After a second-straight Super Bowl win over Buffalo in January, the Cowboys were early favorites to make it three in a row at the end of the 1994 season.
Barring catastrophic injuries, the team was young and solid at every position. They seemed an unstoppable juggernaut.
Only self-sabotage could undo this dynasty and that is precisely what happened. On March 29, 1994, Jerry Jones fired Jimmy Johnson as head coach.
What Just Happened?
At the heart of the break up was who was getting the credit for returning the Cowboys to the top of the NFL.
Jones, the owner, had played college football with Johnson. But he would go on to become a successful businessman in the oil fields.
His talent was making money and writing the checks to get the best players on the roster.
Johnson went on to be a successful football coach. His talent was identifying good players and getting the best out of them.
Johnson knew how to forge winning teams that won championships.
So who would you think should be getting the credit for on-field production in this equation? Everyone in the world said: Johnson. Jones was the lone dissenter and set out to prove his case.
History would eventually conclude that he was wrong. But Jones went ahead and became the owner that fired the best two coaches in Cowboys history anyway.
The move shocked everyone. Even Johnson’s eventual replacement, Barry Switzer, was dumbfounded.
“Would you or Jimmy please explain to me how two guys could be on top of the world and win two straight Super Bowls and not be able to get along with each other?” Switzer is quoted as saying at the time.
With a chance to make history, Jones couldn’t find a way. Instead he would turn the team, and its bid for history, over to a coach with zero NFL coaching experience.
An Ominous Sign
The Cowboys first draft without Johnson was not impressive. Dallas selected Shante Carver in the first round. He would be out of the NFL after the 1997 season.
Jones got one pick right, taking Larry Allen in the second round. The remaining five picks were George Hegamin, Willie Jackson, DeWayne Dotson, Darren Studstill, and Toddrick McIntosh.
Only the Hall Of Famer Allen prevented this draft class from getting from a D- grade.
A Promising Start
Once the season got underway it looked like the turmoil would have little effect on the team. Wins over the Steelers (26-9) and Oilers (20-17) got the Cowboys off to a 2-0 start.
Dallas had three fumbles and allowed Barry Sanders to rack up 194 rushing yards in a 20-17 overtime loss to the Lions before a Week 4 bye.
A six-game win streak followed as the Cowboys downed the Redskins, Cardinals (twice with Buddy Ryan as Arizona’s head coach), Eagles, Bengals, and Giants to go to 8-1.
The streak ended in San Francisco with a 21-14 loss to the 49ers. It would prove to be a very costly loss that ultimately determined which team would be the NFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
Down The Stretch
The Cowboys dispatched the Redskins, Packers and Eagles in quick order following the loss in San Francisco.
With Troy Aikman out of the lineup after getting knocked out of the Redskins game four days before, Dallas turned to Jason Garrett to start the Thanksgiving Day game against Green Bay.
Dallas trailed 17-6 at halftime but scored 36 points in the second half for the 42-31 victory. Garrett would throw for 311 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys would drop two of their last three games – 19-14 to Cleveland, and 15-10 to the Giants. A 24-16 win over the Saints came in between the losses.
Dallas finished the season at 12-4, winning the NFC East, but settling for the No. 2 seed behind the 49ers at 13-3.
Disappointing Playoffs
Green Bay returned to Dallas for the Divisional round game. This time, there would be no shootout.
Aikman would throw for 337 yards and two touchdowns. Michael Irvin (111), Alvin Harper (108), and Jay Novacek (104) would all have 100-yard receiving games in the 35-9 win.
For the third-straight year the Cowboys would face the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. But the 1994 Cowboys were undisciplined and it cost them dearly.
Dallas had five turnovers – three on Aikman interceptions. A controversial non-call on an obvious pass interference by Deion Sanders on Michael Irvin sealed a 38-28 win for the 49ers.
There would be no three-peat for the Cowboys. Jones’ claim that there were 500 coaches that could coach the Cowboys seemed even more ridiculous.