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By Jon Machota 35m ago
It’s 90s week at The Athletic, so that means we should probably talk about a certain franchise that went to four consecutive NFC Championship games and won three Super Bowls in four years during that decade.
The 1990s Dallas Cowboys are one of the greatest dynasties in sports history. To take a look back at that group, we decided to rank the most important people to contribute to that historic run. And although Cowboys fans are probably tired of hearing this, it’s been 25 years since that last Lombardi Trophy was won by Dallas.
So here it is, one person for each year since their Super Bowl drought began: The 25 most important contributors to the Cowboys’ three championships in the 1990s.
25.) Bill Bates, safety. I feel like the fan base would petition for me to no longer cover the team if I didn’t have Bates on this list. One of the greatest fan favorites in franchise history, Bates was mainly a special teams leader at this point in his career. There are so many different directions to go here, though. Safety James Washington, cornerback Kevin Smith, defensive linemen Chad Hennings and Tony Casillas all deserve consideration for this spot.
24.) Deion Sanders, cornerback. Jerry Jones needed a starting cornerback and made a splash by signing Sanders in 1995. During that 1995 season, Sanders played in nine regular season games, intercepting two passes. He had one interception in the playoffs. He also caught five passes, including one in the Super Bowl that went for a 47-yard gain. But this list was compiled on contributions to the three Super Bowls, and while Sanders is one of the NFL’s greatest players, he was part of only the last of the three rings.
23.) Larry Allen, offensive guard. Allen was drafted in the second round in 1994, so he wasn’t on the first two Super Bowl teams. But he quickly became one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history and a key contributor on the 1995 championship team, starting every game at right guard. That was the first of his 11 Pro Bowl seasons.
22.) Jim Jeffcoat, defensive end. The 1983 first-round pick had four double-digit sack seasons for the Cowboys in the 1980s. He had another in 1992, leading the team with 10.5. Jeffcoat was a member of two of Dallas Super Bowl teams, recording 4.5 postseason sacks during the 1992 and 1993 playoffs. He went from being a starter earlier in his career to a situational pass rusher at the time of the Super Bowl success.
21.) Larry Brown, cornerback. The Super Bowl XXX MVP has to get on this list somewhere. He was a member of all three championship teams, recording a career-high six interceptions in 1995. Brown had one interception in Dallas’ first Super Bowl of the decade. He had two in the final one. That helps him rank fourth in Cowboys history with five postseason interceptions. Brown was a starter for five consecutive seasons in Dallas from 1991 through 1995. He signed with the Raiders in the offseason following the Cowboys’ final Super Bowl victory.
20.) Russell Maryland, defensive tackle. The No. 1 overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft started for nearly the entire decade in the middle of Dallas’ 4-3 front. He only made one Pro Bowl (1993) and never had more than 4.5 sacks in a season, but Maryland played one of the more thankless positions in the sport. During that run from 1992 to 1995, the Cowboys had a top five scoring defense every year.
19.) Leon Lett, defensive tackle. We know, Don Beebe ran him down and knocked the ball out before Lett could score a touchdown near the end of a 52-17 Super Bowl win in Jan. 1993. While it’s the play Lett is most remembered for, he was an excellent defensive lineman on those Super Bowl teams. Like Maryland, Lett had three postseason sacks during those three Super Bowl seasons. He made the Pro Bowl in 1994 and 1998.
18.) Alvin Harper, wide receiver. He was Dallas’ No. 2 wide receiver alongside Michael Irvin during the first two Super Bowl victories. He signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March of 1995. During his time in Dallas, Harper was one of the league’s top deep threats, averaging 21.6 yards per catch in 1993 and 24.9 in 1994. His production steadily increased all four seasons he spent with the Cowboys, setting career highs in 1994 with 821 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
17.) Norv Turner, offensive coordinator. We had to get at least one assistant coach on this list. Arguments can be made for each of the three Super Bowl winning defensive coordinators: Dave Wannstedt (1992), Butch Davis (1993), Dave Campo (1995). But Turner was in charge of the offense for two of the three rings. (Ernie Zampese was OC in 1995.) The year before Turner took over the offense, the Cowboys ranked 26th in total offense. He got them up to seventh in 1991 before ranking fourth in each of the two Super Bowl years. During the back-to-back Super Bowl seasons, Dallas had the league’s No. 2 scoring offense both years.
16.) Barry Switzer, head coach. Most will say that Switzer won with most of Jimmy Johnson’s players, but the head coach of any Super Bowl winner belongs on any list like this. The Cowboys came up short in his first season as head coach, falling in the NFC Championship game after going 12-4 in the regular season. However, they returned the following year with an identical 12-4 record, only this time they finished the job, defeating the Eagles, Packers and then Steelers for the fifth title in Cowboys franchise history.
15.) Tony Tolbert, defensive tackle. He started every game at defensive end for the Cowboys from 1991 to 1997. Tolbert led the team in sacks in 1993 and was second in that department in 1992, 1994 and 1995. He also had 10 postseason sacks combined during the three Super Bowl seasons. The fourth-round pick in 1989 made the Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro in 1996.
14.) Ken Norton Jr., linebacker. The leader of the defense on the first two Super Bowl teams of the decade, Norton led Dallas in tackles in 1992 and 1993. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers the following offseason and became the first player in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls. Norton had a career-high 159 tackles in 1993, leading to his first Pro Bowl selection.
