1995 Dallas Cowboys season


The 1995 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League and was the second year under head coach Barry Switzer and final of the three Super Bowl titles they would win during 1992 to 1995. Dallas would be the first team to ever win three Super Bowls in a span of four seasons. Switzer guided the Cowboys to a fifth Super Bowl win by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 27–17 in Super Bowl XXX.
As of 2025, this is the most recent time the Cowboys made or won a Super Bowl, and is also the most recent time the Cowboys appeared in the NFC Championship Game, the longest such drought in the NFC and making them the only team that still has yet to make it in the 21st century. The last remaining active member of the 1995 Dallas Cowboys was offensive lineman Larry Allen, who retired after the 2007 season.

Offseason

The 1995 NFL draft was one of the worst in Dallas Cowboys history. It is infamously known as the "backup draft", because the team considered their roster so strong, they drafted players based on their contributions as backups, which limited the future potential of their selections. The team traded their first-round draft choice to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in exchange for two second-round picks. The best player drafted would end up being Eric Bjornson.
AdditionsSubtractions
CB Deion Sanders QB Rodney Peete
FS Scott Case FB Lincoln Coleman
C Ray Donaldson C Mark Stepnoski
QB Wade Wilson LB Darrick Brownlow
WR Alvin Harper
DE Jim Jeffcoat
TE Scott Galbraith
S James Washington
S Kenneth Gant
S Joe Fishback

1995 expansion draft

RoundOverallNamePositionExpansion team
1121Willie JacksonWRJacksonville Jaguars
1631Dave ThomasCBCarolina Panthers

Undrafted free agents

PlayerPositionCollege
Rod AlexanderWide receiver[Northern Arizona Wildcats football|Arizona Lumberjacks football|Northern Arizona]
John AndersonSafetyOklahoma
Jon BakerKickerArizona State
Freddie CogerLinebackerGeorgia Tech
Billy DavisWide ReceiverPittsburgh
Demetrius EdwardsDefensive tackleFresno State
Josh EvansDefensive TackleUAB
Oronde GadsdenWide receiverWinston-Salem State
Michael GoosbyWide receiverNorth Texas
Roger GrahamRunning backNew Haven
Mike GruttadauriaCenterUCF
Rodney HarrisWide receiverKansas
Jim HmielewskiTackleKansas State
Artis HoustonCornerbackCalifornia
Curtis JohnsonRunning backNorth Carolina
John JonesGuardKansas
Michael McClentonFullbackNorth Alabama
Paul McCordPunterWestern Maryland
Ryan McGrathTight endSouthwestern Louisiana
Dominique RossRunning backValdosta State
Scott SemptimphelterQuarterbackLehigh
Mu TagoaiGuardArizona
Jeff ThomasWide receiverGeorgia
DeMario VaughnTackleArizona State

Season summary

The 1995 season once more saw a number of key veterans depart via free agency due to the NFL salary cap, including wide receiver Alvin Harper to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, safety James Washington to the Washington Redskins, center Mark Stepnoski to the Houston Oilers and longtime Cowboys veteran defensive end Jim Jeffcoat to the Buffalo Bills. Starting cornerback Kevin Smith was out the remainder of the season after an injury in week one. Perhaps the most prominent addition came on September 9, 1995, when Dallas signed All-Pro cornerback Deion Sanders away from the San Francisco 49ers. Running back Emmitt Smith earned his fourth NFL rushing title and set a then-record 25 rushing touchdowns in a season against the Arizona Cardinals to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
The season began with victories against the Giants, Broncos, Vikings in overtime, and Cardinals. In week five at the Redskins, Troy Aikman was injured early and the Cowboys suffered their first loss of the season. There were unsubstantiated rumors that Aikman could have kept playing in the game but didn't want to because he didn't want to beat his old offensive coordinator Norv Turner who was Washington's head coach. Aikman returned the next week and led Dallas to wins over Green Bay, San Diego, the Falcons, and the Eagles to move to 8–1.
In week ten, the struggling 49ers came to Texas Stadium and shocked the Cowboys, 38–20; the game's signature play was San Francisco's second play from scrimmage, from the Niners' 19-yard line, as Grbac's pass split Dallas's safeties and Jerry Rice scored.
The win started a six-game win streak for San Francisco while Dallas rebounded, beating the Raiders and Chiefs to move to 10–2, but then was upset at home by the Washington Redskins. The Cowboys lost their second game in a row in a controversial loss at Philadelphia where, with the game tied at 17 late in the fourth quarter, Coach Barry Switzer elected to "go for it" on 4th down and a foot at the Cowboys' 29-yard line. The Eagles initially stopped Dallas for no gain but the play was ruled dead because the two-minute warning was reached before Dallas snapped the ball. Switzer then elected to try again instead of punting, and this time the play was stopped for a 1-yard loss; Philly took over and soon kicked a field goal to get the win. While the Cowboys in general and Switzer in particular were excoriated by fans and the media, the team became stronger and angrier after this game and eventually used those emotions to end the losing streak.
The next week, Dallas appeared headed for a third straight defeat at home to the mediocre Giants but thanks to a clutch late reception by Kevin Williams and a last-second field goal by Chris Boniol, the Cowboys prevailed. Rejuvenated, the team defeated the Arizona Cardinals and secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The movie Jerry Maguire used footage from the Arizona matchup.
The Cowboys defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoff game followed by a memorable NFC championship game victory against the Green Bay Packers at Texas Stadium. The team went on to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium in Arizona in an attempt to tie the record of a fifth Super Bowl title. Dallas dominated early, but as the Steelers gained momentum and threatened an upset over the heavily favored Cowboys, starting cornerback Larry Brown, after the tragic loss of his son Kristopher during the season, made his second interception of a pass from Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell to seal the Cowboys' victory. Brown was named Super Bowl MVP after the game.

Playoffs

Super Bowl XXX

Scoring summary

  • DAL – FG: Chris Boniol 42 yards 3–0 DAL
  • DAL – TD: Jay Novacek 3 yard pass from Troy Aikman 10–0 DAL
  • DAL – FG: Chris Boniol 35 yards 13–0 DAL
  • PIT – TD: Yancey Thigpen 6 yard pass from Neil O'Donnell 13–7 DAL
  • DAL – TD: Emmitt Smith 1 yard run 20–7 DAL
  • PIT – FG: Norm Johnson 46 yards 20–10 DAL
  • PIT – TD: Byron "Bam" Morris 1 yard run 20–17 DAL
  • DAL – TD: Emmitt Smith 4 yard run '''27–17 DAL'''

Awards and records

Milestones

  • Michael Irvin, 100 Reception Season
  • In 1995, Emmitt Smith won his fourth rushing title. He rushed for a career-high 1,773 yards.

Publications

The Football Encyclopedia Total Football
  • ''Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes''