Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys, often called America's Team, are a professional football powerhouse based in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. They compete in the NFC East division of the NFL, playing home games at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, since 2009. The stadium, originally Cowboys Stadium, got its current name in 2013 after AT&T bought naming rights. The team's headquarters are in Frisco, Texas.

Founded as an expansion franchise in 1960, the Cowboys quickly became a dynasty. They hold the NFL record for consecutive sellouts, with 190 straight sold-out regular and postseason games since 2002. The franchise has appeared in eight Super Bowls, tied for second-most in history, and won five of them. Their eight NFC championships are the most in conference history. From 1966 to 1985, they posted 20 straight winning seasons, missing the playoffs only twice.

In 2015, the Cowboys became the first sports team valued at $4 billion by Forbes, making them the world's most valuable sports franchise. They reached $5 billion in 2018 and, as of late 2025, are worth about $13 billion. In 2014, they set a U.S. sports revenue record with $620 million. The team's massive fan base and consistent financial success have kept them atop Forbes' list for 12 straight years.[edit]

When the NFL expanded to Dallas in 1960, the Cowboys stumbled out of the gate. Their first season ended 0-11-1, and they didn't post a winning record until 1966. But once they got going, they didn't stop. From 1966 to 1985, Tom Landry's teams won 20 straight seasons, a mark of consistency unmatched in NFL history. Landry, the only head coach the team had for its first 29 years, installed the flex defense and the shotgun formation, innovations that changed the game.

The 1970s were golden. The Cowboys won Super Bowl VI over the Miami Dolphins in January 1972, then Super Bowl XII over the Denver Broncos in 1978. Roger Staubach, the Heisman-winning Navy quarterback, led those teams with his scrambling ability and clutch fourth-quarter comebacks, earning the nickname Captain Comeback. The 1978 season also gave the team its enduring moniker: after a highlight film called Dallas Cowboys: The Team of the 70s, the narrator called them America's Team, and it stuck.

The 1990s dynasty under Jimmy Johnson and later Barry Switzer produced three Super Bowl wins in four years (XXVII, XXVIII, XXX). Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin formed the core of a team that dominated the NFC. Smith's 1,486 rushing yards in 1992 and his Super Bowl XXVIII MVP performance (132 yards, two touchdowns) highlighted a run that cemented the Cowboys as the team of the decade. Since then, the Cowboys have had strong regular seasons but only two NFC Championship Game appearances (1995 and 1996, winning the former). The 21st century has seen a string of playoff disappointments, including a 13-3 season in 2016 that ended in a divisional round loss to the Packers.[edit]