This is a list of seasons completed by the Dallas Cowboys American football franchise of the National Football League (NFL). The list documents the season-by-season records of the Cowboys' franchise from 1960 to present, including postseason records, and league awards for individual players or head coaches. The Cowboys franchise was originally founded in 1960 as an expansion team.[1] The team has earned the most postseason appearances (30, which includes another league record of 55 postseason games, winning 33 of them), the longest consecutive streak of winning seasons with 20, the most appearances in the NFC Championship Game (14), and the most Super Bowl appearances (8). The Cowboys have played for 10 NFL Championships and have won five, all five being Super Bowls.[2]
The Cowboys won Super Bowl VI, XII, XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. They also played in and lost Super Bowl V, X, and XIII.[2]
The franchise has experienced two major periods of continued success in their history. The first period of success came from 1966–1985 when the Cowboys played in the postseason 18 times.[3] During this period, they played in two NFL Championships and five Super Bowls, winning two of them, winning a total of 20 playoff games.[3] The second period of success was between 1992–1996 when the Cowboys captured five straight NFC East Division titles and won three Super Bowls going 11-2 in the postseason.[3]
The Cowboys have also experienced failure in their history. The most notable period of failure was from their 1960 inaugural season to 1965, during which the Cowboys did not have a single postseason appearance.[4] They did not win a single game during their first season, compiling an 0-11-1 record that is still the worst in franchise history.[4] Also, they did not have a single winning record in this period.[4] The only period, if any, that comes close to challenging this period of failure is the Cowboys 1997–2009 playoff drought, the longest-active playoff drought at its time.[5] After losing the Wild Card Game in 1996, the Cowboys lost 5 consecutive games, one after a franchise-record 13-3 season, during which, most predicted the Cowboys would break the streak.[5] This streak finally came to an end when the Cowboys finally beat their bitter rival, the Philadelphia Eagles 34-14 after an 11-5 season.[5]
- For complete team history, see History of the Dallas Cowboys
- Note: The Finish, Wins, Losses, and Ties columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play. Italicized numbers mean that the records are subject to change each week due to regular season or postseason games being played.
| NFL Champions (1920–1969) | Super Bowl Champions (1970–present) | Conference Champions | Division Champions | Wild Card Berth |
| Season | Team | League | Conference | Division | Regular season | Postseason Results | Awards | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish | Wins | Losses | Ties | |||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | ||||||||||
| 1960 | 1960 | NFL | Western | 7th | 0 | 11 | 1 | |||
| 1961 | 1961 | NFL | Eastern | 6th | 4 | 9 | 1 | |||
| 1962 | 1962 | NFL | Eastern | 5th | 5 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 1963 | 1963 | NFL | Eastern | 5th | 4 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 1964 | 1964 | NFL | Eastern | 5th | 5 | 8 | 1 | |||
| 1965 | 1965 | NFL | Eastern | 2nd | 7 | 7 | 0 | Lost Playoff Bowl (Colts) (35-3) | ||
| 1966 | 1966 | NFL | Eastern | 1st | 10 | 3 | 1 | Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers) (34-27) | Tom Landry (NFL COY) | |
| 1967[6] | 1967 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 1st | 9 | 5 | 0 | Won Conference Playoffs (Browns) (52-10) Lost NFL Championship Game (Packers) (21-17) |
|
| 1968 | 1968 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 1st | 12 | 2 | 0 | Lost Conference Playoffs (Browns) (31-20) | |
| 1969 | 1969 | NFL | Eastern | Capitol | 1st | 11 | 2 | 1 | Lost Conference Playoffs (Browns) (38-14) | Calvin Hill (Off. ROY) George Andrie (Pro Bowl Def. MVP) |
| 1970 | 1970 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 10 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Lions) (5-0) Won Conference Championship (49ers) (17-10) Lost Super Bowl V (Colts) (16-13) |
Chuck Howley (SB MVP) Mel Renfro (PB Def. MVP) |
| 1971 | 1971 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 11 | 3 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) (20-12) Won Conference Championship (49ers) (14-3) Won Super Bowl VI (1) (Dolphins) (24-3) |
Roger Staubach (SB MVP) |
| 1972 | 1972 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 10 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (49ers) (30-28) Lost Conference Championship (Redskins) (26-3) |
|
| 1973 | 1973 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[7] | 10 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) (27-16) Lost Conference Championship (Vikings) (27-10) |
|
| 1974 | 1974 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 1975 | 1975 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 10 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) (17-14) Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams) (37-7) Lost Super Bowl X (Steelers) (21-17) |
Tom Landry (NFC COY) |
| 1976 | 1976 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 11 | 3 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) (14-12) | |