13.) Daryl Johnston, fullback. A key part of the offense on all three Super Bowl teams, Johnston was influential in the Pro Bowl making a spot for fullbacks. He was named to that team in 1993 and 1994. “Moose” played in every game during Dallas’ dynasty run. During Emmitt Smith’s Hall of Fame induction speech, Smith said of Johnston, “People don’t understand what it took to be a fullback in our system, the sacrifices you made not simply with your body but with your whole spirit. … Without you, I know today would not have been possible.”
12.) Darren Woodson, safety. Woodson was on all three Super Bowl teams, playing a starting role in the last two. He was drafted in the second round in 1992, arriving right when the postseason success was starting. Woodson made five Pro Bowls from 1994 to 1998. He is the franchise’s all-time leading tackler.
11.) Jay Novacek, tight end. He was a key piece to the offense during all three Super Bowl years, earning Pro Bowl recognition every season from 1991 to 1995. Back issues prevented him from being able to contribute after the 1995 season. Novacek still ranks third in franchise history in postseason receptions (62) behind only Michael Irvin and Drew Pearson. He’s fourth in postseason receiving yards at 645, to go along with six touchdowns.
10.) Mark Tuinei, offensive tackle. This begins a run on what was arguably the greatest offensive line in NFL history. Tuinei was Dallas’ starting left tackle during all three Super Bowls. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 1994 and 1995. Overall, a pretty good return on investment the Cowboys made in an undrafted rookie free agent out of Hawaii in 1983.
9.) Nate Newton, offensive guard. Newton anchored the left guard spot on all three of Dallas’ Super Bowl teams in the 1990s. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro. Any of these four offensive linemen could be ranked ahead of the other, but the group as a whole is one of the biggest reasons Dallas sustained the success they did for half the decade and why most of the players feel like they should have won more Super Bowls.
8.) Mark Stepnoski, center. The 1989 third-round pick started on arguably the greatest offensive line in NFL history for the entirety of their run. He won three Super Bowl rings, made five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams and was named to the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade Team.
7.) Erik Williams, offensive tackle. When Williams’ name is mentioned, the conversation often turns to what he could have been had he not injured his knee in a car accident. Some believe he could have been one of the best to ever play the game. Williams was the Cowboys’ starting right tackle on all three Super Bowl teams. He was a three-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler.
6.) Charles Haley, defensive end. Despite how talented the Cowboys were on offense, it’s unlikely they would’ve won multiple Super Bowls without Haley rushing the passer. The Cowboys Ring of Honor member was considered the missing piece when Dallas traded for him before the start of the 1992 season. The Pro Football Hall of Famer became the team’s starting right defensive end, totaling 33 sacks between 1992 and 1995.
5.) Michael Irvin, wide receiver. Not only was Irvin the team’s best receiver, he brought an energy and swagger that formed an identity for the Cowboys teams of that era. The five-time Pro Bowler and Pro Football Hall of Famer had a five-year run between 1991 and 1995 when he averaged 1,419 yards and 7.6 touchdowns per season. Irvin, a member of the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, had his best season in 1995. He went over the 100-yard mark 11 times in Dallas’ first 13 games that season as they started 10-3.
4.) Troy Aikman, quarterback. It’s unlikely that the Cowboys could have pulled off their historic run without a Hall of Famer at the game’s most important position. Aikman didn’t put up the crazy numbers that we see in the NFL today. The most touchdowns he threw for in a single season was 23, in 1992. That year he also threw for a career-high 3,445 yards. But those who closely followed those Cowboys all believe Aikman would’ve had no problem putting up bigger numbers like we see today; it just would have been foolish at that time not to lean more heavily on Dallas’ dominant running game. In the Cowboys’ first of those three Super Bowls, Aikman won MVP honors after throwing for 273 yards and four touchdowns on 22 of 30 passing. Aikman has the most postseason passing yards in team history at 3,849. Roger Staubach is second at 2,791.
3.) Emmitt Smith, running back. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher had 11 consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons from 1991 to 2001. During the three Super Bowl years, Smith rushed for 1,713 yards, 1,486 yards and a career-high 1,773 yards. Those Cowboys teams were built around the running game, and Smith was the perfect back for their system. From 1992 through 1995, Smith averaged 18.2 rushing touchdowns per season. In Dallas’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins over the Buffalo Bills, Smith rushed 52 times for 240 yards and three touchdowns. As loaded with talent as those 90’s Cowboys rosters were, they still may not have won one Super Bowl without Smith.
2.) Jerry Jones, owner. There will be plenty of debate about where the team’s owner and general manager belongs on this list. When Jones purchased the franchise in 1989, the Cowboys were coming off a 3-13 season. In the next seven years, they won three Super Bowls. You can argue about who actually brought the talent in, but Jones still had to approve of the decisions. He signed the checks and made one of the greatest decisions in NFL history, hiring Jimmy Johnson as the team’s future Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach to turn it all around.
1.) Jimmy Johnson, head coach. Although he wasn’t the coach for all three Super Bowls, Johnson was the architect for the entire run. Even if he wasn’t the head coach of the first two championship teams, Johnson would probably be on this list just for pulling off the Herschel Walker trade that allowed the Cowboys to quickly turn the roster around. In the process, Dallas became one of the greatest dynasties in sports history.
