1992 Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XXVII Champions!
1992 Record: 13-3 (Regular Season), 3-0 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: Jimmy Johnson
Points Scored: 409 (2nd out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 243 (5th out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: Texas Stadium in Irving, TX
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How 'Bout Them Cowboys!
The Cowboys entered the 1992 season as the youngest team in the NFL so many experts dismissed their chances of bringing home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for that very reason, especially since they played in the league's toughest division with the defending World Champion Redskins, the Eagles and a Giants team that was a year removed from a World Championship.
The Cowboys made few changes from the 1991 squad that lost in the NFC Semifinal Round. They were able to acquire Charles Haley via trade from the 49ers to help solidify their pass rush and he did and they also acquired Thomas Everett from Pittsburgh, was the starting strong safety, and solidified the young secondary, which go younger when rookie Kevin Smith replaced veteran Issiac Holt as a starting cornerback 11 games into the season. The Cowboys kept their defensive linemen fresh by rotating them in and out of the lineup. The Cowboys' 4-3 defense boasted of four fine defensive tackles: Russell Maryland, Tony Casillas, Leon Lett, and Jimmie Jones. Haley and Tony Tolbert were the stating defensive end and registered 6 and 8.5 sacks, respectively. Jim Jeffcoat, a reserve end led the club with 10.5 sacks. The Cowboys also had a linebacker rotation led by Ken Norton, Jr who plays both insie and outside. Rookie Robert Jones was a good run stuffer on the inside and Vinson Smith and Godfrey Myles shared time on the outside. Former 12th round pick Larry Brown was a solid starter at cornerback. Starting free safety James Washington and nickelback Kenneth Gant led the team with 3 interceptions. The defense led the NFL in fewest yards and 2nd in points allowed, yet sent no players to the Pro Bowl.
Quarterback Troy Aikman was the hottest QB in the NFL over the last 8 weeks of the regular season and playoffs. During that stretch he threw 28 touchdowns and just 3 interceptions. His 89.5 rating was third in the NFC, his 23 TD passes were 2nd in the NFC, and his 3445 passing yards were also second in the conference. Halfback Emmitt Smith led all NFL rushers with 1,713 yards and 18 rushing TD's. His 19 TD's overall also led the NFL. Fullback Daryl "Moose" Johnston was one of the NFL's best lead blockers and gets some of the credit for Emmitt's success. Wide receivers Michael Irvin and Alvin Harper are both young wideouts that are blessed with size, speed, and strength. Irvin finished fourth in the NFC in receptions with 78 and 2nd in the NFC with 1,396 receiving yards. He also scored 7 TD's, which was good for a fourth place tie among NFC receivers. Harper finished third on the team with 562 yards on his 35 receptions. Tight end Jay Novacek was the Cowboys second leading receiver in terms of receptions and yards with 68 and 630, respectively. The Cowboys offensive line was the best in the NFL, sending two players to the Pro Bowl: center Mark Stepnoski and left guard Nate Newton. Right guard John Gesek, left tackle Mark Tuinei and right tackle Erik Williams played exceptionally well.
The Cowboys started off their season with three wins against divisional opponents: a 23-10 defeat of the defending World Champs at home, a 34-28 win at Giants Stadium, and a 31-20 win t home against cellar dwelling Phoenix. With an extra week to prepare, they traveled to Philly to play the Eagles with the division lead at stake and fell to the Eagles 31-7. The Cowboys would respond with three straight wins against AFC West opponents Seattle and Kansas City at home, and in Los Angeles against the Raiders. The following provided an opportunity for the Cowboys to pay the Eagles back and they were able to do so in the 20-10 win at home. They would pay the Lions back for their playoff defeat in January with a 37-3 drubbing in Detroit. After a letdown defeat at the hands of the Rams the following Sunday, the Cowboys would win three straight with a win in Phoenix 16-10, a 30-3 defeat of the Giants at home, and a 31-27 win in Denver. The Cowboys would ravel to Washington and lost to the Redskins 20-17 before closing the regular season with two straight wins over Atlanta and Chicago to clinch their first division title since 1985. The Cowboys would earn a bye and advance to the Divisional Playoff Round.