| 1977 | 1977 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 12 | 2 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears) (37-7) Won Conference Championship (Vikings) (23-6) Won Super Bowl XII (2) (Broncos) (27-10) |
Tony Dorsett (Off. ROY) Harvey Martin and Randy White (SB co-MVPs) |
| 1978[8] | 1978 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[9] | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons) (27-20) Won Conference Championship (L.A. Rams) (28-0) Lost Super Bowl XIII (Steelers (35-31) |
|
| 1979 | 1979 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[10] | 11 | 5 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) (21-19) |
|
| 1980 | 1980 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd[11] | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams) (34-17) Won Divisional Playoffs (Falcons) (30-27) Lost Conference Championship (Eagles) (20-7) |
|
| 1981 | 1981 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Buccaneers) (38-0) Lost Conference Championship (49ers) (28-27) |
|
| 1982[12] | 1982 | NFL | NFC | 2nd | 6 | 3 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Buccaneers) (30-17) Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers) (37-26) Lost Conference Championship (Redskins) (31-17) |
||
| 1983 | 1983 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 12 | 4 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (L.A. Rams) 24-17 | |
| 1984 | 1984 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 1985 | 1985 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[13] | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (L.A. Rams) (20-0) | |
| 1986 | 1986 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 7 | 9 | 0 | ||
| 1987[14] | 1987 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 7 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 1988 | 1988 | NFL | NFC | East | 5th | 3 | 13 | 0 | ||
| 1989 | 1989 | NFL | NFC | East | 5th | 1 | 15 | 0 | ||
| 1990 | 1990 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 7 | 9 | 0 | Emmitt Smith (Off. ROY) Jimmy Johnson (NFL COY) | |
| 1991 | 1991 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd[15] | 11 | 5 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Bears) (17-13) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Lions) (38-6) |
Michael Irvin, (Pro Bowl MVP) |
| 1992 | 1992 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) (34-10) Won Conference Championship (49ers) (30-20) Won Super Bowl XXVII (3) (Bills) (52-17) |
Troy Aikman (SB MVP) |
| 1993 | 1993 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers) (27-17) Won Conference Championship (49ers) (38-21) Won Super Bowl XXVIII (4) (Bills) (30-13) |
Emmitt Smith (SB MVP) Emmitt Smith (NFL MVP) |
| 1994 | 1994 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers) (35-9) Lost Conference Championship (49ers) (38-28) |
|
| 1995 | 1995 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 12 | 4 | 0 | Won Divisional Playoffs (Eagles) (30-11) Won Conference Championship (Packers) (38-27) Won Super Bowl XXX (5) (Steelers) (27-17) |
Larry Brown (SB MVP) |
| 1996 | 1996 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[16] | 10 | 6 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings) (40-15) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Panthers) (26-17) |
|
| 1997 | 1997 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 1998 | 1998 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Cardinals) (20-7) | |
| 1999 | 1999 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd[17] | 8 | 8 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Vikings) (27-10) | |
| 2000 | 2000 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2001 | 2001 | NFL | NFC | East | 5th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | 2002 | NFL | NFC | East | 4th | 5 | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | 2003 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 10 | 6 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Panthers) (29-10) | |
| 2004 | 2004 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2005 | 2005 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | 2006 | NFL | NFC | East | 2nd | 9 | 7 | 0 | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (Seahawks) (21-20) | |
| 2007 | 2007 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st | 13 | 3 | 0 | Lost Divisional Playoffs (Giants) (21-17) | Greg Ellis (CBPOY) |
| 2008 | 2008 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 9 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2009 | 2009 | NFL | NFC | East | 1st[18] | 11 | 5 | 0 | Won Wild Card Playoffs (Eagles) (34-14) Lost Divisional Playoffs (Vikings) (34-3) |
|
| 2010 | 2010 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 6 | 10 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | 2011 | NFL | NFC | East | 3rd | 8 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | 2012 | NFL | NFC | East | For team & game information | >2012< Cowboys | ||||
| Total | 448 | 332 | 6 | All-time regular season record (1960–2011) | ||||||
| 33 | 25 | 0 | All-time postseason record (1960–2011) | |||||||
| 481 | 357 | 6 | All-time regular season and postseason record (1960–2011) | |||||||
| 5 NFL Championships, 10 Conference Championships, 20 Divisional Championships | ||||||||||
Footnotes[]
