1994 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1994 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League. Following their second consecutive Super Bowl title, the Cowboys would see a multitude of changes. In March, months of setbacks finally reached its climax as team owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson held a press conference and announced Johnson's resignation.

1994 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coachBarry Switzer
Home fieldTexas Stadium
Results
Record12–4
Division place1st NFC East
Playoff finishWon NFC Divisional Playoff (Packers) 35–9
Lost NFC Championship Game (at 49ers) 28–38

After a continuous 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 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.

Offseason

NFL draft
1994 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 23 Shante Carver  Defensive end Arizona State
2 46 Larry Allen †  Guard Sonoma State
3 102 George Hegamin  Tackle NC State
4 109 Willie Jackson  Wide Receiver Florida
4 131 DeWayne Dotson  Linebacker Ole Miss
6 191 Darren Studstill  Safety West Virginia
7 216 Toddrick McIntosh  Defensive end Florida State
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Undrafted free agents
1994 Undrafted Free Agents of note
Player Position College
Chris Boniol Kicker Louisiana Tech
Richie Cunningham Kicker Louisiana-Lafayette
Matt Joyce Tackle Richmond
Hurvin McCormack Defensive Tackle Indiana
Tony Richardson Fullback Auburn

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 and future head coach 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
Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site Game
recap
1 September 4 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 26–9 1–0 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
2 September 11 Houston Oilers W 20–17 2–0 Texas Stadium Recap
3 September 19 Detroit Lions L 17–20 (OT) 2–1 Texas Stadium Recap
4 Bye
5 October 2 at Washington Redskins W 34–7 3–1 RFK Stadium Recap
6 October 9 Arizona Cardinals W 38–3 4–1 Texas Stadium Recap
7 October 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 24–13 5–1 Texas Stadium Recap
8 October 23 at Arizona Cardinals W 28–21 6–1 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
9 October 30 at Cincinnati Bengals W 23–20 7–1 Riverfront Stadium Recap
10 November 7 New York Giants W 38–10 8–1 Texas Stadium Recap
11 November 13 at San Francisco 49ers L 14–21 8–2 Candlestick Park Recap
12 November 20 Washington Redskins W 31–7 9–2 Texas Stadium Recap
13 November 24 Green Bay Packers W 42–31 10–2 Texas Stadium Recap
14 December 4 at Philadelphia Eagles W 31–19 11–2 Veterans Stadium Recap
15 December 10 Cleveland Browns L 14–19 11–3 Texas Stadium Recap
16 December 19 at New Orleans Saints W 24–16 12–3 Louisiana Superdome Recap
17 December 24 at New York Giants L 10–15 12–4 Giants Stadium Recap

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)

Postseason Schedule
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Game Recap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 8, 1995 Green Bay Packers (4) W 35–9 1–0 Texas Stadium Recap
NFC Championship January 15, 1995 San Francisco 49ers (1) L 28–38 1–1 Candlestick Park Recap

Roster
Dallas Cowboys 1994 roster
Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

 Offensive Linemen

Defensive Linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

 Reserve Lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics
52 Active, 1 Inactive, 3 Practice Squad

Awards and records

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.
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