1993 Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XXVIII Champions!
1993 Record: 12-4 (Regular Season), 3-0 (Playoffs)
Head Coach: Jimmy Johnson
Points Scored: 376 (2nd out of 28 NFL teams)
Points Allowed: 229 (2nd out of 28 NFL teams)
Home Stadium: Texas Stadium in Irving, TX
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Championship Deja Vu
The Cowboys shocked the experts by winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1992 so the 1993 season would not be a year that the Cowboys would ascend to the top, since they were already there. The parts were certainly in place for another championship run as the same cast and characters would return with the exception of starting guard Kevin Gogan, backup signal caller Steve Beuerlein who was signed by Phoenix, and third WR Kelvin Martin. Pro Bowl running back Emmitt Smith held out the first two regular season games over a contract dispute, and Dallas lost both of those contests at Washington on a Monday night and a 13-10 defeat to the AFC Champion Bills at home. Smith showed how valuable he was upon his return to the lineup as the Cowboys rattled off seven straight victories. The winning streak was halted in Atlanta. The Cowboys returned home for a Thanksgiving Day battle with Miami - a game made famous by Leon Lett's attempt to return a blocked field goal on the snow covered turf that went astray setting up Miami's eventual game winning score in the 16-14 loss. The Cowboys found their stride 10 days later with a win against Philadelphia. Wins in Minnesota and in East Rutherford, NJ against the Jets, and a home win against the rival Redskins set up a clash against the New York Giants in Giants Stadium with the NFC East title and home field advantage throught the NFC playoffs at stake. Playing with a broken arm, Emmitt Smith had the most heroic effort in league history considering the stakes. He would rush for over 150 yards and caught several passes using his one good arm in the hard fought 16-13 overtime win to clinch the NFC East title and insure that the road to the Super Bowl would go throuigh Dallas.
Aikman finished the regular season completing 271 out of 392 passes for 3,100 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. Smith recorded 1486 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns, while catching 57 passes for 414 yards and another touchdown. Pro Bowler Michael Irvin was once again the team's leading wide receiver with 88 catches for 1,330 yards and 7 touchdowns. Wide receiver Alvin Harper had 36 catches for 777 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Pro Bowl tight end Jay Novacek had 44 receptions for 445 yards and 1 touchdown. Pro Bowlers Mark Stepnoski, Erik Williams, and Nate Newton anchored the offensive line. Guard Derek Kennard was brought over from New Orleans to replace Kevin Gogan and was a great run blocker and Mark Tuinei continued his solid play at left tackle to round out the D-line.
The Cowboys defense was anchored by such Pro Bowlers as lineman Russell Maryland, linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. and defensive back Thomas Everett. The unit ranked second in the NFL in fewest points allowed and 11th in yards allowed passing and rushing. The unit used a base 4-3 alignment predicated on speed in the front seven. Tony Tolbert led the team with 7.5 sacks, Jimmie Jones had 6 and Jim Jeffcoat had 5.5.
Dallas' first opponent in the playoffs was the Green Bay Packers, who scored first with a field goal, but Dallas stormed back with 17 unanswered points in the second quarter. First Aikman threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Harper. Then with time running out the period, Dallas scored again on an Eddie Murray field goal. Green Bay then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Cowboys to score again with Aikman's 6-yard pass to Novacek. The Cowboys went on to stave off an attempted Packers comeback in the second half and win the game 27-17. Aikman finished the game with 28 of 37 completions for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Irvin recorded 9 catches for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns.
One week later, Dallas faced the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game for the second year in a row. This time, the game was extremely one-sided. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on 4 of their 5 first half possessions. By the time the end of the half, Dallas had a commanding 28-7 lead and were on their way to a surprisingly easy 38-21 win. Although he missed most of the second half due to injury, Aikman had a superb performance in the game, completing 14 of 18 passes for 177 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions, while also rushing for 25 yards. Emmitt Smith was also a key contributor, rushing for 88 yards, catching 7 passes for 85 yards, and scoring 2 touchdowns.
Super Bowl XXVIII was a rematch between the Cowboys and the AFC Champion Buffalo Bills and this matchup in the climate controlled Georgia Dome in Atlanta proved to be much more competitive than the previous year's contest. The Bills took a first half lead on the strength of two Steve Christie FG's and a 4 yard TD run by Thurman Thomas to give the Bills a 13-6 lead at the half. Just 55 seconds into the second half Leon Lett stripped Thomas of the football and James Washington recovered and took it back 46 yard for a touchdown to tie the game at 13. It was just the break the Cowboys needed to turn the game around. Emmitt Smith carried the ball 7 times for 61 yards on Dallas' first second half possession and capped the 8-play, 64 yard drive with a 15 yard scamper into the end zone to give Dallas a 20-13 lead - a lead they would not relinquish. Smith rushed for 132 yards and added another touchdown run and Eddie Murray capped the scoring with a 20-yard FG with 2:50 left to play - his third made field goal on the day and the Cowboys won their second consecutive Super Bowl by beating the Bills yet again, 30-13.
