A Basic History of the Dallas Cowboys Football Team

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional football team that plays in the National Football League. The Cowboys play in the East Division of the National Football Conference.

The Dallas Cowboys were founded in 1960 as part of the expansion of the National Football League. The Cowboys played in the Northern Conference in 1960 and played in the Eastern Conference from 1961-1969. The team played in the Capitol Division of the Eastern Conference from 1967-1969.

In 1970, the Dallas Cowboys began playing in the NFC East as part of the AFL-NFL merger and have remained in that division ever since.

The Dallas Cowboys have a history of success, winning a total of nineteen Division Championships and ten Conference Championships. The Cowboys have won the Super Bowl five different times in 1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, and 1995.

The Dallas Cowboys began by playing their home games in the Cotton Bowl from 1960-1971. In 1971, the team moved to its current home, Texas Stadium. A new stadium is currently being built and is expected to be opened in 2009 for the Dallas Cowboys.

Eight former players for the Dallas Cowboys are currently enshrined in the National Football Hall of Fame. Those players are Troy Aikman, Tony Dorsett, Michael Irvin, Bob Lilly, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Randy White, and Rayfield Wright. Tom Landry is enshrined for his coaching career, and Tex Schramm is enshrined for his work as the president and general manager of the Cowboys. Former running back of the Dallas Cowboys, Emmitt Smith, will be enshrined once he becomes eligible.

The Dallas Cowboys do not retire numbers of former players. Instead the team has a Ring of Honor that wraps around the field in their stadium. The Ring of Honor began in 1975 with the induction of Bob Lilly and continues to grow with the most notable induction being of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin all at the same time. "The Triplets," as the three are known, were inducted into the Ring of Honor on September 19, 2005, as part of a half time ceremony during a Monday Night Football game.

Despite winning five Super Bowls, the Cowboys have had seven players win the Super Bowl MVP Award. Chuck Howley won the honor at Super Bowl V, becoming the first defensive player to ever win the award. He is also the only player to ever win the award despite playing on the losing team. At Super Bowl XII, Randy White and Harvey Martin shared the honor as the MVP Award was shared for the first time. Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Larry Brown have all won the Super Bowl MVP Award as part of the Dallas Cowboys as well.