Dallas Cowboys Football Club, commonly referred to as Dallas Cowboys or simply Cowboys, is one of the most iconic and successful football clubs in the world. Founded in 1960, The club is based in Arlington, Texas, United States, and plays its home matches at the famous AT&T Stadium, which has a seating capacity of over 80,000.
Dallas Cowboys has a rich history, boasting 5 Super Bowl titles, 10 Conference Championships, and numerous other domestic trophies. The Cowboys enjoyed their most successful era under legendary coach Tom Landry, who led Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons between 1966 and 1985.
Known for its attacking style of play, the club has nurtured some of football’s greatest talents, including Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. Despite recent challenges and inconsistent performances, Dallas Cowboys remains one of the world’s most valuable sports teams, with a global fan base and a rich tradition that continues to influence American and world football.
Dallas Cowboys is one of the most popular football teams in the United States, with one of the highest average home attendances in the NFL. The team states that its worldwide fan base includes more than 200 officially recognised branches of the Dallas Cowboys Fan Club (DCFC), in at least 24 countries. The team takes advantage of this support through its worldwide summer tours. Accountancy firm and sports industry consultants Deloitte estimate that Dallas Cowboys has 75 million fans worldwide. The team has the third highest social media following in the world among sports teams (after Barcelona and Real Madrid), with over 82 million Facebook followers as of July 2023. A 2014 study showed that Dallas Cowboys had the loudest fans in the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys was formed in 1960 as an expansion team by businessman Clint Murchison Jr. The team initially played games against other expansion teams, but on 24 September 1960, they competed in their first recorded match; wearing the team's original colors—royal blue and white—they were defeated 35–28 by Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 1960, the appointment of Tom Landry as the team's first head coach led to a new era for the Cowboys. Landry demanded an unprecedented level of control over team selection, player transfers, and training sessions. Landry led the team to Super Bowl appearances in 1970 and 1971, and to Super Bowl victories in 1971 and 1977. In 1975, the team won the NFC Championship, marking a period of dominance for the Cowboys.
On 25 February 1989, Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys and fired Tom Landry, marking the end of an era. He appointed Jimmy Johnson as the new head coach, who led the team to Super Bowl victories in 1992 and 1993. Despite the initial success, the Cowboys have had a mixed record since then, with periods of success followed by periods of struggle. The team's last Super Bowl appearance was in 1995, but they remain one of the most popular and valuable sports franchises in the world.
Originally funded by the Clint Murchison Jr., the team became a franchise in 1960 and sold shares to local supporters for $1,000 via an application form. In 1984, majority ownership passed to Bum Bright who invested $86 million to save the club from bankruptcy, including future club president Tex Schramm. After his tenure, the club faced bankruptcy yet again but was saved in 1989 by Jerry Jones, who assumed control of the club after an investment of $140 million. Jones appointed his son, Stephen, to the board in 1989, but retained the position of owner; the Jones family has retained ownership of the club through Jerry's wife, Gene, but the position of General Manager also remains with Jerry Jones.
Appointed to the board a few days after the purchase of the team, Stephen Jones, a friend of Jimmy Johnson, began acquiring shares in the club; for an investment of approximately $80 million, he accumulated a 50 per cent shareholding and took control in January 1990. When Gene Jones passed away, her shares passed to Stephen Jones, who kept ownership within the Jones family. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch attempted to buy the club in 1995, but did not meet Jones's asking price. In 1998, chairman Jerry Jones attempted to sell the club to Mark Cuban for $500 million, but the sale fell through and Cuban joined the board of directors instead.
The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most successful clubs in the NFL in terms of trophies won. The club's first trophy was the NFL Championship, which they won in 1971. In 1977, the club won their second Super Bowl championship and went on to win three more Super Bowls in the 1990s. Since then, they have gone on to win a total of 5 Super Bowl championships, and their total of 8 Super Bowl appearances is second only to the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers. Those titles have meant the club has appeared a record 32 times in the playoffs.
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Worldwide
Dallas Cowboys Official Website: Detailed History of the Dallas Cowboys https://www.dallascowboys.com/history
NFL Official Website: Dallas Cowboys' Team Statistics and Records https://www.nfl.com/teams/dallas-cowboys/stats/
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