1983 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1983 12–4 2nd NFC East Tom Landry Ernie Stautner Tex Schramm Clint Murchison Jr. Texas Stadium Lost Wild Card Playoffs(vs. Rams) 17–24 5 Cowboys seasons The 1983 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 24th season in the National Football League. Despite a hot start that saw them win their first seven games, the Cowboys finished second in the NFC East. They qualified for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive season, setting a new record for most consecutive playoff appearances by a team in NFL history (the previous mark was jointly held by three teams, one of which was the 1966–1973 Cowboys). The record was tied by the Indianapolis Colts in 2010 before the New England Patriots broke the record in 2019. Summary The team started the season with seven straight victories, including a memorable Monday night win over the Washington Redskins in which the team erased a 20-point halftime deficit and prevailed, 31–30. The Cowboys were particularly strong on offense, led by quarterback Danny White and running back Tony Dorsett. The Cowboys scored a team record 479 points and staged a few come-from-behind victories during the season. However, the defense gave up many points, despite strong play from Randy White, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, and Everson Walls. In particular, the young secondary was guilty of giving up many big plays throughout the season. Late in the season, the Cowboys met the Redskins at Texas Stadium with the NFC East crown up for grabs. Both teams entered the game with 12–2 records, but the defending champion Redskins proved too much for the Cowboys and emerged with a 31–10 victory, giving them the NFC East title. With the Cowboys trailing 14–10 in the third quarter, the Cowboys failed on a fourth and one at midfield. The play was a key turning point. There appeared to be a miscommunication between quarterback Danny White and Tom Landry as to whether to run the play. The failed play led to a rare emotional outburst from Landry as he yelled "No, Danny, no." After a 42–17 drubbing at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers the following week, the Cowboys faced the Los Angeles Rams in the wild card game of the NFC playoffs. Despite having the home field advantage, the Cowboys fell, 24–17. NFL draft 1983 NFL draft 1983 Dallas Cowboys 1 23 Jim Jeffcoat DE Arizona State yes 2 50 Michael Walter LB Oregon yes 3 70 Bryan Caldwell DE Arizona State yes 4 108 Chris Faulkner TE Florida no 5 135 Chuck McSwain RB Clemson yes 6 162 Reggie Collier QB Southern Miss yes 7 189 Chris Schultz OT Arizona yes 8 220 Lawrence Ricks RB Michigan no 9 246 Al Gross S Arizona no 10 273 Eric Moran OT Washington Signed with the USFL no 11 300 Dan Taylor OT Idaho State no 12 331 Lorenzo Bouier RB Maine no Undrafted free agents + 1983 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeRaúl AllegreKickerTexasJerry SchmidtDef. LineCal Poly SLOBill BatesSafetyTennesseeBroderick ThompsonTackleKansasMark TuineiTackleHawaii Roster Dallas Cowboys 1983 roster Quarterbacks 18 Glenn Carano 14 Gary Hogeboom 11 Danny White P Running backs 31 Gary Allen 33 Tony Dorsett 44 Robert Newhouse 30 Timmy Newsome 20 Ron Springs Wide receivers 83 Doug Donley 80 Tony Hill 86 Butch Johnson 88 Drew Pearson Tight ends 84 Doug Cosbie 89 Billy Joe DuPree 82 Cleo Simmons Offensive linemen 62 Brian Baldinger G/C 61 Jim Cooper T 67 Pat Donovan T 65 Kurt Petersen G 75 Phil Pozderac T 64 Tom Rafferty C 70 Howard Richards G 66 Chris Schultz T 68 Herbert Scott G 63 Glen Titensor C/G Defensive linemen 76 Larry Bethea DE 78 John Dutton DT 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 72 Ed Jones DE 79 Harvey Martin DE 60 Don Smerek DT 71 Mark Tuinei DT 54 Randy White DTLinebackers 53 Bob Breunig MLB 51 Anthony Dickerson OLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 55 Bruce Huther MLB 57 Angelo King OLB 50 Jeff Rohrer OLB 59 Michael Walter OLB Defensive backs 40 Bill Bates SS 47 Dextor Clinkscale SS 26 Michael Downs FS 27 Ron Fellows CB 25 Rod Hill CB 32 Dennis Thurman CB 24 Everson Walls CB Special teams  3 Jim Miller P  1 Rafael Septién KReserve lists -- Bryan Caldwell DE (IR) 10px 23 James Jones RB (IR) 10px 52 Scott McLean LB (IR) 10px 35 Chuck McSwain RB (IR) 10px 81 Kirk Phillips WR (IR) 10px -- Dan Taylor G (IR) 10px -- Gregg Veldman TE (IR) 10px  5 John Warren P (IR) 10px Rookies in italics 49 active, 8 inactive Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 5, 1983 at Washington Redskins W 31–30 1–0 RFK Stadium 55,045 Recap 2 September 11 at St. Louis Cardinals W 34–17 2–0 Busch Stadium 48,532 Recap 3 September 18 New York Giants W 28–13 3–0 Texas Stadium 62,347 Recap 4 September 25 New Orleans Saints W 21–20 4–0 Texas Stadium 62,136 Recap 5 October 2 at Minnesota Vikings W 37–24 5–0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 60,774 Recap 6 October 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–24 (OT) 6–0 Texas Stadium 63,308 Recap 7 October 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 37–7 7–0 Texas Stadium 63,070 Recap 8 October 23 Los Angeles Raiders L 38–40 7–1 Texas Stadium 64,991 Recap 9 October 30 at New York Giants W 38–20 8–1 Giants Stadium 76,142 Recap 10 November 6 at Philadelphia Eagles W 27–20 9–1 Veterans Stadium 71,236 Recap 11 November 13 at San Diego Chargers L 23–24 9–2 Jack Murphy Stadium 46,192 Recap 12 November 20 Kansas City Chiefs W 41–21 10–2 Texas Stadium 64,103 Recap 13 November 24 St. Louis Cardinals W 35–17 11–2 Texas Stadium 60,974 Recap 14 December 4 at Seattle Seahawks W 35–10 12–2 Kingdome 63,352 Recap 15 December 11 Washington Redskins L 10–31 12–3 Texas Stadium 65,074 Recap 16 December 19, 1983 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–42 12–4 Candlestick Park 59,957 Recap Division opponents are in bold text The October 16 and November 6 games against the Philadelphia Eagles were played with locations switched from the original schedule, because of October 16 conflict with game 5 of the baseball World Series. Season summary Week 1 collapsed Monday, September 5 9:00 p.m.