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1993 Results
Regular Season
Date Opponent Result
9/ 6/93 at Washington L 16-35
9/12/93 Buffalo L 10-13
9/19/93 at Phoenix W 17-10
9/26/93 Bye Week
10/ 3/93 Green Bay W 36-14
10/10/93 at Indianapolis W 27- 3
10/17/93 San Francisco W 26-17
10/24/93 Bye Week
10/31/93 at Philadelphia W 23-10
11/ 7/93 N.Y. Giants W 31- 9
11/14/93 Phoenix W 20-15
11/21/93 at Atlanta L 14-27
11/25/93 Miami L 14-16
12/ 6/93 Philadelphia W 23-17
12/12/93 at Minnesota W 37-20
12/18/93 at N.Y. Jets W 28- 7
12/26/93 Washington W 38- 3
1/ 2/94 at N.Y. Giants W 16-13 (OT)
Playoffs
Round Opponent Result
NFC Div. Playoff Green Bay W 27-17
NFC Championship San Francisco W 38-21
Super Bowl XXVIII vs. Buffalo W 30-13
Note: Super Bowl played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, GA.
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Halfback Emmitt Smith ran for a shade under 1,500 and 9 TD's in spite of missing the first two games due to a holdout.
In 1993, Troy Aikman had a stellar passer rating of 99.0 while completing 69.1 percent of his throws for 3100 yards and 15 TDs.
1993 Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart / Roster:
# Player Ht Wt Age Exp College Face Shape Hair Equipment
Quarterbacks
1. 8 Troy Aikman 6-4 222 27 4 UCLA 33 4 blo crop style 3 helmet, 3 bar, wt wristbands
2. 18 Bernie Kosar 6-5 215 24 2 Miami 44 3 brn crop 3 bar, wt sleeves, sidearm passer
3. 17 Jason Garrett 6-2 195 27 R Princeton 28 2 red crop 3 bar, qb 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. 25 Derrick Lassic 5-10 188 23 R Alabama 183 2 blk fade 3 bar, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
3. 39 Derrick Gainer 5-11 228 27 2 Florida A&M 173 3 blk fade 3 bar rb, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves (grass), wt elbowpads (turf)
Fullbacks
1. 48 Daryl Johnston 6-2 238 27 4 Syracuse 35 7 l. brn crop 3 bar qb, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 34 Tommie Agee 6-0 227 29 5 Auburn 214 9 blk buzz 3 bar rb, bk extended, wt elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
3. 44 Lincoln Coleman 6-1 249 24 R Baylor 53 5 blk buzz half cage, wt wristbands
Wide Receivers
1. 88 Michael Irvin 6-2 199 27 5 Miami 221 2 blk fade 3 bar, wt mouthpiece, qb wristbands, wt gloves
2. 80 Alvin Harper (lefty) 6-3 207 25 2 Tennessee 224 3 blk fade 2 bar, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves
3. 85 Kevin Williams 5-9 192 22 R Miami 149 4 blk fade (2) 3 bar, wt wristbands, wt gloves, right rubber pad (turf), wt wrist double (turf)
4. 86 Tyrone Williams 6-5 220 22 R N/A 2 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves
Tight Ends
1. 84 Jay Novacek 6-4 231 31 8 Wyoming 46 7 l. brn crop half cage, wt elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt gloves
2. 89 Scott Galbraith 6-2 255 26 3 USC 201 16 blk fade 3 bar qb, wt wristbands, wt gloves
3. 87 Jim Price 6-4 247 26 2 Stanford 24 9 brn crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Left Tackles
1. 71 Mark Tuinei 6-5 298 33 10 Hawaii 13 11 blk crop half cage, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
2. 65 Ron Stone 6-5 309 22 R Boston Coll. 82 19 blk fade (2) full cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
Left Guards
1. 61 Nate Newton 6-2 291 31 8 Florida A&M 256 17 blk buzz (2) half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
2. 63 John Gesek 6-5 280 30 6 N/A 28 4 l. brn crop style 3 helmet, half cage, bk extended, rubber pads, wt wristbands
Centers
1. 53 Mark Stepnoski 6-2 269 26 4 Pittsburgh 43 12 brn long half cage, wt wristbands, left wt rb glove
2. 68 Frank Cornish 6-4 285 26 3 UCLA 62 14 blk crop style 3 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped
Right Guards
1. 66 Kevin Gogan 6-7 328 28 5 Washington 28 12 brn crop full cage, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands
2. 70 Dale Hellestrae 6-5 282 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 25 2 Central St. Ohio 133 14 blk fade (2) full cage, tc mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves, left wt elbowpad (turf)
2. 62 James Parrish 6-6 310 25 R Temple dk skin 190 17 blk bald half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves
# 76 Keith Wagner 6-4 302 23 R N/A
Left Defensive Ends
1. 92 Tony Tolbert 6-5 265 25 4 UTEP 107 11 blk fade full cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves (grass), tc gloves (turf)
2. 77 Jim Jeffcoat 6-6 265 32 10 Arizona St. 160 8 blk crop full cage, wt wristbands, bk gloves, wt half sleeves (turf)
Right Defensive Ends
1. 94 Charles Haley 6-5 230 29 7 J. Madison 142 12 blk buzz style 3 helmet, half cage, clr visor, rubber pads, wt gloves
2. n/a (switch position to RT)
Defensive Tackles
1. 67 Russell Maryland 6-1 275 24 2 Miami 66 12 blk buzz style 2 helmet, half cage, wt wristbands, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf)
2. 75 Tony Casillas 6-3 273 30 7 Oklahoma 12 13 blk crop full cage, bk rb gloves
3. 78 Leon Lett 6-6 292 25 2 Emporia State 111 13 blk fade half cage, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
4. 97 Jimmie Jones 6-4 276 27 3 Miami 112 14 blk crop style 2 helmet, half cage, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt rb gloves
5. 95 Chad Hennings 6-6 267 28 1 Air Force 14 10 blo crop half cage, wt wristbands, fingers taped, bk elbowpads (turf)
Left Outside Linebackers
1. 58 Dixon Edwards 6-1 222 25 2 Michigan St. 51 4 blk crop half cage, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, tc gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
2. 98 Godfrey Myles 6-1 242 24 1 Florida 121 9 blk fade half cage, wt mouthpiece, bk elbowpads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Middle Linebackers
1. 51 Ken Norton 6-2 241 27 5 UCLA 57 5 blk fade style 3 helmet, full cage, tc extended, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, tc rb gloves (grass), wt gloves (turf)
2. 55 Robert Jones 6-2 238 24 2 E. Carolina 102 6 blk crop half cage, wt mouthpiece, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt elbowpads (turf)
Right Outside Linebackers
1. 59 Darrin Smith 6-1 227 23 R Miami 92 4 blk fade full cage, wt wristbands, bk elbowpads (turf)
2. 91 Matt Vanderbeek 6-3 244 26 4 Michigan St. 91 13 blo crop half cage, bk extended, wt wristbands, wt gloves
Cornerbacks
1. 26 Kevin Smith 5-11 177 23 1 Texas A&M 273 5 blk fade 3 bar rb, wt wrist double, bk gloves
2. 24 Larry Brown 5-11 185 24 2 TCU 192 4 blk crop 3 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt sleeves
3. 41 Dave Thomas 6-2 208 25 R Tennessee 244 4 blk fade (2) 2 bar rb, wt wristbands, wt gloves (grass), wt wrist double (turf), bk gloves (turf)
