1984 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 1984 9–7 4th NFC East Tom Landry Tex Schramm Bum Bright Texas Stadium Did not qualify 3 Cowboys seasons The 1984 Dallas Cowboys season was the team's 25th in the National Football League. The Cowboys finished the season with a record of 9–7, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 1974. A division record of 3–5 caused them to finish fourth in the NFC East, despite equaling the overall records of the New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals. After 14 games, the Cowboys had a 9–5 record and would have made the playoffs had they won one of their two remaining games, or win the division had they won both games. However, the team gave up a 15-point lead against the Washington Redskins in week 15, and then lost to the Miami Dolphins by a touchdown surrendered with less than a minute to play in the final week of the season. The season was overshadowed by a quarterback controversy between Danny White and Gary Hogeboom, with Hogeboom getting the majority of the starts. The season's nadir occurred in week 12, when the 0–11 Buffalo Bills defeated the visiting Cowboys 14–3. Offseason The Cowboys went through major changes during the offseason, as key players Drew Pearson, Billy Joe Dupree, Harvey Martin, Robert Newhouse, and Pat Donovan all retired, and Butch Johnson was traded to the Denver Broncos. Bum Bright bought the team from Clint Murchison Jr. NFL draft 1984 NFL draft 1984 Dallas Cowboys 1 25 Billy Cannon Jr. LB Texas A&M yes 2 40 Victor Scott S Colorado yes 3 81 Fred Cornwell TE USC yes 4 110 Steve DeOssie LB Boston College yes 5 113 Steve Pelluer QB Washington yes 5 137 Norm Granger FB Iowa yes 6 152 Eugene Lockhart LB Houston yes 6 166 Joe Levelis OG Iowa Signed with the USFL no 7 193 Ed Martin LB Indiana State Signed with the USFL no 8 222 Mike Revell RB Bethune-Cookman no 9 232 John Hunt OG Florida yes 9 249 Neil Maune OG Notre Dame no 10 278 Brian Salonen TE Montana yes 11 305 Dowe Aughtman DT Auburn yes 12 334 Carl Lewis WR Houston He never played American football no Roster Dallas Cowboys 1984 roster Quarterbacks 14 Gary Hogeboom 16 Steve Pelluer 11 Danny White P Running backs 31 Gary Allen 33 Tony Dorsett 28 Norm Granger 23 James Jones 35 Chuck McSwain 30 Timmy Newsome 20 Ron Springs Wide receivers 83 Doug Donley 86 Duriel Harris 80 Tony Hill 81 Kirk Phillips 82 Mike Renfro Tight ends 85 Fred Cornwell 84 Doug Cosbie 89 Brian Salonen Offensive linemen 76 Dowe Aughtman G 62 Brian Baldinger G/T 79 John Hunt G 73 Syd Kitson C/G 65 Kurt Petersen G 75 Phil Pozderac T 64 Tom Rafferty C 68 Herbert Scott T/G 63 Glen Titensor G Defensive linemen 78 John Dutton DT 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 72 Ed Jones DE 60 Don Smerek DT 71 Mark Tuinei DT 54 Randy White DTLinebackers 55 Steve DeOssie MLB 51 Anthony Dickerson OLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 56 Eugene Lockhart MLB 50 Jeff Rohrer OLB 57 Jimmie Turner OLB Defensive backs 36 Vince Albritton SS 40 Bill Bates SS 47 Dextor Clinkscale SS 26 Michael Downs FS 27 Ron Fellows CB 22 Victor Scott CB 32 Dennis Thurman FS 24 Everson Walls CB Special teams  1 Rafael Septién K  5 John Warren PReserve lists -- Chris Arendt DE (IR) 10px 53 Bob Breunig LB (IR) 10px 52 Billy Cannon Jr. OLB (IR) 10px 61 Jim Cooper T (IR) 10px 21 Carl Howard CB (IR) 10px -- Ron Jenkins WR (IR) 10px 70 Howard Richards T (IR) 10px 66 Chris Schultz T (IR) 10px Rookies in italics 49 active, 8 inactive Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap 1 September 3, 1984 at Los Angeles Rams W 20–13 1–0 Anaheim Stadium 65,403 Recap 2 September 9 at New York Giants L 7–28 1–1 Giants Stadium 75,921 Recap 3 September 16 Philadelphia Eagles W 23–17 2–1 Texas Stadium 64,521 Recap 4 September 23 Green Bay Packers W 20–6 3–1 Texas Stadium 64,222 Recap 5 September 30 at Chicago Bears W 23–14 4–1 Soldier Field 63,623 Recap 6 October 7 St. Louis Cardinals L 20–31 4–2 Texas Stadium 61,438 Recap 7 October 14 at Washington Redskins L 14–34 4–3 RFK Stadium 55,431 Recap 8 October 21 New Orleans Saints W 30–27 (OT) 5–3 Texas Stadium 50,966 Recap 9 October 28 Indianapolis Colts W 22–3 6–3 Texas Stadium 58,724 Recap 10 November 4 New York Giants L 7–19 6–4 Texas Stadium 60,235 Recap 11 November 11 at St. Louis Cardinals W 24–17 7–4 Busch Stadium 48,721 Recap 12 November 18 at Buffalo Bills L 3–14 7–5 Rich Stadium 74,391 Recap 13 November 22 New England Patriots W 20–17 8–5 Texas Stadium 55,341 Recap 14 December 2 at Philadelphia Eagles W 26–10 9–5 Veterans Stadium 66,322 Recap 15 December 9 Washington Redskins L 28–30 9–6 Texas Stadium 64,286 Recap 16 December 17, 1984 at Miami Dolphins L 21–28 9–7 Orange Bowl 74,139 Recap Division opponents are in bold text Season summary Week 1 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week One: Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary Monday, September 3, 1984 9:00pm(ET) Cowboys (1-0) 0 7 3 10 Rams (0-1) 13 0 0 0 Anaheim Stadium 65,403 71 degrees, relative humidity 77%, wind 10 mph Jim Tunney ABC Frank Gifford (play-by-play), Don Meredith and O. J. Simpson (color commentators) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 2 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Two: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants – Game summary Sunday, September 9, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (1-1) 0 0 7 0 Giants (2-0) 14 7 7 0 The Meadowlands 75,921 66 degrees, relative humidity 69%, wind 13 mph Jerry Seeman CBS Jack Buck (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 3 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Three: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, September 16, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Eagles (1-2) 0 10 0 7 Cowboys (2-1) 3 10 10 0 Texas Stadium 64,521 69 degrees, relative humidity 49%, wind 13 mph Chuck Heberling CBS Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 4 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Four: Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, September 23, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Packers (1-3) 0 0 6 0 Cowboys (3-1) 7 6 0 7 Texas Stadium 64,222 80 degrees, relative humidity 67%, wind 11 mph Bob McElwee CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 5 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Five: Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears – Game summary Sunday, September 30, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (4-1) 10 7 3 3 Bears (3-2) 7 7 0 0 Soldier Field 63,623 44 degrees, relative humidity 64%, wind 7 mph Fred Wyant CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 6 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Six: St. Louis Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, October 7, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Cardinals (3-3) 7 7 17 0 Cowboys (4-2) 7 6 0 7 Texas Stadium 61,438 71 degrees, relative humidity 82%, wind 11 mph Dick Jorgensen CBS Frank Glieber (play-by-play) and Dick Vermeil (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 7 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Seven: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary Sunday, October 14, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Cowboys (4-3) 7 0 0 7 Redskins (5-2) 7 10 10 7 Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium 55,431 63 degrees, relative humidity 61%, wind 14 mph Jerry Markbreit CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 8 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Eight: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, October 21, 1984 9:45pm(ET) Saints (3-5) 0 17 10 0 0 Cowboys (5-3) 3 3 0 21 3 Texas Stadium 50,966 59 degrees, relative humidity 88%, wind 13 mph Pat Haggerty ABC Frank Gifford (play-by-play), Don Meredith and O. J. Simpson (color commentators) Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter Cowboys – Rafael Septién 37 yard field goal – NOS 0, Dal 3 Second quarter Saints – Tyrone Young 36 yard pass from Richard Todd (Morten Andersen kick) – NOS 7, Dal 3 Cowboys – Rafael Septién 27 yard field goal – NOS 7, Dal 6 Saints – Hokie Gajan 62 yard rush (Morten Andersen kick) – NOS 14, Dal 6 Saints – Morten Andersen 49 yard field goal – NOS 17, Dal 6 Third quarter Saints – Morten Andersen 50 yard field goal – NOS 20, Dal 6 Saints – Dirt Winston 43 yard interception return (Morten Andersen kick) – NOS 27, Dal 6 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Tony Dorsett 3 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – NOS 27, Dal 13 Cowboys – Mike Renfro 12 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – NOS 27, Dal 20 Cowboys – Jim Jeffcoat 0 yard fumble return (Rafael Septién kick) – NOS 27, Dal 27 Over Time Cowboys – Rafael Septién 41 yard field goal – NOS 27, Dal 30 Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Dal -6.0 Over/Under= 42.0(over) Dallas