Love him or hate him, Mike McCarthy was one of the most successful head coaches in Dallas Cowboys history.
Brought to Big D by Jerry Jones ahead of the 2020 NFL season after taking a year off following a nearly 13-year run with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won a Super Bowl, McCarthy went 6-10 in his first campaign with the Cowboys, which was actually two games worse than the team finished in its final season under Jason Garrett.
To be fair, though, franchise quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for the season in Week 5 after suffering a gruesome ankle injury against the New York Giants.
With Prescott back healthy for the 2021 season and Dan Quinn replacing Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator, McCarthy led the Cowboys to a 12-5 and an NFC East title. America's Team also swept every team in the division for the first time since 1998. Sadly, though, that regular-season success didn't translate, as the Cowboys suffered a heartbreaking loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round.
Two more 12-5 campaigns followed, but so did more postseason disappointment.
While McCarthy & Co. knocked out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round in 2022, thus retiring Tom Brady, a Divisional Round defeat to the Niners followed. In 2023, the second-seeded Cowboys were embarrassed at home in the Wild Card Round by the Packers, falling down 27-0 before ultimately taking a 48-32 defeat.
There would be no fourth consecutive 12-win season, of course, as the Cowboys' 2024 campaign was plagued by injuries, poor play, and questionable coaching decisions, not only from McCarthy but his entire staff.
Given these issues, Dallas went just 7-10, and the decision was made for McCarthy to move on.
Mike McCarthy owns the third-most regular-season wins in Dallas Cowboys history
Of the nine head coaches the Cowboys have employed since the team was founded in 1960, McCarthy owns the third-most regular-season wins (49), trailing only Tom Landry (250) and Jason Garrett (85). For those wondering, Jimmy Johnson ranks fourth with 44.
McCarthy also owns the fourth-highest regular-season winning percentage (.583), trailing Barry Switzer (.625), Landry (.607), and Wade Phillips (.607).
With just the one playoff victory, he's tied with Wade Phillips for the fifth-most in franchise history. Chan Gailey, Bill Parcells, and Dave Campo are the only Dallas head coaches never to win in the postseason.
Campo also holds the dubious distinction of being the only Cowboys head coach with a winning percentage below .500 (.313) and also the only one never to have a winning season. So, things have certainly been worse.
Here's a quick breakdown of how every head coach in Dallas Cowboys history has fared over the years.
Coach | Reg. Season Record | Reg. Season Win Pct. | Playoff Record | Playoff Win Pct. | Titles |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tom Landry | 250-162-6 | .607 | 20-16 | .556 | 2 |
Jimmy Johnson | 44-36-0 | .550 | 7-1 | .875 | 2 |
Barry Switzer | 40-24-0 | .625 | 5-2 | .714 | 1 |
Chan Gailey | 18-14-0 | .563 | 0-2 | .000 | 0 |
Dave Campo | 15-33-0 | .313 | 0-0 | N/A | 0 |
Bill Parcells | 34-30-0 | .531 | 0-2 | .000 | 0 |
Wade Phillips | 34-22-0 | .607 | 1-2 | .333 | 0 |
Jason Garrett | 85-67-0 | .559 | 2-3 | .400 | 0 |
Mike McCarthy | 49-35-0 | .583 | 1-3 | .250 | 0 |