Dallas Cowboys · Franchise era 3 of 6
The final Landry teams: the Dallas Cowboys story
Franchise era
1980—1988
The final Landry teams
Dallas Cowboys
The story in one sentence
Dallas reached three straight NFC title games before an aging roster declined and new ownership ended Landry's 29-year tenure.
Repeated near misses precede a historic teardown
Danny White, Tony Dorsett and Ed Jones gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the triplets dynasty.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1980
What came before
The Cowboys posted twenty consecutive winning seasons, reached five Super Bowls in the decade and won two behind Landry's preparation and Staubach's late-game poise.
1981-01-04
Divisional Round: Dallas Cowboys vs Atlanta Falcons
1982-01-10
Conference Championship: Dallas Cowboys vs San Francisco 49ers
1983-01-16
Divisional Round: Green Bay Packers vs Dallas Cowboys
After 1988
What came next
Jimmy Johnson converted the Herschel Walker trade into a deep young roster, and Dallas won three Super Bowls in four seasons.
The core