(et) Cowboys (1–0) 0 3 14 14 Redskins (0–1) 10 13 0 7 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 84 degrees, relative humidity 66, round(wind) 6.5 mph Gene Barth ABC Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, O. J. Simpson and Howard Cosell Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Redskins – Mark Moseley 23-yard field goal – Redskins 3–0 Redskins – John Riggins 1-yard rush (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 10–0 Second quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 26-yard field goal – Redskins 10–3 Redskins – Mark Moseley 30-yard field goal – Redskins 13–3 Redskins – Mark Moseley 39-yard field goal – Redskins 16–3 Redskins – Charlie Brown 41-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 23–3 Third quarter Cowboys – Tony Hill 75-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Redskins 23–10 Cowboys – Tony Hill 51-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Redskins 23–17 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Danny White 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 24–23 Cowboys – Doug Cosbie 1-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 31–23 Redskins – Don Warren 1-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) – Cowboys 31–30 Passing Cowboys – Danny White – 9/20, 193 Yds, 3 TD, O Int, 75 Lng Redskins – Joe Theismann – 28/38, 325 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int, 41 Lng Rushing Cowboys – Tony Dorsett – 14 att/151 yds, O TD, 77 Lng Cowboys – Ron Springs – 9 att/32 yds, O TD, 8 Lng Redskins – John Riggins – 27 att/89 yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng Redskins – Joe Washington – 5 att/9 yds, O TD, 5 Lng Receiving Cowboys – Tony Hill – 3 Rec, 133 yds, 2 TD, 75 Lng Cowboys – Doug Cosbie – 3 Rec, 36 yds, 1 TD, 18 Lng Cowboys – Ron Springs – 2 Rec, 17 yds, O TD, 10 Lng Cowboys – Drew Pearson – 1 Rec, 7 yds, 0 TD, 7 Lng Redskins – Alvin Garret – 10 Rec, 101 yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng Redskins – Charlie Brown – 6 Rec, 97 yds, 1 TD, 41 Lng Redskins – Rick Walker – 4 Rec, 45 yds, 0 TD, 21 Lng Redskins – Don Warren – 2 Rec, 9 yds, 1 TD, 8 Lng Redskins – Joe Washington – 2 Rec, 28 yds, 0 TD, 15 Lng Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal −1.5 Over/Under= 41(Over) Cowboys Overcome 20-Point Deficit, Beat Redskins in Opener The Washington Redskins, champions of the NFL in 1982, began their title defense with a Monday night game on September 5, 1983, against their arch-rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. It was a humid 87 degree night in Washington, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the sellout crowd of 55,045 at RFK Stadium. Washington, coached by Joe Gibbs, featured the passing of QB Joe Theismann and the ground-gaining of rugged RB John Riggins on offense, along with an outstanding line known as "The Hogs" and a capable group of receivers led by WR Art Monk. The defense lacked big names but played well as a unit. As for Head coach Tom Landry's Cowboys, they had most recently lost to the Redskins in the NFC Championship game – their third straight trip to the conference title contest that ended in defeat. QB Danny White was capable but also living in the shadow of his illustrious predecessor, Roger Staubach, and RB Tony Dorsett, TE Doug Cosbie, and wide receivers Tony Hill (pictured above) and Drew Pearson were all solid offensive performers. The defense had slipped in ’82, however, showing signs of age. The Redskins were emotionally high coming into the opening game and did well at exploiting weaknesses in the Dallas defense during the first half. The Cowboys started their first drive from their own 16-yard line and that was typical during the first two quarters of play as they were consistently kept on their own half of the field. In the first quarter, Mark Moseley started the scoring off with a 23-yard field goal and Riggins scored a touchdown on a one-yard carry. The biggest first half highlight for Dallas came in the second quarter on a 77-yard run by Tony Dorsett, who was caught from behind by fleet CB Darrell Green. Stifled again by Washington's defense, the Cowboys had to settle for a 26-yard Rafael Septién field goal. Moseley followed up with field goals of 30 and 39 yards and, with 40 seconds left in the first half, WR Charlie Brown made an outstanding catch of a Theismann pass for a 41-yard touchdown that seemingly put the Redskins in command at 23–3. Theismann amassed 181 passing yards in the first half, making good use of short sideline passes to his wide receivers. Meanwhile, Danny White was a miserable one-for-nine. Dallas managed just three first downs, one of them on a penalty. However, for all the dominance Washington had scored just two touchdowns, along with three field goals. The Cowboys made adjustments to the defense at halftime that successfully countered Washington's attack during the second half. Things began to turn around early in the third quarter when White completed a pass to Tony Hill, who raced past CB Vernon Dean for a 