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1997 Dallas Cowboys season

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1997 Dallas Cowboys season
OwnerJerry Jones
General managerJerry Jones
Head coachBarry Switzer
Home fieldTexas Stadium
Results
Record6–10
Division place4th NFC East
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersG Larry Allen
G Nate Newton
CB Deion Sanders (did not play)
S Darren Woodson (did not play)

The 1997 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 38th season in the National Football League (NFL) and was the fourth and final season under head coach Barry Switzer. Before the season considered among the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XXXII—which would have been their fourth such appearance in the 1990s—the team took a significant step backwards.

The Cowboys not only failed to improve on their 10–6 record from 1996, they finished with a losing record for the first time since 1990 and failed to qualify for the playoffs. A series of countless off-the-field incidents, lack of discipline, and rumors of infighting between quarterback Troy Aikman and head coach Barry Switzer plagued the team throughout the year.

Switzer resigned at the end of the season, bringing his coaching career to an end. Chan Gailey would be his successor.

Offseason

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NFL draft

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Main article: 1997 NFL draft
1997 Dallas Cowboys draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 22 David LaFleur  Tight end LSU
3 65 Dexter Coakley *  Linebacker Appalachian State
3 83 Steve Scifres  Guard Wyoming
3 94 Kenny Wheaton  Cornerback Oregon
4 101 Antonio Anderson  Defensive tackle Syracuse
4 127 Macey Brooks  Wide receiver James Madison
4 129 Nicky Sualua  Fullback Ohio State
6 187 Lee Vaughn  Cornerback Boston College
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Roster

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Dallas Cowboys 1997 roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists

Practice squad

Rookies in italics
53 active, 4 inactive, 2 practice squad

Regular season

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Though the season began well with an impressive win against the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 3–1 start, the Cowboys would soon see a sharp decline that included five consecutive losses to close out the year. A series of countless off-the-field incidents, lack of discipline, and rumors of infighting between quarterback Troy Aikman and head coach Barry Switzer plagued the team throughout the year. In a season filled with injuries and controversy, which also saw a tearful Michael Irvin promising change following a tough loss to the New York Giants in the final regular season game, Switzer would later resign after the season. Notable additions to the team were linebacker Dexter Coakley.

Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 31 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 37–7 1–0 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
2 September 7 at Arizona Cardinals L 22–25 (OT) 1–1 Sun Devil Stadium Recap
3 September 15 Philadelphia Eagles W 21–20 2–1 Texas Stadium Recap
4 Bye
5 September 28 Chicago Bears W 27–3 3–1 Texas Stadium Recap
6 October 5 at New York Giants L 17–20 3–2 Giants Stadium Recap
7 October 13 at Washington Redskins L 16–21 3–3 Jack Kent Cooke Stadium Recap
8 October 19 Jacksonville Jaguars W 26–22 4–3 Texas Stadium Recap
9 October 26 at Philadelphia Eagles L 12–13 4–4 Veterans Stadium Recap
10 November 2 at San Francisco 49ers L 10–17 4–5 Candlestick Park Recap
11 November 9 Arizona Cardinals W 24–6 5–5 Texas Stadium Recap
12 November 16 Washington Redskins W 17–14 6–5 Texas Stadium Recap
13 November 23 at Green Bay Packers L 17–45 6–6 Lambeau Field Recap
14 November 27 Tennessee Oilers L 14–27 6–7 Texas Stadium Recap
15 December 8 Carolina Panthers L 13–23 6–8 Texas Stadium Recap
16 December 14 at Cincinnati Bengals L 24–31 6–9 Cinergy Field Recap
17 December 21 New York Giants L 7–20 6–10 Texas Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 1

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1 234Total
• Cowboys 0 17173 37
Steelers 0 007 7
Scoring summary
Q2DALMiller 12 yard pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)DAL 7–0
Q2DALIrvin 42 yard pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)DAL 14–0
Q2DALCunningham 52 yard field goalDAL 17–0
Q3DALIrvin 15 yard pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)DAL 24–0
Q3DALCunningham 24 yard field goalDAL 27–0
Q3DALJohnston 13 yard pass from Aikman (Cunningham kick)DAL 34–0
Q4DALCunningham 28 yard field goalDAL 37–0
Q4PITBruener 4 yard pass from Stewart (Johnson kick)DAL 37–7

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Standings

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NFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(3) New York Giants 10 5 1 .656 307 265 W3
Washington Redskins 8 7 1 .531 327 289 W1
Philadelphia Eagles 6 9 1 .406 317 372 L3
Dallas Cowboys 6 10 0 .375 304 314 L5
Arizona Cardinals 4 12 0 .250 283 379 W1

Awards and records

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Publications

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The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2

References

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  1. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-20.
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