4. 43 Elvis Patterson 5-11 195 33 9 Kansas 205 4 blk fade half cage, tc extended, wt elbowbands, wt wristbands, wt gloves, wt sleeves (turf)
Free Safeties
1. 28 Darren Woodson 6-1 215 24 1 Arizona St. 273 4 blk fade 3 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves
2. 37 James Washington 6-1 203 27 4 UCLA 87 6 blk flat top 3 bar, wt wrist double, bk rb gloves, wt elbowpads (turf), bk gloves (turf)
Strong Safeties
1. 27 Thomas Everett 5-9 183 29 6 Baylor 63 2 blk fade 3 bar, rubber pads, wt wristbands, tc gloves
2. 31 Brock Marion 5-11 189 23 R Nevada med skin 12 8 blk crop 3 bar rb, rubber pads, wt wristbands, wt gloves
3. 40 Bill Bates 6-1 204 32 10 Tennessee 61 10 brn crop 2 bar rb, wt wristbands, wt gloves (grass), bk rb gloves (turf)
4. 29 Kenneth Gant 5-11 191 26 3 N/A 203 4 blk fade 2 bar rb, wt wristbands, tc gloves, wt wrist double (turf), bk gloves (turf)
Kicker
1. 3 Eddie Murray 5-10 180 37 13 Tulane 45 4 brn crop 3 bar, wt sleeves
Punter
1. 19 John Jett 6-0 184 25 R E. Carolina 66 6 brn crop 2 bar (thin), wt sleeves
Players Not Included
# 81 Tim Daniel WR 5-11 192 24 R Texas A&M
# 46 Joe Fishback FS 6-0 212 26 2 N/A dk skin 8 3 blk fade full cage, bk elbowpads, wt wrist double, wt gloves, rubber pads (turf), bk gloves (turf)
# 32 Judd Garrett HB 6-2 214 27 1 Princeton lt skin
# 47 Clayton Holmes CB 5-10 181 24 1 N/A dk skin 141 3 blk fade 3 bar, wt wristbands, tc gloves
# 83 Joey Mickey TE 6-5 274 22 R Oklahoma
Player Ratings spd-str-awr-agi-acl-cth-car-jmp-bkt-tak-thp-tha-pbk-rbk-kpr-kac-ret-stm-inj-tgh
Aikman 61-63-91-58-60-28-53-56-49-23-90-94-26-28-23-20-0-89-71-84
Kosar 42-56-94-41-40-27-52-47-46-23-83-93-21-23-18-14-0-83-80-78
Garrett 52-50-53-57-52-18-53-48-44-11-77-82-22-18-18-26-0-84-69-62
E. Smith 90-70-90-91-93-77-96-83-86-30-37-28-49-45-33-23-10-89-79-98
Lassic 82-54-53-81-80-64-70-71-63-22-24-18-26-31-25-22-10-76-73-78
Gainer 72-68-70-70-78-62-67-42-71-26-33-26-44-47-27-19-10-68-69-65
Johnston 69-75-85-69-57-59-93-50-64-24-28-23-64-74-27-22-8-81-74-80
Coleman 67-69-51-66-76-65-64-47-64-26-27-20-48-53-28-23-10-72-73-64
Agee 72-62-71-71-75-66-65-48-65-23-27-26-42-45-26-23-8-63-71-64
Irvin 85-64-91-91-88-99-93-92-75-20-27-24-35-44-26-24-15-91-79-88
A. Harper 86-59-81-92-85-85-69-88-69-17-29-23-29-38-25-21-25-81-75-73
K. Williams 85-51-56-85-82-78-66-84-69-18-25-24-27-33-24-19-88-76-80-64
T. Williams 80-64-48-79-85-66-64-74-68-20-26-23-30-38-25-18-10-68-71-65
Novacek 66-70-89-64-66-84-65-57-67-24-34-26-64-72-24-15-8-72-70-71
Galbraith 64-66-64-61-69-62-57-46-57-22-25-21-50-61-22-18-8-68-69-65
Price 68-60-59-67-72-66-60-53-53-18-23-26-46-52-22-20-8-64-70-56
Tuinei 40-90-93-41-47-13-21-18-32-36-23-32-86-88-31-19-0-68-75-88
Stone 44-87-53-47-46-14-27-20-18-32-28-21-79-81-29-16-0-76-77-83
Newton 44-93-86-46-46-13-13-22-43-30-35-18-84-93-31-20-0-46-79-90
Gesek 39-87-82-37-45-15-15-31-34-27-28-22-87-82-28-22-0-54-78-85
Stepnoski 52-83-82-52-49-17-15-45-27-24-27-23-83-93-26-20-0-74-77-85
Cornish 46-84-71-44-59-18-17-40-32-26-24-19-80-81-23-18-0-60-74-81
Gogan 39-92-81-44-45-23-18-22-39-30-34-22-89-93-25-18-0-49-89-93
Hellestrae 36-83-77-35-44-19-17-42-33-26-27-18-75-79-24-17-0-65-73-81
E. Williams 52-93-80-52-67-17-14-39-44-31-33-22-83-88-28-14-0-65-74-84
Parrish 41-86-49-39-53-17-15-42-35-28-31-19-75-77-29-18-0-62-80-82