The Divisional Playoff Round would match the Cowboys up with division rival Philadelphia, who they split the season series with in 1992. The matchup would prove to be a success as the defense sacked the Eagles' Randall Cunningham 5 times and limited the Eagles to 178 yards total offense. Troy Aikman completed 60% of his 25 passes with 2 going for TD's and the Cowboys ran for 160 yards in the 34-10 victory. The following week the Cowboys played for the NFC Championship against the 14-2 49ers in Candlestick Park, the site of the 1981 NFC Championship. That day, the young upstart 49ers knocked off the established power, the Cowboys, to reach their first Super Bowl. This day represented a role reversal with the Cowboys playing the role of the young upstarts and the 49ers playing the role of the established power. The Cowboys looked good early as they built a 24-13 heading into the fourth quarter. The 49ers got to within 4 at 24-20 as Steve Young and Jerry Rice hooked up for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:22 to play. The Cowboys stayed aggressive as Aikman threw a 70 yard completion to Alvin Harper to set up a 6 yard TD pass from Aikman to Kelvin Martin to make the score 30-20. Lin Elliott's PAT attempt was blocked, but the 49ers could not score again. The win advanced the Cowboys into the Super Bowl to play the Buffalo Bills.
The Cowboys were just too much for the Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl blowout. The Cowboys forced Buffalo to turn the ball over a Super Bowl record 9 times (4 interceptions and 5 fumbles) and Troy Aikman completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns to win Super Bowl MVP honors and the only blemish was Leon Lett's inability to sense Buffalo's Don Beebe reaching out to strip the football away from him as he was about to cross the goal line and score a TD to extend the lead to 59-17. Instead, Lett fumbled and Buffalo took over at the 20 and the Cowboys had to settle for a 52-17 victory to win their first Super Bowl Championship in 15 years.
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1992 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 7/92 Washington W 23-10
9/13/92 at N.Y. Giants W 34-28
9/20/92 Phoenix W 31-20
9/27/92 Bye Week
10/ 5/92 at Philadelphia L 7-31
10/11/92 Seattle W 27- 0
10/18/92 Kansas City W 17-10
10/25/92 at L.A. Raiders W 28-13
11/ 1/92 Philadelphia W 20-10
11/ 8/92 at Detroit W 37- 3
11/15/92 L.A. Rams L 23-27
11/22/92 at Phoenix W 16-10
11/26/92 N.Y. Giants W 30- 3
12/ 6/92 at Denver W 31-27
12/13/92 at Washington L 17-20
12/21/92 at Atlanta W 41-17
12/27/92 Chicago W 27-14
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Div. Playoff Philadelphia W 34-10
NFC Championship at San Francisco W 30-20
Super Bowl XXVII vs. Buffalo W 52-17
Note: Super Bowl XXVII played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA
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Halfback Emmitt Smith (pictured below) stepped into the elite class of running backs with his 1,713 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns from scrimmage. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry in 1992.
Tight End Jay Novacek gets flipped as he catches a pass in the middle of the field in the NFC Title Game victory over the 49ers. He finished second on the team in receptions and receiving yards in 1992.
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1992 Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 8 Troy Aikman 6-4 222 26 3 UCLA 33 4 blo crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar, wt wristbands
2. 7 Steve Beuerlein 6-2 213 27 4 Notre Dame 58 12 bro crop 3 bar, wt wristbands
3. 17 Jason Garrett 6-2 195 26 R Princeton 28 2 red crop 2 bar, wt wristbands
Halfbacks
1. 22 Emmitt Smith 5-9 209 23 2 Florida 224 4 blk fade 2 bar rb, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 34 Tommie Agee 6-0 227 28 4 Auburn 214 9 blk buzz 3 bar rb, bk extended, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands
3. n/a (switch position to WR – use as J. Smith)
# 27 Curvin Richards 5-9 195 24 1 Pittsburgh dk skin 122 9 blk buzz 3 bar, wt wristbands
Fullbacks
1. 48 Daryl Johnston 6-2 238 26 3 Syracuse 35 7 l. brn crop 3 bar qb, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 39 Derrick Gainer 5-11 240 26 1 Florida A&M 173 3 blk fade 3 bar rb, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Wide Receivers
1. 88 Michael Irvin 6-2 199 26 4 Miami 221 2 blk fade 3 bar, wt mouthpiece, wt wrist double, left fingers taped (grass), bk gloves (turf)
2. 80 Alvin Harper (lefty) 6-3 207 24 1 Tennessee 224 3 blk fade 2 bar, wt wristbands, bk gloves
3. n/a (switch position to CB – use as Holmes)
4. n/a (switch position to CB)
5. n/a (switch position to HB)
# 83 Kelvin Martin 5-9 170 27 5 Boston Coll. 69 5 blk buzz 3 bar, wt wrist double, wt gloves (grass)
# 82 Jimmy Smith 6-1 205 23 R Jackson St. 225 3 blk fade 3 bar, wt wrist double, wt gloves
Tight Ends
1. 84 Jay Novacek 6-4 231 30 7 Wyoming 46 7 l. brn crop half cage, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt gloves
2. 87 Alfredo Roberts 6-3 246 27 3 Miami 210 13 blk crop full cage, wt wristbands
3. 89 Derek Tennell 6-5 270 28 4 UCLA 3 bar qb, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
Left Tackles
1. 71 Mark Tuinei 6-5 298 32 9 Hawaii 13 11 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
2. 66 Kevin Gogan 6-7 317 28 5 Washington 28 12 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Left Guards
1. 61 Nate Newton 6-3 303 30 7 Florida A&M 256 17 blk buzz (2) half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. n/a (switch position to DT)
Centers
1. 53 Mark Stepnoski 6-2 269 25 3 Pittsburgh 43 12 brn long half cage, wt wristbands, left wt rb glove
2. 68 Frank Cornish 6-4 285 25 2 UCLA 62 14 blk crop style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped
Right Guards
1. 63 John Gesek 6-5 282 29 5 N/A 28 4 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, bk extended, rubber pads, wt wristbands
2. 70 Dale Hellestrae 6-5 283 30 5 SMU 72 18 brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, tc extended, wt wristbands
Right Tackles
1. 79 Erik Williams 6-6 321 24 1 Central St. Ohio 133 14 blk fade (2) full cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf)
2. 76 Alan Veingrad 6-5 283 29 5 Texas A&M 63 19 brn crop half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt elbowpads (turf)
Left Defensive Ends
1. 92 Tony Tolbert 6-5 265 24 3 UTEP dk skin 107 11 blk fade half cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, tc gloves
2. 77 Jim Jeffcoat 6-6 265 31 9 Arizona St. 160 8 blk buzz half cage, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
Right Defensive Ends
1. 94 Charles Haley 6-5 230 28 6 J. Madison 142 12 blk buzz style 3 helmet, half cage, wt sleeves (grass), wt elbowpads (turf)
2. 90 Tony Hill 6-6 242 24 1 Tenn-Chat dk skin 69 12 blk buzz wt gloves, wt sleeves
Defensive Tackles
1. 75 Tony Casillas 6-3 273 29 6 Oklahoma 12 13 blk crop full cage, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
2. 67 Russell Maryland 6-1 275 23 1 Miami 66 12 blk buzz style 2 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf)
3. 78 Leon Lett 6-6 292 24 1 Emporia State 111 13 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, tc rb gloves
4. 97 Jimmie Jones 6-4 276 26 2 Miami 112 14 blk crop style 2 helmet, half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands, tc rb gloves
# 95 Chad Hennings 6-6 267 27 R Air Force 14 10 blo crop half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 57 Vinson Smith 6-2 237 27 3 E. Carolina 243 5 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), wt elbowpads (turf), wt gloves (turf)
2. 98 Godfrey Myles 6-1 242 24 1 Florida 121 9 blk crop half cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves (grass)
3. 52 Mickey Pruitt 6-1 218 27 4 Colorado 51 10 blk fade full cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, bk rb gloves
Middle Linebackers
1. 55 Robert Jones 6-2 238 23 1 E. Carolina 102 6 blk crop half cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt elbowpads (grass), wt wrist double (turf)
2. 58 Dixon Edwards 6-1 228 24 1 Michigan St. 51 4 blk crop half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 51 Ken Norton 6-2 241 26 4 UCLA 57 5 blk fade style 3 helmet, full cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, bk rb gloves
2. 50 Bobby Abrams 6-3 230 25 2 Michigan dk skin 182 9 blk crop half cage, tc extended, wt wrist double, wt gloves
Cornerbacks
1. 26 Kevin Smith 5-11 177 22 R Texas A&M 273 5 blk fade 3 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves (grass)
2. 24 Larry Brown 5-11 185 23 1 TCU 192 4 blk crop 3 bar, wt wristbands, wt gloves, tc gloves (turf), wt sleeves
(grass)
3. n/a (switch position to WR – use as Martin)
4. 30 Isiaac Holt 6-2 198 30 7 Alcorn St. 109 2 blk crop 2 bar rb, eye paint, wt wrist double, wt gloves
# 47 Clayton Holmes 5-10 181 23 R N/A 141 3 blk fade 3 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves
# 23 Robert Williams 5-10 186 30 5 Baylor 15 16 blk crop 2 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
Free Safeties
1. 37 James Washington 6-1 203 27 4 UCLA 87 6 blk flat top 3 bar, wt wristbands, bk gloves (grass), tc gloves (turf)
2. 20 Ray Horton 5-11 188 30 8 Washington 139 2 blk crop 3 bar, neck roll, wt wrist double, bk gloves, tc sleeves
3. 29 Kenneth Gant 5-11 191 25 2 N/A 203 4 blk fade 2 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), bk gloves
(turf)
Strong Safeties
1. 31 Thomas Everett 5-9 183 28 5 Baylor 63 2 blk fade half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands, tc gloves
2. 28 Darren Woodson 6-1 215 23 R Arizona St. 273 4 blk fade 3 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves
3. 40 Bill Bates 6-1 204 31 9 Tennessee 61 10 brn crop 2 bar rb, wt wristbands
Kicker
1. 2 Lin Elliott 6-0 182 24 R Texas Tech 17 8 l. brn crop 2 bar, wt wristbands (grass)
Punter
1. 4 Mike Saxon 6-3 200 30 7 S.D. State 14 7 blo crop 2 bar, wt sleeves
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acl-cth-car-jmp-bkt-tak-thp-tha-pbk-rbk-kpr-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
Aikman 62-63-88-71-65-28-58-56-49-23-95-98-26-28-23-20-0-92-77-82
Beuerlein 54-53-83-61-55-47-46-44-39-19-87-85-24-28-23-22-0-87-73-58
J. Garrett 55-54-61-53-53-26-53-48-51-17-81-76-22-18-16-26-0-84-76-62
E. Smith 95-70-86-97-98-82-96-83-86-30-37-28-49-45-33-23-45-97-87-98
Agee 86-76-74-81-85-75-69-54-72-25-38-20-60-65-34-25-10-79-81-78
C. Richards 95-52-58-94-92-70-72-84-54-21-26-21-30-27-24-23-50-78-75-58
D. Johnston 69-78-91-69-77-67-83-46-74-30-28-24-79-74-27-22-8-90-88-81
Gainer 63-82-60-73-66-78-42-74-24-41-27-62-60-30-24-10-73-75-89
M. Irvin 95-68-89-95-98-97-88-89-75-20-27-24-35-44-26-24-15-95-84-88
A. Harper 96-59-77-96-98-87-69-83-73-24-62-44-33-35-30-24-60-85-81-58
K. Martin 90-52-79-89-95-85-75-87-67-19-34-24-23-30-28-24-87-86-84-64
J. Smith 88-54-56-92-92-85-62-85-55-32-17-19-23-33-27-29-25-96-84-90
Novacek 75-70-90-74-76-86-73-62-71-24-34-26-64-61-24-15-8-85-88-78
A. Roberts 62-77-74-56-72-66-53-48-64-23-30-25-75-66-27-22-8-80-88-78
Tennell 63-65-65-54-68-69-60-48-60-20-27-19-71-62-25-21-8-72-72-76
Tuinei 59-94-94-59-60-17-21-36-32-36-23-32-94-97-31-19-0-70-82-88
Gogan 55-91-82-56-62-22-20-47-25-28-26-22-82-89-28-25-0-66-89-79
N. Newton 49-98-92-47-61-16-15-41-43-30-35-18-90-98-35-17-0-60-79-84
Stepnoski 63-92-85-63-61-25-23-43-24-22-29-21-91-97-27-21-0-74-73-71
Cornish 57-86-74-62-69-20-17-58-24-23-28-23-79-85-26-17-0-71-77-64
Gesek 60-92-81-60-57-31-57-50-28-62-26-19-90-92-19-17-0-65-75-79
Hellestrae 55-86-74-61-59-23-21-48-22-26-25-15-77-75-21-20-0-79-84-76
E. Williams 61-96-76-62-61-17-14-60-44-31-33-22-90-94-28-14-0-79-68-74
Veingrad 46-88-78-44-63-22-22-38-32-22-27-17-85-81-28-19-0-62-81-73
T. Tolbert 72-84-80-70-70-31-27-62-32-90-27-21-27-41-28-13-0-79-88-80
J. Jeffcoat 71-88-89-75-71-20-30-57-20-81-27-22-28-48-28-21-0-69-95-85
C. Haley 83-85-90-83-81-34-32-58-30-82-23-16-29-50-27-22-0-79-77-86
T. Hill 79-73-52-81-75-25-27-67-24-65-22-24-20-27-25-22-0-78-80-63
Casillas 70-90-85-68-74-22-19-51-15-87-27-18-27-30-23-20-0-85-76-79
Maryland 68-90-73-76-74-29-25-49-42-83-28-24-28-45-25-17-0-77-74-87
Lett 62-89-71-73-72-24-21-46-33-85-31-21-32-51-33-16-0-70-70-90
J. Jones 67-85-82-65-70-21-18-54-25-74-25-20-25-35-25-19-0-74-85-79
Hennings 59-85-58-58-63-24-22-51-23-85-23-22-22-36-24-18-0-73-84-78
V. Smith 85-74-68-85-83-35-39-66-25-82-25-20-23-36-28-23-0-83-77-78
Myles 76-75-58-72-83-42-36-62-32-79-23-22-23-44-28-22-0-77-76-67
M. Pruitt 81-64-70-81-78-39-45-69-27-66-27-21-22-35-35-23-0-73-77-77
R. Jones 74-73-70-75-74-41-38-62-34-91-24-20-26-41-27-20-0-82-71-80
D. Edwards 80-75-63-79-85-39-43-62-26-81-27-19-21-33-24-19-0-79-81-83
K. Norton 83-84-85-83-80-48-45-59-39-95-25-20-27-39-26-17-0-81-94-90
B. Abrams 77-76-58-76-78-40-36-57-27-86-26-24-22-35-26-21-0-78-82-71
K. Smith 94-54-67-96-95-68-60-80-24-72-22-22-15-19-22-18-60-80-52-63
L. Brown 89-49-76-88-88-74-62-81-26-63-21-18-14-18-21-18-10-79-82-68
I. Holt 89-52-84-88-93-64-45-79-25-64-25-19-15-25-25-20-10-81-75-63
C. Holmes 93-58-56-93-93-57-59-81-29-57-23-20-17-20-27-25-75-80-75-65
R. Williams 86-54-77-85-86-57-46-77-28-56-24-21-15-23-22-17-10-76-64-67
J. Washington 85-56-77-84-84-63-42-77-29-89-27-20-22-33-24-22-10-85-83-73
R. Horton 81-48-85-79-79-58-44-81-28-70-27-22-22-31-25-22-10-74-70-73
K. Gant 86-64-65-87-86-65-48-75-23-77-30-20-22-32-26-18-61-86-80-77
T. Everett 87-56-89-85-85-67-39-68-29-82-27-22-26-37-26-20-10-86-85-76
D. Woodson 85-62-64-88-92-63-43-74-34-85-25-23-21-24-28-19-10-99-87-89
B. Bates 77-55-80-78-80-52-54-65-26-77-23-20-20-30-21-20-0-76-68-78
L. Elliott 65-23-59-65-62-47-40-61-24-22-24-22-14-23-93-85-0-49-82-49
M. Saxon 57-29-85-57-53-31-45-53-27-21-39-34-13-17-92-84-0-58-77-48
Charles Haley arrived from San Francisco just prior to the start of the 1992 season and he gave the Cowboys the pass rusher they needed to turn their defense into a championship calibur unit.
Wide Receiver Alvin Harper established himself as a great deep threat opposite Michael Irvin. He caught 35 passes for 562 yards and 4 TD's in 1992, his second NFL season.
1992 Dallas Cowboys Individual Leaders
Passing: Troy Aikman, 3445 yds., 63.8 comp. pct, 23 TDs, 89.5 rating
Rushing: Emmitt Smith, 1713 yds., 18 TDs, 4.6 yds./carry
Receiving: Michael Irvin, 78 rec., 1396 yds., 7 TDs
Touchdowns: Emmitt Smith, 19 (18 rush., 1 rec.)
QB Sacks: Jim Jeffcoat, 10.5
Interceptions: James Washington & Kenneth Gant, 3
Scoring: Lin Elliott, 119 pts. (24 FG’s, 47 PAT’s)
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1992 NFC EAST STANDINGS
1st Place – Dallas (13-3)
2nd Place – Philadelphia (11-5)
3rd Place – Washington (9-7)
4th Place – N.Y. Giants (6-10)
5th Place – Phoenix (4-12)
Wide Receiver Michael Irvin catches a pass in traffic against the Eagles. He led the Cowboys with 78 receptions for 1,396 yards and 10 TD's in 1992.
More Classic NFL Teams Abound!
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