1994 Dallas Cowboys season

1994 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Barry Switzer
Home field	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	12–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Packers) 35–9 Lost Conference Championship (at 49ers) 38–28

The 1994 Dallas Cowboys season would mark their 35th in the NFL. Following their second Super Bowl title, the Cowboys would see a multitude of changes. In March, months of frustration finally reached its climax as team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson held a press conference and announced Johnson's resignation. Jones would later hire former Oklahoma Sooners head coach and personal friend Barry Switzer to be the third head coach in franchise history. After a continue run of dominance in the regular season and finishing with a record of 12–4, the Cowboys fell short of a record third straight Super Bowl title with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. The 1994 Cowboys draft yielded only one notable addition to the team, offensive guard Larry Allen and veteran linebacker Ken Norton Jr. left the team to sign with San Francisco.

This season was also the 75th anniversary of the NFL and was designated by a diamond-shaped patch worn on the left breast of every NFL team's uniform. The Cowboys celebrated the league's history by donning their inaugural white jerseys from the 1960–1963 seasons against the Detroit Lions. The team also later debuted a special white "Double-Star" jersey on Thanksgiving Day 1994. These uniforms celebrated the Cowboys' most recent back-to-back Super Bowl titles in the 1992 and 1993 seasons and were used in most of the Cowboys' remaining games of the season, including the playoffs.

Regular season

In an attempt to be the first NFL franchise to "Three-Peat" Super Bowls, the Dallas Cowboys were off to a strong start under new head coach Barry Switzer. However dominant, the team was fielded with injuries to many key starters. The most notable injuries were a near fatal car accident to tackle Erik Williams and a nagging hamstring strain to running back Emmitt Smith. The season also saw the brief emergence of back-up quarterback Jason Garrett as he led a comeback victory against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day by leading the Cowboys to score 36 points in the second half.^[1] Offensive coordinator Norv Turner also departed to become head coach of the rival Washington Redskins and was replaced by veteran offensive assistant Ernie Zampese. Dallas still managed to finish the regular season posting a 12–4 record and defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional game at Texas Stadium. They would later travel to Candlestick Park to face the San Francisco 49ers for the third straight time in as many years for the NFC Championship Game. Down 21 points in the first quarter, the Cowboys fought back valiantly, but fell short, 28–38.

Schedule

Opponent			Result	TV Time	Attendance
at Pittsburgh Steelers	26	9	W	FOX 3:00pm	60,156
Houston Oilers	20	17	W	NBC 3:00pm	64,402
Detroit Lions	17	20 (OT)	L	ABC 8:00pm	64,102
Bye
at Washington Redskins	34	7	W	FOX 12:00pm	55,394
Arizona Cardinals	38	3	W	FOX 3:00pm	64,518
Philadelphia Eagles	24	13	W	FOX 3:00pm	64,703
at Arizona Cardinals	28	21	W	FOX 3:00pm	71,023
at Cincinnati Bengals	23	20	W	FOX 12:00pm	57,096
New York Giants	38	10	W	ABC 8:00pm	64,836
at San Francisco 49ers	14	21	L	FOX 3:00pm	69,014
Washington Redskins	31	7	W	FOX 12:00pm	64,644
Green Bay Packers	42	31	W	FOX 3:00pm	64,597
at Philadelphia Eagles	31	19	W	FOX 12:00pm	65,974
Cleveland Browns	14	19	L	NBC 3:00pm	64,826
at New Orleans Saints	24	16	W	ABC 8:00pm	67,323
at New York Giants	10	15	L	FOX 12:00pm	66,943

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(2) Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	414	248	L1
New York Giants	9	7	0	.563	279	305	W6
Arizona Cardinals	8	8	0	.500	235	267	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	9	0	.438	308	308	L7
Washington Redskins	3	13	0	.188	320	412	W1

Throwback weekend games

• Dallas: 9/19 (Det)

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1994 roster
Quarterbacks  8 Troy Aikman 17 Jason Garrett  9 Rodney Peete Running Backs 34 Tommie Agee RB/FB 44 Lincoln Coleman FB 48 Daryl Johnston FB 22 Emmitt Smith 32 Blair Thomas Wide Receivers 82 Cory Fleming 80 Alvin Harper 88 Michael Irvin 83 Willie Jackson 85 Kevin Williams RS Tight Ends 89 Scott Galbraith 84 Jay Novacek		Offensive Linemen 73 Larry Allen T/G 69 George Hegamin T 60 Derek Kennard G 61 Nate Newton G 76 Jerry Reynolds T 53 Mark Stepnoski C 65 Ron Stone G 71 Mark Tuinei T Defensive Linemen 96 Shante Carver DE 94 Charles Haley DE 95 Chad Hennings DT/DE 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 78 Leon Lett DT 67 Russell Maryland DT 99 Hurvin McCormack DT 92 Tony Tolbert DE		Linebackers 50 Darrick Brownlow MLB 58 Dixon Edwards OLB 55 Robert Jones MLB 98 Godfrey Myles OLB 52 Jim Schwantz OLB 59 Darrin Smith OLB 91 Matt Vanderbeek MLB/OLB Defensive Backs 40 Bill Bates SS 24 Larry Brown CB 46 Joe Fishback CB 29 Kenneth Gant FS/CB 47 Clayton Holmes CB 31 Brock Marion FS 26 Kevin Smith CB 30 Darren Studstill CB 41 Dave Thomas CB 37 James Washington FS 28 Darren Woodson SS Special Teams 18 Chris Boniol K 70 Dale Hellestrae LS/C/OT 19 John Jett P		Reserve Lists 79 Erik Williams T (IR) Rookies in italics 52 Active, 0 Inactive

Awards and records

• Charles Haley, Defense, UPI NFC Player of the Year
• Emmitt Smith, Best NFL Player ESPY 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

References

1. "Fans' Choice: Pick a comeback game to watch". National Football League. March 28, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.

External links

• 1994 Dallas Cowboys
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Dallas Cowboys Official Site
• Houston Oilers at Dallas Cowboys, Week Two on YouTube