Wagner 36-82-46-34-49-17-16-35-33-24-30-21-71-74-27-17-0-51-66-75
Tolbert 66-84-80-59-69-28-25-58-32-84-27-21-27-41-28-13-0-67-66-77
Jeffcoat 62-86-91-58-66-20-18-42-32-64-20-16-28-42-23-18-0-65-72-74
Haley 77-79-91-75-83-26-33-49-30-78-23-16-28-38-27-22-0-75-71-84
Carver 73-77-56-72-78-24-28-56-23-65-25-18-22-32-29-21-0-79-77-72
Maryland 51-90-79-49-68-29-25-49-42-83-28-24-28-45-25-17-0-68-65-84
Casillas 59-82-87-58-64-26-25-49-35-78-24-22-29-44-28-20-0-70-77-83
Lett 62-87-76-62-53-28-25-46-33-83-31-21-28-45-33-19-0-51-71-90
J. Jones 61-74-77-58-64-29-26-54-37-84-28-21-28-37-26-19-0-81-71-78
Hennings 52-83-77-56-56-24-22-46-23-67-23-22-22-36-24-18-0-51-88-78
D. Edwards 73-74-74-76-77-39-43-63-26-79-27-19-21-33-24-19-0-79-84-83
Myles 72-62-72-69-68-50-47-68-32-75-23-22-23-34-28-22-0-66-72-63
Norton 71-79-85-79-69-45-47-68-39-95-25-20-27-37-21-18-0-81-88-90
R. Jones 74-69-61-73-77-31-38-62-34-86-24-20-24-35-27-20-0-74-79-75
Schwantz 66-71-56-65-63-37-40-56-23-71-24-20-22-32-27-21-0-70-66-66
D. Smith 73-64-56-66-76-52-48-66-34-83-20-19-18-19-21-22-0-75-69-79
Vanderbeek 67-63-74-66-78-27-44-42-32-71-25-23-26-37-24-19-0-73-73-75
K. Smith 91-50-78-84-82-67-59-84-24-76-22-22-15-19-22-18-58-80-67-69
L. Brown 87-49-74-85-84-69-62-81-26-56-21-18-14-18-21-18-10-75-75-65
D. Thomas 79-62-51-79-77-50-39-72-27-66-21-32-21-31-19-18-20-75-68-60
Patterson 80-57-87-80-79-52-43-78-24-72-22-20-18-25-22-20-10-68-74-64
J. Washington 82-59-77-80-78-64-59-73-26-77-21-23-17-25-24-21-10-76-62-59
D. Woodson 85-62-57-88-92-63-43-74-34-85-25-23-21-24-28-19-10-99-78-89
Everett 80-64-85-80-81-60-51-72-31-79-23-21-17-20-26-23-10-84-77-78
Marion 90-52-54-80-81-54-56-82-34-80-24-22-16-20-22-22-58-82-80-74
Bates 73-49-86-73-80-52-54-65-26-72-23-20-20-30-21-20-0-66-68-75
Gant 84-55-69-82-80-55-51-74-28-66-22-21-16-23-22-20-0-73-77-57
Murray 29-38-95-27-28-34-33-30-17-16-24-23-15-18-85-87-0-55-74-44
Jett 32-32-57-16-26-31-26-28-18-20-22-19-17-25-86-88-0-61-76-25
Wide Receiver Michael Irvin had the strength to make the tough catches in traffic, the height to catch the high passes, and the speed to go the distance once the ball was in his hands. He caught 88 passes for 1330 yards and went the distance 7 times in 1993.
1993 Dallas Cowboys Individual Leaders
Passing: Troy Aikman, 3100 yds., 69.1 comp. pct, 15 TDs, 99.0 rating
Rushing: Emmitt Smith, 1486 yds., 9 TDs, 5.3 yds./carry
Receiving: Michael Irvin, 88 rec., 1330 yds., 7 TDs
Touchdowns: Emmitt Smith, 10 (9 rush., 1 rec.)
QB Sacks: Tony Tolbert, 7.5
Interceptions: Kevin Smith, 6 int., 56 yds., 1 TD
Scoring: Eddie Murray, 122 pts. (28 FG’s, 38 PAT’s)
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1993 NFC EAST STANDINGS
1st Place - Dallas (12-4)
2nd Place - N.Y. Giants (11-5)
3rd Place - Philadelphia (8-8)
4th Place - Phoenix (8-8)
5th Place - Washington (2-14)
Ken Norton, Jr. was a key figure in Dallas' Super Bowl championship teams of 1992 and 1993. He led the Cowboys with 159 tackles in 1993. He is shown stopping future teammate Ricky Watters in the Cowboys' victory over the 49ers to win the NFC Championship.
Are you interested in learning about more old-time NFL squads? If your answer is yes, please check out the following sites:
http://www.classicnfl.freeservers.com
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