Predicting the Dallas Cowboys 60th Anniversary all-time team

Here’s my prediction for the selection of the Dallas Cowboys’ 60th-anniversary all-time team

The 2020 NFL season will be the 60th anniversary of the Dallas Cowboys franchise. Now that we are within single digits on the countdown to the season opener in Los Angeles, now seems like a great time to unveil one man’s all-time anniversary team as DallasCowboys.com is slowly revealing their official Top 60 Greatest Cowboys of All-Time list this week.

Before we get to the sixty men who I’ve chosen to comprise this franchise’s anniversary squad, I thought it would be fun to give a little history on the origin of the team. For those disinterested or who already knew all of the following, you can scroll down past this section.

In 1960, the NFL provided the city of Dallas, Texas an expansion franchise in large part because they did not want the American Football League to monopolize the South. Prior to the Cowboys, the team in which was the furthest South in the NFL was none other than their long-time rivals from Washington, D.C.

When starting an expansion franchise, the best way to be good as quickly as possible is to hire great people in important positions. Safe to say, the Dallas Cowboys did just that assembling head coach Tom Landry, general manager Tex Schramm, and director of player personnel Gil Brandt. These three men would go on to spend almost an entire century collectively in the NFL, nearly all for the Dallas Cowboys.

As such, it took Dallas just six years to become a contender. Dubbed as “next year’s champions,” the Cowboys would 52 of their 70 regular-season games between 1966 and 1970, only to consistently fall short of a Super Bowl win. This would finally change the following season as the first championship in franchise history came to Dallas in a 24-3 domination of the Miami Dolphins.

Even though Dallas would win just one more Super Bowl in the 1970s the team had an impressive run throughout the decade and into the 1980s. From 1970-1982, the Dallas Cowboys win 129 games, losing just 47. While they stayed relevant until the later part of the decade, the magic of Tex Schramm and Tom Landry was gone.

As such, a new owner in 1989 emerged by the name of Jerry Jones. Jones brought with him an old college friend to run the team in ex-University of Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson. As it was at the inception of the franchise, it did not take the Dallas Cowboys long to once again be great.

From 1991-98, largely due to the talent Johnson assembled, Dallas would go 86-42 in the regular season, winning three more Super Bowl trophies despite Johnson’s departure in 1994. Of course, the team would once hit bottom as those players aged. As such, Dallas became an afterthought for the next five years until Jones went after a big fish (or maybe Tuna).

The hiring of legendary coach Bill Parcells in 2003 breathed life into this franchise one more time. Although major success never came their way, Parcells showed Jones how to lay the foundation of a competitive team. From 2003 until last season, the Dallas Cowboys have won nine or more games ten times, making the playoffs seven times.

Naturally, while the front office and the head coach are huge parts to success, you cannot win championships without great players. As we get ready to name the 60th-anniversary team, let’s set a few guidelines.

The sixty men below are ranked from 60th to first. Several factors, including how long they were members of this franchise and the success they helped provide this team went into the rankings. Obviously, their overall greatness is the main asset but think of the split as 25-25-50. Without further ado, here my prediction for the all-time 60th anniversary Dallas Cowboys’ team.