vs New Orleans – 1984 The 1984 season will not go down in Cowboys history as one they want to remember. Actually it's one of those seasons that should be forgotten. The Cowboys finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs. It was also the season that coach Tom Landry made the preseason decision to make Gary Hogeboom the starting quarterback over veteran Danny White. The Cowboys went into the game against the Saints with a 4-3 record. They started strong with their first drive of the game as Hogeboom drove them to the Saints 20 yard line before the drive stalled on a Hogeboom sack by Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson. Rafael Septién kicked a field goal and the Cowboys took a short lived 3-0 lead. Early in the second quarter the Saints punted and pinned the Cowboys on their own one yard line. The Cowboys were forced to punt after three plays and no yards gained. Danny White could only manage a 36 yard punt and the Saints took over on the Cowboys 39 yard line. Two plays later the Saints took the lead on a Richard Todd (Yes, the same Richard Todd who played for the Jets in the late 70s and early 80′s) to Tyrone Young 36 yard touchdown pass as Young streaked across the middle beating Everson Walls and Ron Fellows. The Saints went ahead 7-3. The Cowboys could only manage another Septién field goal before the Saints went back to work. The Saints alternated running backs in 1984. Their first back was Earl Campbell (67 yds rushing in the game) and they also had George Rodgers (52 yds rushing in the game). But it was fullback Hokie Gajan who took center stage in this game as he ran for 78 yards and a touchdown. His score came after Ed Jones got a hold of him in the backfield, but Gajan managed to break free and went untouched from that point and scored from 62 yards out. This gave the Saints a 14-6 lead with 2:54 left before halftime. Saints kicker Morten Anderson added a field goal at the end of the first half increasing the Saints lead to 17-6. Things would only get worse for the Cowboys in the third quarter. Morten Anderson kicked his second field goal of the game early in the third quarter. With the Saints leading 20-6 things went from bad to worse for the Cowboys as Hogeboom was intercepted by Dirt Winston who then returned it 43 yards for a Saints touchdown. The Saints now led 27-6. On the interception Hogeboom hit his wrist on a Saints helmet and forced him to the bench for the rest of the game. With the injury, it forced Danny White into the game. The entrance of White seemed to wake the Cowboys up. Early in the fourth quarter Cowboys special teams player Chuck McSwain blocked a Saints punt and the Cowboys recovered on the Saints three yard line. From there Tony Dorsett ran it in and got the Cowboys closer at 27-13. Late in the fourth quarter with only 3:59 to play Danny White threw a 12 yard touchdown pass to receiver Mike Renfro. This closed the Saints lead to 27-20. With 2:53 left in the game and veteran Kenny Stabler in at quarterback for the Saints because of Richard Todd's injury early in the fourth quarter, the Dallas defense made a stand. Stabler attempted to pass from his own nine yard line as Randy White came crashing through the line and sacked Stabler forcing a fumble. The ball rolled into the end zone where Jim Jeffcoat fought through a wild scramble of players and recovered the fumble for the touchdown. With the extra point the Cowboys tied the game at 27-27. The Cowboys actually got the ball back two more times in the final 1:20 of the game on two Stabler interceptions, but could not move the ball into scoring position. The game would go into overtime. The Cowboys won the coin toss in overtime. From their own 29 yard line Danny White attempted a pass to Tony Hill who was interfered with, which resulted in a 24 yard penalty. Then White completed a 15 yard pass to Renfro to set up Septién for the winning field. Septein kicked a 41 yard field goal to complete the comeback and the Cowboys won the game 30-27. The comeback was the Cowboys biggest in team history. "I always feel we can come back and win it", coach Tom Landry said. "Our guys found out how hard you have to work to win a football game." "I feel good about our team now, said Landry. Better than I felt all year. We just haven’t played with the tough emotion we played with in the fourth quarter. It may be the difference the rest of the season. I’ve been saying all along we have to play hard