtown Dallas to plush Texas Stadium in suburban Irving. Under the direction of the innovative Landry, who coached the Cowboys for their first twenty-nine years of existence, the Cowboys reached the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, from 1966 through 1973. That string was broken in 1974 when the team finished 8–6 yet continued what turned out to be an NFL record-streak of twenty consecutive winning seasons (1966–85). The Cowboys reached the Super Bowl again in 1975, thanks in part to that famed “Dirty Dozen” draft. The team started the playoffs by beating Minnesota on Staubach's historic fifty-yard, final seconds "Hail Mary" pass to Drew Pearson and followed that victory by destroying the original Los Angeles Rams 37–7 in the NFC title game. However, they lost Super Bowl X to Pittsburgh, 21–17.

Dallas captured its second world championship by defeating the Denver Broncos 27–10 on January 15, 1978, in Super Bowl XII, with defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Randy White sharing the MVP honors. Their second Super Bowl victory matched the NFL high at that time and tied Green Bay, Miami, and Pittsburgh, and also equaled Minnesota’s then NFL record of four Super Bowl appearances. The Cowboys once again made back-to-back Super Bowl appearances during that 1978 season when Bob Ryan, the editor-in-chief of NFL Films, tagged the Cowboys "America's Team" because of their enormous appeal and popularity nationwide. The Cowboys record fifth Super Bowl appearance did not produce back-to-back victories though; the team lost a 35–31 thriller in Super Bowl XIII to Pittsburgh once again, and those two four-point losses to the Steelers prevented the Cowboys from earning Team of the ‘70s distinction. Quarterback Danny White. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Tex Schramm points out items of interest at the new training facility at Valley Ranch. Courtesy of John F. Rhodes Photography .

Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Staubach played one more season before retiring and turning over the helm of the Dallas offense to Danny White, who led the Cowboys to three consecutive NFC title games, losing all three. In 1984 the Murchison family sold the Cowboys to an eleven-member limited partnership headed by Dallas banker H. R. "Bum" Bright. The following year Dallas running back Tony Dorsett became only the sixth player in NFL history to record 10,000 career rushing yards as the Cowboys transitioned into their new, ultra-modern practice facility and left the old, corrugated metal building on Forest and Abrams for what became known as Valley Ranch in Irving. That season the Cowboys extended their NFL-record streak of consecutive winning seasons to twenty, the third longest in professional sports history, behind only the baseball New York Yankees (thirty-nine) and hockey Montreal Canadians (thirty-two). But times grew tough for the Cowboys following that season, and their consecutive streak of winning seasons came to an inglorious end in 1986.

The 6–2 Cowboys only were able to win one more game that season after White broke his wrist in the ninth game against the 6–2 New York Giants, who went on to win their final eight games and Super Bowl XXI. Dallas Cowboys introduce coach Jimmy Johnson and owner Jerry Jones. Courtesy of Pat Sullivan Photography . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Quarterback Troy Aikman drafted by the Dallas Cowboys. Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The Cowboys followed that 7–9 season with records of 7–8 during the 1987 strike-interrupted season and then 3–13 in what turned out to be Landry’s final season in 1988, despite his 250–162–6 record. Arkansas oil-and-gas investor Jerry Jones purchased the club from Bright on February 25, 1989, and promptly fired Landry and hired his former Arkansas Razorback teammate Jimmy Johnson as head coach.

Jones paid $140 million for the team and the rights to Texas Stadium. Thanks to having the NFL’s worst record in 1988, Jones and Johnson inherited the first pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and turned the choice into UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman, signing him at the time to a rookie-record, six-year $11.2 million contract. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith, and wide receiver Michael Irvin. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Dallas Cowboys offensive huddle in 1990. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The changes did not bring an immediate change to the Cowboys fortunes. Once again the team had the worst record in the NFL and went 1–15 in 1989 with Johnson basically gutting the club of all those aging veterans from the Landry era.

