The Dallas Cowboys have a new team looking over their shoulders. With the New England Patriots in their seventh Super Bowl, they are now one Super Bowl appearance away from the record of eight appearances, held by both the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. While Cowboys' fans have little to cheer for as the Patriots battle the hated New York Giants, there is always time to look back on the successful history of the Dallas Cowboys.
Here is a look at the Dallas Cowboys' Super Bowl appearances, ranked by how great the game was.
1. Super Bowl XXX: Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - There is a good reason that this sits at No. 1 on my list of best Dallas Cowboys Super Bowls. In the '70s, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat Dallas twice in the Super Bowl and remained the Achilles Heel of the Cowboys' franchise. Finally, with a solid 27-17 win, Dallas gained revenge for those defeats and finally beat their arch nemesis.
2. Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills - Anyone who is not a Dallas Cowboys' fan would probably rank this game pretty low, but for Dallas fans, was there ever anything better? The Cowboys won the game, 52-17, Emmitt Smith ran for 108 yards and a touchdown, Michael Irvin caught six balls for 114 yards and two touchdowns and Troy Aikman threw for 273 yards and four touchdowns to win the MVP. There was also something for Cowboys' haters as Don Beebe chased down Leon Lett and forced a fumble.
3. Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys vs. Miami Dolphins - After getting rid of Craig Morton as the starting quarterback and replacing him with Roger Staubach, Dallas won their first Super Bowl title. That alone makes this game a big one for Cowboys' fans. However, Dallas ran for 252 yards and ate up the clock in a 24-3 win that was a snoozer.
4. Super Bowl XXVIII: Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills - The second meeting between Dallas and Buffalo lost a lot of the fun of the first for Dallas fans. The Bills actually led at halftime, but this game was never really in doubt as Dallas won, 30-13.
5. Super Bowl X: Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - The first meeting of the Cowboys and Steelers was a hard fought game, advertised as the Steel Curtain defense against the Cowboys high octane offense. At halftime, Dallas led 10-7 but this game exploded in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh scored 14 unanswered points, including a touchdown by Lynn Swann, who won the MVP. Dallas scored another touchdown at the end, but it was not enough to come back, and Dallas lost, 21-17.
6. Super Bowl XIII: Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers - The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers were the two best teams at this point in the NFL but this game is one that Cowboys' fans would rather forget. The end of the game made it more exciting, though, as Dallas scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to try to come back but lost at the end, 35-31.
7. Super Bowl XII: Dallas Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos - There was little in this game to be excited about unless you were a Dallas Cowboys' fan. Former Cowboys' starting quarterback Craig Morton led Denver into this game but he couldn't do anything to stop Dallas from rolling to a 27-10 victory. It was a great win, placed between two heartbreaking losses, but it was a boring game.
8. Super Bowl V: Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Colts - This game remains notable because Dallas Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley won the Super Bowl MVP despite Dallas losing the game, 16-13. That makes sense because this was one of the sloppiest Super Bowls in NFL history. There were 11 combined turnovers in the game and the Colts won with a field goal.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
