1985 Dallas Cowboys: Back To The Future

October 21, 2015: It’s a date that lives in movie history. It was on this day that Marty McFly, Doc Brown and Jennifer Parker traveled from 1985 to 2015 in the film Back To The Future II. So, in honor of this virtual holiday, let’s travel back in time to the year 1985 and take a peek at our beloved Dallas Cowboys.

1985 was a banner year for the Cowboys. America’s Team finished 10-6 that season and were crowned NFC East champions. Back then, the NFC East included five teams: the New York Giants (10-6), the Washington Redskins (10-6), the Philadelphia Eagles (7-9), the St. Louis Cardinals (5-11) and Dallas.

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The man for which this site is named after, the legendary Tom Landry, was of course the Cowboys head coach. Dallas played in the old Texas Stadium back then. That summer, the Cowboys held their training camp at California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks, California. The team was owned by Harvey Bright.

The 1985 NFL Draft was fairly uneventful for the Cowboys. That is, until the fifth round. With their top selection in that draft, Dallas selected Michigan defensive tackle Kevin Brooks 17th overall. Brooks went on to have a underwhelming six-year career, recording a total of 15.5 sacks in 69 games as a professional.

The only name of note for Dallas in that year’s draft came in the fifth round, when the Cowboys selected the 1982 Heisman-winning running back Herschel Walker. After dominating the USFL for three seasons, Walker came to Dallas in 1986. His blockbuster trade to the Minnesota Vikings three years later set the groundwork for the Cowboys three Super Bowl victories in the 1990’s.

Under center in Dallas was quarterback Danny White. At the age of 33, White started 14 games for the Cowboys in 1985. He recorded 3,157 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions, leading Dallas to 10 wins. His back-up, quarterback Gary Hogeboom, started in two games that season. Both losses.

Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett led the team in rushing with 1,307 yards and seven scores. Dorsett also recorded 46 receptions for 449 yards and three touchdowns in 1985. At age 31, it would be the legendary back’s final season to rush over the 1,000 mark.

Four players from the 1985 Cowboys were named to the Pro Bowl that year. They included defensive tackle Randy White, cornerback Everson Walls, tight end Doug Cosbie and wide recevier Tony Hill.

Hill was the team’s top receiver recording 74 catches for 1,113 and seven scores. Cosbie was right behind him with 64 receptions for 793 yards and six touchdowns in 1985.

Defensively, the Cowboys were stout along their line. Defensive end’s Ed “Too Tall” Jones and Jim Jeffcoat joined White to form one of the top defensive fronts in the NFL. Then and now. All three players had double-digit sack numbers that year. In the defensive backfield, Walls led the team with an impressive nine interceptions. That was the second most in his 13-year career.

Sitting atop the NFC East, the Cowboys earned a playoff berth in 1985. Unfortunately, they lost their first matchup in the postseason, a 20-0 blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams. But that season really belonged to the Chicago Bears. The Cowboys learned that hard lesson in Week 11 when that legendary Bear team massacred the 7-3 Cowboys to the tune of 44-0. Chicago would go on to end the season 15-1, winning the Super Bowl with one of the greatest defenses of all-time.

For those of us around in 1985, it’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years since the days of Randy White, Tony Dorsett and the man in the hat pacing the sidelines. It actually makes me appreciate the current Cowboys players like Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant even more. Hopefully, we can all look back thirty years from now with similar fond memories.

Next: Were the Cowboys correct to let these 10 players walk?

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