75-yard touchdown. Shortly thereafter, White hit Hill again for another long scoring play, this time victimizing the inexperienced CB Anthony Washington in the secondary. Suddenly, the Washington lead was down to 23–17. Still ahead by six points, the Redskins drove to the Dallas 14-yard line but were moved back by a holding penalty and then Moseley had a critical missed field goal attempt from 31 yards. Dallas responded by driving 80 yards – 27 coming on runs by Dorsett and aided by a late hit of White called on LB Mel Kaufman – and taking the lead with White running around end for a short TD, followed by Septién's extra point. With just over two minutes to play, the game-clinching points were set up thanks to reserve CB Ron Fellows intercepting a Theismann pass at the Washington 40 and returning it to the four yard line. TE Doug Cosbie caught a touchdown throw by White from a yard out with less than two minutes to play. The Redskins finally scored again in the waning seconds to close to one point, but it was inconsequential to the outcome once a desperation onsides kick was recovered by the Cowboys. Dallas came away with a 31–30 win. Washington outgained the Cowboys (447 yards to 356) and had more first downs (26 to 16), but was also penalized seven times, to just two flags thrown on Dallas. Moreover, the inability to put more points on the board in the second half until it was too late, combined with the big plays by the Cowboys that exploited weaknesses in Washington's defense, made the difference. Danny White, recovering from the horrible first half showing, ended up completing 9 of 20 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Tony Dorsett (pictured below) rushed for 151 yards on 14 carries. With the two long scoring plays, Tony Hill gained 133 yards on 3 receptions while Doug Cosbie also caught 3 passes, for 36 yards and the clinching TD. "That pass to Hill was the play that turned the game around", said Joe Theismann. "It didn’t kill us, but it woke up the Cowboys." "Anytime I can look up here and see the stands half-empty and the fans grumbling on their way out, it's the most gratifying experience in football", said Dennis Thurman, who recovered the climactic onsides kick for the Cowboys that effectively ended the game. "Those fans were screaming ‘we want Dallas’. I’m not too sure they want us now." Washington's opening defeat on Monday Night was easily overcome by the Redskins, who won the rematch in Dallas later in the season and lost only one other game in compiling a 14–2 record. Featuring their high-scoring offense, they again advanced to the Super Bowl, only to be upset by the Los Angeles Raiders. The Cowboys finished second in the NFC East but qualified for the playoffs as a Wild Card with a 12–4 tally. They didn’t make it to the NFC Championship game this time, falling to the Rams in the first round. Week 2 Cowboys (2–0) 0 17 7 10 Cardinals (0–2) 10 0 0 7 September 11 Busch Stadium • St. Louis, Missouri 12:00 p.m. 79 °F 0, wind 10 mph Tom Dooley yes 1 STL Roy Green 39-yard pass from Jim Hart (Neil O'Donoghue kick) Cardinals 7–0 1 STL Neil O'Donoghue 23-yard field goal Cardinals 10–0 2 DAL Ron Springs 1-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) Cardinals 10–7 2 DAL Drew Pearson 10-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 14–10 2 DAL Rafael Septién 45-yard field goal Cowboys 17–10 3 DAL Ron Springs 19-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 24–10 4 DAL Dennis Thurman recovered fumble in end zone (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 31–10 4 STL Stump Mitchell 5-yard run (Neil O'Donoghue kick) Cowboys 31–17 4 DAL Rafael Septién 24-yard field goal Cowboys 34–17 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013. Week 3 Giants (1–2) 3 0 10 0 Cowboys (3–0) 0 14 0 14 September 18 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 3:00 p.m. 82 °F 0 • Wind 15 Jerry Markbreit Pat Summerall and John Madden CBS yes 1 NYG Ali Haji-Sheikh 31-yard field goal Giants 3–0 2 DAL Doug Cosbie 4-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 7–3 2 DAL Doug Cosbie 2-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 14–3 3 NYG Butch Woolfolk 1-yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) Cowboys 14–10 3 NYG Ali Haji-Sheikh 27-yard field goal Cowboys 14–13 4 DAL Dextor Clinkscale 68-yard interception return (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 21–13 4 DAL Michael Downs 10-yard fumble return (Rafael Septién kick) Cowboys 28–13 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 4 collapsed Sunday, September 25, 1983 1:00pm(ET) Saints (2–2) 0 10 3 7 Cowboys (4–0) 7 6 0 8 Texas Stadium 71 degrees, relative humidity 51, round(wind) 11.7 mph Pat Haggerty Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Cowboys – Drew Pearson 4-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 7–0 Second quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 41-yard field goal – Cowboys 10–0 Saints – Morten Andersen 19-yard field goal – Cowboys 10–3 Saints – Wayne Wilson 2-yard rush (Morten Andersen kick) – Cowboys 10–10 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 34-yard field goal – Cowboys 13–10 Third quarter Saints – Morten Andersen 42-yard field goal – Cowboys 13–13 Fourth quarter Saints – Wayne Wilson 1-yard rush (Morten Andersen kick) – Saints 20–13 Cowboys – Ron Fellows 62-yard blocked field goal return (Rafael Septién kick failed) – Saints 20–19 Cowboys – LB Anthony Dickerson tackled Ken Stabler in the end zone – Cowboys 21–20 Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Dal −8.5 Over/Under=46 (Under) Flashback, Cowboys vs Saints – 1983 It wasn’t a game that will go down in Cowboys history. Actually, it wasn’t even a game that the Cowboys had any business winning. What the Texas Stadium crowd got in week 4 of the 1983 season was an ending that amazed even the players. The Cowboys scored first when Danny White connected with Drew Pearson on four yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. The Cowboys followed that score with a Rafael Septién 41-yard field goal that gave them a 10–0 lead. In the second quarter it would be the Saints that would battle back to tie the Cowboys. Saints kicker Morten Anderson kicked a 19-yard field goal. Then Saints running back Wayne Wilson scored on a two yard run to tie the game at 10–10. Before halftime the Cowboys took the lead 13–10 when Rafael Septién kicked his second field goal of the game from 34 yards. The Saints tied the game again with the only points of the third quarter. Morten Anderson kicked his second field goal of the game from 42 yards. The game was tied at 13–13 as the fourth quarter started and the fireworks were about to begin. On the third play of the fourth quarter and the Cowboys sitting at their own three yard line, Coach Tom Landry reached into his bag of tricks. Danny White took the snap from center and threw a lateral to Drew Pearson who would look to throw and take the Saints by surprise. White's pass to Pearson was tipped, but still made it to Pearson. The tip interrupted the timing of Pearson's pass attempt to fellow wide receiver Doug Donley who was streaking down the left sideline. Saints cornerback Johnnie Poe, who was covering Donley left coverage and ran towards Pearson. Poe hit Pearson's arm as he attempted his pass and the ball was then tipped high in the air by the Saints Frank Warren. Tony Elliot from the Saints jumped high to grab the ball, but he could only deflect it. The deflection went right back to Frank Warren who came down with the interception. Four plays later the Saints took their first lead of the game when Wayne Wilson scored from the one yard line. The Saints now led 20–13 with 12:35 left in the game. The mistakes for the Cowboys continued on the kickoff as Ron Fellows fumbled the ball and the Saints recovered at the 20-yard line. The Saints were looking to add to their lead, but on 3rd and 12 Saints quarterback Kenny Stabler fumbled the ball from center and Cowboys Larry Bethea recovered. The Cowboys could not take advantage of the turnover as Danny White added to the Cowboys fourth-quarter mistakes. White threw an interception that the Saints returned to the Cowboys 35-yard line. The Saints once again were looking to add to their 20–13 lead. On 4th and 1 Saints Coach Bum Phillips decided to go for the field goal. As Morten Anderson attempted his 43-yard field goal, Cowboys Ed Jones got his hands on the ball for the block. Ron Fellows recovered the block on one hop and returned it 62 yards untouched for the touchdown. "I wasn’t thinking anything but picking up the ball", Fellows said. "I knew it had to be six." Rafael Septién looked to tie the game at 20–20 with the extra point, but the Saints Tyrone Young blocked the kick and the Cowboys remained behind 20–19 with 7:05 left in the game. The Cowboys got the ball back at their 20-yard line with 4:30 left in the game. Four plays later the Cowboys were at their 49-yard line. Tony Dorsett took a pitch-out from Danny White as the Saints were blitzing. Dorsett broke free into an empty secondary and scored what the Cowboys thought was the go ahead touchdown from 49 yards out. But the officials ruled that Dorsett stepped out of bounds at the 15-yard line. Danny White continued the drive as he looked to put the Cowboys back on top. White looked for Doug Donley over the middle at the goal line as he beat cornerback Johnnie Poe. But White never saw Saints linebacker Dennis Winston who intercepted White in the end Zone. Instead of taking a knee for the touchback Winston came out of the end zone. He managed to get to the five yard line before being tackled. The Saints offense took over with 2:07 left in the game and still holding onto a 20–19 lead. All the Saints needed to do was run out the clock and they would improve to 3–1 on the season and hand the Cowboys their first loss of the season. On first down running back Wayne Wilson, who had scored twice in the game was tackled after gaining only one yard. On second down the Saints were looking to put some room between them and the goal line. Kenny Stabler dropped back into the end zone looking for receiver Jeff Groth, but Everson Walls had him covered. This allowed Cowboys linebacker Anthony Dickerson who was blitzing to beat Wayne Wilson and sack Stabler for the safety. The Cowboys took the lead and won the game 21–20. It was the first time that a team losing by one point won by one point on a safety. It was a game the Cowboys had no business winning as they turned the ball over six times and allowed seven sacks on Danny White. The lone bright spot for the Cowboys came from Tony Dorsett who rushed for 124 on 16 carries. "I’ve never been in a game as bizarre as this one", Everson Walls said. "Were we lucky? That's an understatement." "That was probably the most bizarre game I’ve ever been involved in", Dorsett said. "We did everything possible to lose the game, and we still won it." "They deserved to win the game, there's no question about it", White said. With the strange win by the Cowboys over the Saints they improved their record to 4–0 in 1983. The Cowboys would make a habit of coming from behind in the first half of the 1983 