- ↑ "1960 Dallas Cowboys". Dallas Cowboys' Official Website. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. http://web.archive.org/web/20071229093111/http://www.dallascowboys.com/history_year.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dallas Cowboys' Championship History". NFLTeamHistory.com. http://www.nflteamhistory.com/nfl_teams/dallas_cowboys/championship_history.html. Retrieved 2008-01-12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Dallas Cowboys Championship History". NFLTeamHistory.com. http://www.nflteamhistory.com/nfl_teams/dallas_cowboys/championship_history.html. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Dallas Cowboys History". CBS Sports. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/history/DAL. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Dallas Cowboys Franchise History". SportsEncyclopedia.com. http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/dallas/cowboys.html. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ↑ The 1967 NFL season marks the first season in the league's history where the league was divided into two conferences which were subdivided into two divisions. Up to 1967, the league was either divided into two divisions, two conferences, or neither.
- ↑ At the end of the 1973 season, the Cowboys and the Redskins finished the season with identical 10-4 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of Washington in the NFC East based on better point differential in head-to-head games.
- ↑ For the 1978 season, the NFL expanded from a 14-game season to a 16-game season.
- ↑ At the end of the 1978 season, the Cowboys and the LA Rams finished the season with identical 12-4 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Los Angeles was the top NFC seed over Dallas based on a better head-to-head record.
- ↑ At the end of the 1979 season, the Cowboys and the Eagles finished the season with identical 11-5 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East based on a better conference record.
- ↑ At the end of the 1980 season, the Cowboys and the Eagles finished the season with identical 12-4 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Philadelphia finished ahead of Dallas in the NFC East based on better net points in division games.
- ↑ The 1982 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 9 games because of a players' strike. The NFL adopted a special 16-team playoff tournament; eight teams from each conference were seeded 1–8, and division standings were ignored.
- ↑ At the end of the 1985 season, the Cowboys, Redskins, and the Giants finished the season with identical 10-6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of New York and Washington based on a better head-to-head record.
- ↑ The 1987 NFL season was shortened from 16 games per team to 15 games because of a players' strike. Games to be played during the third week of the season were canceled, and replacement players were used to play games from weeks 4 through 6.
- ↑ At the end of the 1991 season, the Cowboys and the Bears finished the season with identical 11-5 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Chicago was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Dallas.
- ↑ At the end of the 1996 season, the Cowboys and the Eagles finished the season with identical 10-6 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East based on better record against common opponents.
- ↑ At the end of the 1999 season, the Cowboys, Lions, and the Panthers finished the season with identical 8-8 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas was the second NFC Wild Card based on a better record than Detroit against common opponents and a better conference record than Carolina.
- ↑ At the end of the 2009 season, the Cowboys and the Eagles finished with identical 11-5 records. Using the NFL's tie-breaking procedures, Dallas finished ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record.
References[]
- "Dallas Cowboys History". CBS Sportsline. http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/teams/history/DAL. Retrieved January 2007.
- "NFL.com - History - Yearly Standings". National Football League Official website. http://www.nfl.com/standings. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "Pro Football Hall of Fame - Dallas Cowboys". Pro Football Hall of Fame Website. http://www.profootballhof.com/history/team.jsp?franchise_id=9. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "Dallas Cowboys (1960 - )". databasefootball.com. http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teampage.htm?tm=DAL&lg=nfl. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "Dallas Cowboys (1960–Present)". Sports E-Cyclopedia. http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nfl/dallas/cowboys.html. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "Dallas Cowboys History". JT-SW.com. http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/teams.nsf/histories/cowboys. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "History - Dallas Cowboys". Hickoksports.com. http://www.hickoksports.com/history/dallascowboys.shtml. Retrieved January 12, 2008.
- "Franchise page - Dallas Cowboys". Pro football reference.com. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/. Retrieved April 14, 2012.
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| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at List of Dallas Cowboys seasons. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |