Dallas Cowboys · Franchise era 4 of 6
The Triplets dynasty: the Dallas Cowboys story
The story in one sentence
Jimmy Johnson converted the Herschel Walker trade into a deep young roster, and Dallas won three Super Bowls in four seasons.
A bold rebuild produces three championships
Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the romo years.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 1989
What came before
Dallas reached three straight NFC title games before an aging roster declined and new ownership ended Landry's 29-year tenure.
- 01TradeOctober 12, 1989
October 12, 1989
The Herschel Walker trade that built a dynasty
The Vikings believed one star could complete a contender. Jimmy Johnson viewed Walker as the fastest route to rebuilding the NFL's worst team.
To MIN19903RDround asset1990PICKround asset+2 assets
To DALDraftPICKround asset+6 assetsThe Herschel Walker tradeMIN receives Herschel Walker, 1990 third · No. 54, 1990 fifth · No. 116 + 2 moreDAL receives Jesse Solomon, David Howard, Issiac Holt + 6 more14 original assets · 3 outcomes tracedOpen trade → 1993-01-31
Super Bowl: Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys
1994-01-30
Super Bowl: Buffalo Bills vs Dallas Cowboys
1996-01-28
Super Bowl: Dallas Cowboys vs Pittsburgh Steelers
After 1999
What came next
Romo developed into a prolific quarterback and gave Dallas repeated division titles, though a sequence of narrow playoff losses shaped the era's reputation.
The core