season as they built a 7–0 record with five come from behind wins. Their luck would end in week 8 as they fell to the L.A. Raiders 40–38. Week 5 collapsed Sunday, October 2, 1983 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (5–0) 3 10 14 10 Vikings (3–2) 7 17 0 0 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 72, no wind Bob Frederic Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Vikings – Sammy White 43-yard pass from Steve Dils (Benny Ricardo kick) – Dallas 0, Vik's 7 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 45-yard field goal – Dallas 3, Vik's 7 Second quarter Vikings – Sammy White 36-yard pass from Steve Dils (Benny Ricardo kick) – Dallas 3, Vik's 14 Vikings – Benny Ricardo 41-yard field goal – Dallas 3, Vik's 17 Cowboys – Danny White 2-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Dallas 10, Vik's 17 Vikings – Ted Brown 5-yard rush (Benny Ricardo kick) – Dallas 10, Vik's 24 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 45-yard field goal – Dallas 13, Vik's 24 Third quarter Cowboys – Ron Springs 5-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Dallas 20, Vik's 24 Cowboys – Ron Fellows 58-yard interception return (Rafael Septién kick) – Dallas 27, Vik's 24 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Drew Pearson 11-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Dallas 34, Vik's 24 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 35-yard field goal – Dallas 37, Vik's 24 Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal −3.5 Over/Under= 44.5 (Over) Cowboys vs Vikings – 1983 The Cowboys went into the Metrodome in Minnesota with a 4–0 record early in the 1983 season. In the first four games of the season the Cowboys had to come from behind to win, this game against the Vikings would be no different. The Vikings scored in the first quarter when Vikings quarterback Steve Dils went deep to wide receiver Sammy White. Everson Walls tripped as he was covering White, which allowed him to catch a 43-yard touchdown pass, giving the Vikings a 7–0 lead. The Cowboys answered the Vikings score with a Rafael Septién 45-yard field goal as the first quarter ended. In the second quarter Steve Dils went back to Sammy White. This time White was covered by Dennis Thurman, but the result was the same as the first quarter. Another touchdown for White, this time from 36 yards out and a 14–3 Vikings lead. The Vikings would add a field goal to increase their lead to 17–3 before Cowboys quarterback Danny White recorded their first touchdown of the game. Facing a fourth and one from the Vikings two yard line, Danny White took the ball himself and ran in for the touchdown to get the Cowboys closer, 17–10. With 45 seconds left in the first half the Cowboys faced a third down from their own eight yard line. The exchange between center Tom Rafferty and Danny White was fumbled and the Vikings recovered at the five yard line. On the next play the Vikings Ted Brown scored and increased the Vikings lead to 24–10. After the Vikings kicked off the Cowboys got the ball at their own 19-yard line with 40 seconds left in the half. Coach Tom Landry thought the safe thing to do was to run out the clock and regroup at halftime. "It looked like the best thing was to get off the field with no more points being scored", Landry said. Danny White had other ideas. Landry called in a running play for Tony Dorsett, but White did not agree and changed the play in the huddle. "I was so confident we could move the ball", White said. "I didn’t want to sit on it." White called for a pass to Doug Cosbie that could have gone for big yardage, but White overthrew Cosbie. It was clear that Landry was not happy with White changing the play and called for another running play to Dorsett. "He was sending me a message", White said. "Actually, I got his message when I looked over to the sideline." Tony Dorsett gained ten yards on the next play and it was almost like Landry realized what White wanted to do. The next four plays were passes and White completed three of them, gaining 54 yards. With the Cowboys sitting at the Vikings 28-yard line, Septién kicked his second 45-yard field goal to end the first half and to get the Cowboys to within 24–13. "I like for my quarterbacks to have freedom", Landry said. "And we did end up with three points." "It would have been a real mistake to run out the clock without trying to get a field goal", White said. "There were holes all over their defense. I knew we could move the ball. Sometimes you’ve got to react as a football player and do things on instinct." Midway through the third quarter the Cowboys defense forced the Vikings to punt. Rod Hill returned the punt 37 yards to the Vikings 47-yard line. From there Danny White led the Cowboys to the Vikings five-yard line, where Ron Springs scored to make the score 24–20 Vikings. After a Danny White interception, the Vikings found themselves at the Cowboys 47-yard line looking to increase their lead. The Cowboys decided to run their 4–0 blitz package. For those who don’t remember the Cowboys loved to run a package of four defensive linemen, no linebackers and seven defensive backs, blitzing most of their secondary. This package sometimes got the defense into trouble, but other times the defense would capitalize. In this case it would be Dennis Thurman who blitzed from the outside and was able to raise his arm to obstruct Steve Dils vision. The result was Ron Fellows stepping in front of his receiver for an interception and racing 58 yards for a touchdown. This gave the Cowboys their first lead of the game, 27–24 with a little