Thanks to the 1989 and 1990 drafts, along with the 1989 trade of Herschel Walker to Minnesota for a number of draft choices, and Jones spending money on sixteen Plan B free agents, the Cowboys made one of the largest turnarounds in NFL history. The team finished 7–9 in 1990 and missed the playoffs by one game. The Jones-Johnson tandem was on its way after inheriting the likes of Michael Irvin, Ken Norton, Jr., Nate Newton, Mark Tuinei, Kevin Gogan, and Jim Jeffcoat, along with drafting Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Daryl Johnston, Mark Stepnoski, Tony Tolbert, Russell Maryland, Alvin Harper, Erik Williams, and Larry Brown from 1989 to 1991. They broke through in 1991, turning a 6–5 start into an 11–5 finish, and claimed a wild-card playoff berth, the franchise’s first playoff victory since 1982, and a measure of legitimacy in the NFL once again. Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl rings 1992 and 1993.

Image available on the Inter net and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson celebrate winning the Super Bowl. Image available on the Inter net and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The next two seasons the Cowboys won back-to-back Super Bowl titles over the Buffalo Bills during the 1992 (13–3) and 1993 (12–4) seasons and beat the AFC champs 52–17 and 30–13 to become at the time one of just three NFL teams to claim four Super Bowl titles. Aikman, the MVP of Super Bowl XXVII, renegotiated his contract in 1993 for an NFL record $50 million over eight years. Emmitt Smith, after holding out over the first two games of that season, also signed a new contract and went on to win the second of his four NFL rushing titles, along with MVP honors in Super Bowl XXVIII. Barry Switzer replaced Jimmy Johnson as Head Coach. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

Following Super Bowl XXVIII the Jones-Johnson relationship became contentious, and on March 29, 1994, the dynamic duo agreed to part ways after five seasons and winning consecutive Super Bowls and NFC East titles. The following day Jones replaced Johnson with their former University of Arkansas assistant coach and longtime Oklahoma University head coach Barry Switzer, who had won four national championships and eight Big Eight titles during his sixteen-year tenure in Norman, Oklahoma. While the Cowboys finished the 1994 season 12–4 again and won the third of what turned out to be five consecutive NFC East titles, they unfortunately opened their third consecutive NFC title game against San Francisco with three consecutive turnovers that turned into a 21–0 Niners’ lead halfway through the first quarter at Candlestick Park to essentially prevent the Cowboys from a chance to become the first and only team to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles.

In a valiant effort, the Cowboys lost that day to San Francisco, 38–28, but not before they had moved to the Niners 43-yard line with just more than five minutes left in the fourth quarter and were arguably a non-interference call (on Niners corner Deion Sanders) away inside the five-yard line from drawing to 38–35. That game essentially was for the Super Bowl title; San Francisco easily defeated San Diego, 49–26, for the Lombardi Trophy. Deion Sanders Introduced as a Dallas Cowboy. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Jerry Jones and Barry Switzer celebrate Super Bowl XXX. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Charles Haley's five Super Bowl rings. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . That loss then put the pressure on the Cowboys, especially Switzer and Jones, the following season to get back to the Super Bowl at all costs without Johnson as head coach.

So Jones made his first real entry into free agency and signed Sanders away from San Francisco. The season was not an easy season for the Cowboys—not as easy as their 12–4 regular-season record and fourth straight NFC East title might have indicated. They went just 4–3 in the final seven games of the season, including a tough 38–20 home loss in a regular season game to San Francisco and backup quarterback Elvis Grbac. Some internal turmoil began seeping into the locker room and coaching staff. The team was buoyed the final week of the season when San Francisco was beaten to give the Cowboys home-field advantage throughout the playoffs if they could win the season finale Christmas night against the Cardinals. They did and mostly breezed through the playoffs until the second half of Super Bowl XXX in Tempe, Arizona, on January 28, 1996, when the Cowboys needed two interceptions from MVP cornerback Larry Brown to stave off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ furious rally for a 27–17 victory. The celebration was somewhat muted, as if the Cowboys had simply survived their season and that title game. Nevertheless, the franchise won its fifth Super Bowl and became the first team to win three titles in four years.

Defensive end Charles Haley became the only player in Super Bowl history to earn five rings, three with the Cowboys and two with the 49ers. Dallas Cowboys Safety Darren Woodson. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . “There wasn’t a celebration in the locker room,” remembered Cowboys safety Darren Woodson, a second-round draft choice in 1992. “The normal celebration that we had in ’92 and ’93 being the Super Bowl champs, you know those were good times. That celebration in ’95 was … I remember sitting there with seven or eight of the defensive backs and we’re all in a circle and we’re just sitting there on the bench thanking God the season was over with and I wasn’t even thinking about a Super Bowl ring at the time. I was just thinking about what am I going to do in this off season? How far away from this team am I going to be? Because I needed to get away as far as I possibly could for a short period of time.” Jerry Jones introduces Chan Gailey as Head Coach. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C.

Section 107 . Bill Parcells introduced as Head Coach. Courtesy of Huy Nguyen Photography . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . For the next two decades, the Cowboys went without another Super Bowl title and failed even to reach the NFC title game. Thus also began a carousel of head coaches. The Cowboys had employed only three head coaches over their first thirty-eight seasons—Landry (twenty-nine), Johnson (five), and Switzer (four). But Switzer lost the team during the 6–10 season of 1997; the Cowboys lost their final five games, and Switzer lost his job.

Beginning with the 1998 season, the Cowboys went through five head coaches over the next eighteen seasons: Chan Gailey went 10–6 and 8–8 during his two seasons, but 0–2 in the playoffs; longtime defensive assistant Dave Campo went 5–11 in three consecutive seasons as head coach during turbulent salary cap times; and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, winner of two Lombardi Trophies with the New York Giants, returned the franchise to respectability and went 10–6, 6–10, 9–7 and 9–7 in his four years but also 0–2 in the playoffs and lost a heartbreaker in the final minute at Seattle, 21–20, in 2006. Emmitt Smith celebrates breaking the NFL All-Time Rushing Record. Courtesy of Michael Wood Photography . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . During that span of constant change, the Cowboys lost Michael Irvin to a career-ending neck injury in 1999. Then Troy Aikman was released and subsequently retired following the 2000 season.

Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton’s NFL all-time rushing record (16,726 yards) during the 2002 season but was released a few months later; he stretched the current NFL rushing record to 18,355 yards and played his final two seasons with Arizona. The Triplets were no more for the Cowboys, the end of a fifteen-year run that began with Irvin’s first-round selection in 1988. By 2006 the Cowboys had found and developed their next franchise quarterback—Tony Romo took over seven games into Parcell’s final season. Romo guided the Cowboys into the playoffs three of the next four seasons (2006, 2007, and 2009) but emerged with just one playoff victory. Quarterback Tony Romo talking with Bill Parcells. Courtesy of ESPN.com . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Cowboy Stadium (later renamed AT&T Stadium in 2013). Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

Head Coach Wade Phillips in 2007 and Head Coach Jason Garrett with Stephen Jones (left) and Jerry Jones (right) in 2011. Image available on the Inter net and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . That playoff victory occurred during the watch of Coach Wade Phillips, who took over after Parcells walked away following the 2006 season. Phillips went 13–3 and then 9–7 in 2008, the final of thirty-eight seasons played in Texas Stadium. The Cowboys moved into state-of-the-art Cowboys Stadium (renamed AT&T Stadium in 2013) for the 2009 season. The club went 11–5 that year and won its first playoff game since the 1996 season. The NFC East champs beat Philadelphia 34–14. But the momentum was short-lived under Phillips, who went just 1–2 during the playoffs his first three seasons.

When the Cowboys began the first half of the 2010 season 1–7, Phillips was fired, and Jones appointed offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, the franchise’s former backup quarterback, as interim head coach. On the strength of leading the reeling team to a 6–10 finish that season, Jones named Garrett the franchise’s eighth head coach in 2011. The Cowboys, proceeding to turn over an aging roster, went 8–8 in each of the next three seasons. Each time a loss in the final game of the season cost the club the NFC East title and a playoff appearance. Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, and Tony Romo. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Tony Romo breaks his collarbone. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

In 2014 Garrett and the Cowboys broke through behind the play of Romo, wide receiver Dez Bryant (a 2010 first-round draft choice out of Lufkin, Texas), and running back DeMarco Murray (who, with 1,845 yards, secured the NFL rushing title and the team’s single season rushing record). The team finished the regular season with a record of 12–4 and won the NFC East for the twenty-second time. This was just their fourth division title since the final of five straight in 1996, and they won just their third playoff game since winning Super Bowl XXX. The Cowboys quite possibly were a video-replay reversal (of a Bryant reception at the Green Bay two-yard line) away from moving on to their first NFC title game in twenty years. That long-ago Cowboys dynasty that seemed to be rising again, was derailed in 2015 when Romo twice suffered fractures to his left collarbone. He only was able to play in four games and finished just two. The club fell to 4–12, the franchise’s third worst sixteen-game season record. Dallas Cowboys new practice facility The Star in Frisco.

Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . A new era in Cowboys history was to begin in late summer 2016 when the doors at the venerable Valley Ranch practice facility were expected to close after thirty-one seasons (1985–2015). The Cowboys were on the move again, heading to The Star in Frisco, their new home in the northern suburb of Dallas that would house the Cowboys franchise headquarters, along with two outdoor practice fields, a 12,000-seat indoor arena to be shared with the Frisco ISD, and plenty of parking to possibly stage parts of training camp at home. Facilities would also include an entertainment complex complete with a high-rise hotel, fitness club, retail space, and several dining establishments. Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Hall of Fame. Courtesy of Michael Hogue, Lamberto Alvarez, and the Dallas Morning News . Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 .

Over those first fifty-six NFL seasons the Cowboys earned five Super Bowl titles and placed fifteen members of the organization into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: defensive lineman Bob Lilly (1980), quarterback Roger Staubach (1985), head coach Tom Landry (1990), general manager and president Tex Schramm (1991), running back Tony Dorsett (1994), defensive tackle Randy White (1994), defensive back Mel Renfro (1996), quarterback Troy Aikman (2006), offensive tackle Rayfield Wright (2006), wide receiver Michael Irvin (2007), wide receiver Bob Hayes (2009), running back Emmitt Smith (2010), cornerback Deion Sanders (2011), guard Larry Allen (2013) and defensive end Charles Haley (2015). Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor at AT&T Stadium. Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . Darren Woodson added to the Ring of Honor on November 1, 2015.

Image available on the Internet and included in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 . The Cowboys over the years also have established their very own hall of fame, widely-known as the Ring of Honor. The names of those selected initially were inscribed along the inner-façade ringing Texas Stadium’s upper deck and then transferred over to an upper-façade inside AT&T Stadium. The Ring has twenty-one members, including the most recent inductee, safety Darren Woodson, who received the honor during the 2015 season. Included in the Ring are fourteen of the hall of fame members (excluding Sanders), along with Woodson, safety Cliff Harris (2004), linebacker Chuck Howley (1977), linebacker Lee Roy Jordan (1989), quarterback Don Meredith (1976), wide receiver Drew Pearson (2011) and fullback Don Perkins (1976). As of the beginning of the 2016 season, the Cowboys had an overall record of 480–364–6.

Their .568 winning percentage was the second highest in the NFL to the Chicago Bears (.570), and they were one of twelve NFL teams with at least 475 all-time victories. Their record of 34–26 all-time in playoff games included 5–3 in Super Bowls and 8–8 in NFL/NFC championship games. They have had only three owners—Clint Murchison, Jr., Bum Bright, and Jerry Jones. Head Coach Jason Garrett was the eighth over the fifty-six-season history and in his 6½ seasons had racked up a 45–43 record. His forty-five victories ranked second in franchise history to Landry’s 250 and one more than third place Johnson. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Skip Bayless, God's Coach: The Hymns, Hype and Hypocrisy of Tom Landry's Cowboys (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990). Sam Blair, Dallas Cowboys, Pro or Con? (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1970). Donald E.

Chipman, Randolph Campbell, and Robert Calvert, The Dallas Cowboys and the NFL (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970). Dallas Cowboys ( accessed February 18, 2016. Dallas Cowboys Silver Season: 1960–1984 [Dallas Cowboys 1984 media guide] (Dallas, 1984). Tom Landry, Tom Landry, An Autobiography (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Books, 1990). Carlton Stowers, Dallas Cowboys: The First Twenty-Five Years (Dallas: Taylor, 1984). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin. Mickey Spagnola and Kirk Bohls What

Question: Which American football team lost the super bowl in three consecutive seasons 91-92 and 93
Answer: The Buffalo Bills