over two minutes to go in the third quarter. "That ball was like a Christmas present", Fellows said. "And if it's free, I’ll take it." With the Cowboys defense controlling the Vikings offense in the second half. It was time for Dorsett to take control for the Cowboys offense. On a drive that consumed over six minutes, Dorsett had runs of 21 and 25 yards. From the Vikings 11-yard line White found Drew Pearson for an insurance score that increased the Cowboys lead to 34–24. Tony Dorsett rushed for 141 yards against the Vikings despite dealing with a bruised thigh, bruised knee, sore ribs and a cracked bone in his right wrist. "I was running for my life. I’m banged up all over my body", Dorsett said. Rafael Septién added his third field goal of the game to close out the scoring and giving the Cowboys a 37–24 victory. The Cowboys outscored the Vikings 24–0 in the second half to improve their record to 5–0. "It's a legitimate 5–0", Thurman said. "We can make plays like this all year and you’ll see us 14–2 or 15–1. The guys just don’t think they can lose. It's a feeling you get in the huddle and the locker room. When we left for the second half, we knew something would happen." The Cowboys would push their record to 7–0 in 1983 before losing to the LA Raiders 40–38 in week 8. They would finish the season with a 12–4 record before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the LA Rams, 24–17. Week 6 collapsed Sunday, October 9, 1983 4:00pm(ET) Buccaneers (0–6) 10 0 7 7 0 Cowboys (6–0) 7 7 3 7 3 Texas Stadium 70 degrees, relative humidity 69, round(wind) 6.2 mph Bob McElwee CBS Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Buccaneers – Bill Capece 48-yard field goal – Bucs 3, Cowboys 0 Cowboys – Ron Springs 80-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick ) – Bucs 3, Cowboys 7 Buccaneers – James Owens 9-yard pass from Jack Thompson (Bill Capece kick) – Bucs 10, Cowboys 7 Second quarter Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Bucs 10, Cowboys 14 Third quarter Buccaneers – Gerald Carter 56-yard pass from Jack Thompson (Bill Capece kick) – Bucs 17, Cowboys 14 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 41-yard field goal – Bucs 17, Cowboys 17 Fourth quarter Buccaneers – James Wilder Sr. 23-yard rush (Bill Capece kick) – Bucs 24, Cowboys 17 Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 52-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Bucs 24, Cowboys 24 Over Time Cowboys – Rafael Septién 42-yard field goal – Bucs 24, Cowboys 27 Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Dal −13.0 Over/Under=43.0 (Over) Week 7 collapsed October 16 4:00 p.m. Eagles (4–3) 7 0 0 0 Cowboys (7–0) 10 13 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 73 degrees, relative humidity 70%, round(wind) 12.8 mph Jerry Seeman CBS htm Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 31-yard field goal – Cowboys 3–0 Eagles – Mike Quick 83-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick) – Eagles 7–3 Cowboys – Ron Springs 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 10–7 Second quarter Cowboys – Doug Cosbie 14-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 17–7 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 46-yard field goal – Cowboys 20–7 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 34-yard field goal – Cowboys 23–7 Third quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 7-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 30–7 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 2-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 37–7 Vegas Odds Vegas Line= Dallas Cowboys −8.0 Over/Under= 43.0 (over) Week 8 collapsed Sunday October 23, 1983 8:00 p.m. Raiders (6–2) 10 21 3 6 Cowboys (7–1) 7 17 0 14 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 64,991 58 °F 0, wind 9 mph Gene Barth Frank Gifford (play-by-play), Don Meredith & O. J. Simpson (color commentators) Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter DAL – Danny White 15-yard pass from Ron Springs (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 7–0 LA – Chris Bahr 37-yard field goal – Cowboys 7–3 LA – Derrick Jensen 2-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) – Raiders 10–7 Second quarter DAL – Ron Springs 2-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 14–10 DAL – Rafael Septién 23-yard field goal – Cowboys 17–10 LA – Frank Hawkins 23-yard run (Chris Bahr kick) – Tied 17–17 DAL – Butch Johnson 15-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 24–17 LA – Frank Hawkins 17-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) – Tied 24–24 LA – Todd Christensen 1-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) – Raiders 31–24 Third quarter LA – Chris Bahr 24-yard field goal – Raiders 34–24 Fourth quarter DAL – Doug Donley 17-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Raiders 34–31 DAL – Mike Hegman 9-yard fumble return (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 38–34 LA – Chris Bahr 26-yard field goal – Cowboys 38–37 LA – Chris Bahr 26-yard field goal – Raiders 40–38 Raiders Marc Wilson 26/49, 318 Yds, 3 TD, INT Frank Hawkins 17 Rush, 118 Yds, TD Todd Christensen 7 Rec, 90 Yds, TD Cowboys Danny White 19/38, 240 Yds, 2 TD, 2 INT Tony Dorsett 20 Rush, 65 Yds Butch Johnson 3 Rec, 54 Yds, TD Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Dal −4.0 Over/Under=46(Over) Week 9 collapsed Sunday Oct 30, 1983 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (8–1) 7 10 7 14 Giants (2–6–1) 7 7 6 0 The Meadowlands 43 degrees, relative humidity 49, round(wind) 14.5 mph 0 on Fred Wyant CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Giants – Zeke Mowatt 46-yard pass from Jeff Rutledge (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) – Cowboys 0, Giants 7 Cowboys – Tony Hill 21-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 7, Giants 7 Second quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 14-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 14, Giants 7 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 36-yard field goal – Cowboys 17, Giants 7 Giants – Rob Carpenter 15-yard pass from Jeff Rutledge (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) – Cowboys 17, Giants 14 Third quarter Giants – Ali Haji-Sheikh 27-yard field goal – Cowboys 17, Giants 17 Cowboys – Doug Cosbie 61-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 24, Giants 17 Giants – Ali Haji-Sheikh 29-yard field goal – Cowboys 24, Giants 20 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Drew Pearson 7-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 31, Giants 20 Cowboys – Tony Hill 58-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 38, Giants 20 Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal −7.0 Over/Under= 43.5(Over) Week 10 collapsed Sunday, November 6, 1983 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (9–1) 0 10 10 7 Eagles (4–6) 7 3 3 7 Veterans Stadium 38 degrees, relative humidity 74, round(wind) 10.6 mph Fred Silva CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Eagles – Mike Quick 20-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick) – Cowboys 0, Eagles 7 Second quarter Eagles – Tony Franklin 19-yard field goal – Cowboys 0, Eagles 10 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 39-yard field goal – Cowboys 3, Eagles 10 Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 12-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 10, Eagles 10 Third quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 23-yard field goal – Cowboys 13, Eagles 10 Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 29-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 20, Eagles 10 Eagles – Tony Franklin 37-yard field goal – Cowboys 20, Eagles 13 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Tony Hill 18-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 27, Eagles 13 Eagles – Glen Young 71-yard pass from Ron Jaworski (Tony Franklin kick) – Cowboys 27, Eagles 20 Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Cowboys −6.5 Over/Under=45.0(Over) Week 11 collapsed November 13 4:00 p.m. Cowboys (9–2) 0 6 3 14 Chargers (4–7) 7 10 7 0 Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California 70 °F 0, relative humidity 82%, round (wind) 11.4 mph Grass Outdoors Pat Haggerty Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Chargers – Derrie Nelson 63-yard blocked punt return (Rolf Benirschke kick) – Chargers 7–0 Second quarter Chargers – Chuck Muncie 2-yard rush (Rolf Benirschke kick) – Chargers 14–0 Cowboys – Drew Pearson 16-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick failed) – Chargers 14–6 Chargers – Rolf Benirschke 37-yard field goal – Chargers 17–6 Third quarter Chargers – Pete Holohan 18-yard pass from Ed Luther (Rolf Benirschke kick) – Chargers 24–6 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 37-yard field goal – Chargers 17–9 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Tony Hill 35-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Chargers 24–16 Cowboys – Billy Joe DuPree 4-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Chargers 24–23 Cowboys Danny White 31/47, 300 Yds, 3 TD, 0 INT, 35 Lng Tony Dorsett 17 Rush, 58 Yds, 0 TD, 12 Lng, 4 Rec, 20 Yds, 10 Lng Ron Springs 10 Rush, 40 Yds, 0 TD, 15 Lng, 8 Rec, 45 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Long Drew Pearson 5 Rec, 60 Yds, 1 TD, 16 Lng Doug Cosbie 5 Rec, 52 Yds, 0 TD, 22 Lng Butch Johnson 1 Rec, 20 Yds, 0 TD, 20 Lng Billy Joe Dupree 1 Rec, 4 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Lng Chargers Ed Luther 26/43, 340 Yds, 1 TD, one interception, 30 Lng Chuck Muncie 18 Rush, 30 Yds, 1 TD, 8 Lng, 4 Rec, 65 Yds, 27 Lng Charlie Joiner 6 Rec, 86 Yds, 0 TD, 22 Lng Pete Holohan 5 Rec, 84 Yds, 1 TD, 30 Lng Kellen Winslow 5 Rec, 50 Yds, 0 TD, 24 Lng Wes Chandler 5 Rec, 47 Yds, 0 TD, 20 Lng Earnest Jackson 1 Rec, 8 Yds, 0 TD, 8 Lng Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Dal −7.0 Over/Under=45.5 (Over) Week 12 Chiefs (5–7) 0 0 14 7 Cowboys (10–2) 10 10 7 14 November 20 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 3:00 p.m. 54 degrees, relative humidity 49, round(wind) 17.6 mph Jerry Markbreit Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC yes 1 DAL Ron Springs 1-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) DAL 7–0 1 DAL Rafael Septién 25-yard field goal DAL 10–0 2 DAL Tony Dorsett 28-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) DAL 17–0 2 DAL Rafael Septién 40-yard field goal DAL 20–0 3 DAL Tony Dorsett 32-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) DAL 27–0 3 KC Carlos Carson 13-yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick) DAL 27–7 3 KC Carlos Carson 48-yard pass from Bill Kenney (Nick Lowery kick) DAL 27–14 4 DAL Timmy Newsome 7-yard run (Rafael Septién kick) DAL 34–14 4 DAL Gary Allen 68-yard punt return (Rafael Septién kick) DAL 41–14 4 KC Stephone Paige 7-yard pass from Todd Blackledge (Nick Lowery kick) DAL 41–21 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 13 collapsed Thursday, November 24, 1983 4:00pm(ET) Cardinals (5–7–1) 7 0 3 7 Cowboys (11–2) 7 14 0 14 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 43 degrees, relative humidity 61, round(wind) 8.0 mph Chuck Heberling CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Cardinals – Roy Green 71-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Neil O'Donoghue kick) – Cards 7, Cowboys 0 Cowboys – Ron Springs 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cards 7, Cowboys 7 Second quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 5-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cards 7, Cowboys 14 Cowboys – Butch Johnson 15-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cards 7, Cowboys 21 Third quarter Cardinals – Neil O'Donoghue 42-yard field goal – Cards 10, Cowboys 21 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 55-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cards 10, Cowboys 28 Cowboys – Danny White 4-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cards 10, Cowboys 35 Cardinals – Ottis Anderson 14-yard pass from Neil Lomax (Neil O'Donoghue kick) – Cards 17, Cowboys 35 Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal −10.0 Over/Under= 54.5 (Under) Week 14 collapsed Sunday, December 4, 1983 4:00pm(ET) Cowboys (12–2) 7 7 7 14 Seahawks (7–7) 0 3 0 7 Seattle Kingdome 72%, no wind Jim Tunney CBS Frank Glieber and Dick Vermeil Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 8-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 7–0 Second quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 7-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 14–0 Seahawks – Norm Johnson 54-yard field goal – Cowboys 14–3 Third quarter Cowboys – Doug Donley 35-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 21–3 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Butch Johnson 16-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 28–3 Seahawks – Curt Warner 2-yard rush (Norm Johnson kick) – Cowboys 28–10 Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 15-yard pass from Gary Hogeboom (Rafael Septién kick) – Cowboys 35–10 Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal −6.0 Over/Under= 55 (Under) Week 15 collapsed Sunday, December 11 4:00pm(et) Redskins (13–2) 14 0 7 10 Cowboys (12–3) 7 3 0 0 Texas Stadium 58 degrees, relative humidity 47, round(wind) 18.6 mph Dick Jorgensen CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Redskins – John Riggins 3-yard rush (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 7–0 Redskins – Clint Didier 40-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 14–0 Cowboys – Doug Cosbie 29-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Redskins 14–7 Second quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 35-yard field goal – Redskins 14–10 Third quarter Redskins – Art Monk 43-yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 21–10 Fourth quarter Redskins – John Riggins 3-yard rush (Mark Moseley kick) – Redskins 28–10 Redskins – Mark Moseley 23-yard field goal – Redskins 31–10 Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Dal −3.0 Over/Under=53.5 (Under) Week 16 collapsed Monday, December 19, 1983 9:00pm(ET) Cowboys (12–4) 3 7 0 7 49ers (10–6) 21 0 7 14 Candlestick Park 54 degrees, relative humidity 78, round(wind) 10.8 mph Bob McElwee ABC Frank Gifford, Don Meredith and O. J. Simpson Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter 49ers – Roger Craig 6-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 7–0 49ers – Dana McLemore 56-yard punt return (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 14–0 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 47-yard field goal – 49ers 14–3 49ers – Freddie Solomon 77-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 21–3 Second quarter Cowboys – Danny White 1-yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – 49ers 21–10 Third quarter 49ers – Russ Francis 18-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 28–10 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Tony Hill 13-yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – 49ers 28–17 49ers – Eric Wright 48-yard interception return (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 35–17 49ers – Roger Craig 16-yard pass from Joe Montana (Ray Wersching kick) – 49ers 42–17 Vegas Spread Vegas Line=Pick Over/Under=44 (Over) Wild card playoffs December 26, 1983 NFC: Los Angeles Rams 24, Dallas Cowboys 17 text-align:center; background:#eee Game summary Rams (10–7) 7 0 7 10 Cowboys (12–5) 0 7 3 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST 27 °F °C, mostly cloudy CBS Pat Summerall and John Madden 62,118 Gordon McCarter Scoring LA – D. Hill 18 pass from Ferragamo (Lansford kick) RAMS 7–0 DAL – T. Hill 14 pass from White (Septién kick) 7–7 DAL – field goal Septién 41 DAL 10–7 LA – Dennard 16 pass from Ferragamo (Lansford kick) RAMS 14–10 LA – Farmer 8 pass from Ferragamo (Lansford kick) RAMS 21–10 LA – field goal Lansford 20 RAMS 24–10 DAL – Cosbie 2 pass from White (Septién kick) RAMS 24–17 Standings Playoffs 1983–84 NFL playoffs Round Date Opponent Result Game Site Attendance Recap Wild Card December 26, 1983 F j, Y Los Angeles Rams L 17–24 Texas Stadium 43,521 Recap Awards Five players represented the Cowboys in the 1984 Pro Bowl: Doug Cosbie, Tony Dorsett, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Everson Walls, and Randy White. White and Walls were voted to the Associated Press' All-NFL first team, while Dorsett was voted to the AP's All-NFL second team. Publications The Football Encyclopedia 0-312-11435-4 Total Football 0-06-270170-3 Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes 0-446-51950-2 References External links 1983 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Dallas Dallas