to win." "I thought all along I should start. But I don’t think because of the way Gary played I should start", White said. "I’d love to start to be back in there, where I should have been all along. But that's up to coach Landry. It meant a lot for my confidence." Week 9 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Nine: Indianapolis Colts at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, October 28, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Colts (3-6) 0 0 0 3 Cowboys (6-3) 0 13 3 6 Texas Stadium 58,724 67 degrees, relative humidity 71%, wind 10 mph Jim Tunney NBC Don Criqui (play-by-play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 10 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Ten: New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, November 4, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Giants (6-4) 6 0 7 6 Cowboys (6-4) 0 7 0 0 Texas Stadium 60,235 61 degrees, relative humidity 78%, wind 15 mph Gene Barth CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 11 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Eleven: Dallas Cowboys at St. Louis Cardinals – Game summary Sunday, November 11, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Cowboys (7-4) 7 10 0 7 Cardinals (6-5) 0 7 10 0 Busch Stadium 48,721 36 degrees, relative humidity 84%, wind 19 mph, wind chill 26 Gordon McCarter CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 12 In their first visit to Rich Stadium and first overall to Buffalo since 1971, the Cowboys lost for the first time in four meetings with the Bills. The teams did not meet again until Super Bowl XXVII. Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Twelve: Dallas Cowboys at Buffalo Bills – Game summary Sunday, November 18, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (7-5) 0 3 0 0 Bills (1-11) 7 0 0 7 Rich Stadium 74,391 38 degrees, relative humidity 70%, wind 17 mph, wind chill 29 Bob McElwee CBS Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 13 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Thirteen: New England Patriots at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Thursday, November 22, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Patriots (8-5) 3 0 0 14 Cowboys (8-5) 7 3 7 3 Texas Stadium 55,341 41 degrees, relative humidity 68%, wind 5 mph Dick Jorgensen NBC Dick Enberg (play-by-play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 14 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fourteen: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary Sunday, December 2, 1984 1:00pm(ET) Cowboys (9-5) 7 0 16 3 Eagles (5-8-1) 0 3 0 7 Veterans Stadium 66,322 40 degrees, relative humidity 61%, wind 7 mph Bob Frederic CBS Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Hank Stram (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 15 Dallas Cowboys 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Fifteen: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary Sunday, December 9, 1984 4:00pm(ET) Redskins (10-5) 0 6 17 7 Cowboys (9-6) 7 14 0 7 Texas Stadium 64,286 58 degrees, relative humidity 67%, wind 13 mph Tom Dooley CBS Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro-Football-Reference.com Week 16 Dallas Cowboys border:2px solid #c5ced6;text-align:center; autocollapse Week Sixteen: Dallas Cowboys at Miami Dolphins – Game summary Monday, December 17, 1984 9:00pm(ET) Cowboys (9-7) 0 0 7 14 Miami (14-2) 0 7 7 14 Orange Bowl 74,139 73 degrees, relative humidity 68%, wind 16 mph Pat Haggerty ABC Frank Gifford (play-by-play), Don Meredith and O. J. Simpson (color commentators) Pro-Football-Reference.com First quarter No Score Second quarter Dolphins – Mark Clayton 41 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) – Dal 0, Mia 7 Third quarter Dolphins – Bruce Hardy 3 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) – Dal 0, Mia 14 Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 1 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Dal 7, Mia 14 Fourth quarter Cowboys – Timmy Newsome 4 yard rush (Rafael Septién kick) – Dal 14, Mia 14 Dolphins – Mark Clayton 39 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) – Dal 14, Mia 21 Cowboys – Tony Hill 66 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septién kick) – Dal 21, Mia 21 Dolphins – Mark Clayton 63 yard pass from Dan Marino (Uwe von Schamann kick) – Dal 21, Mia 28 Cowboys Passing Danny White 20/34, 246 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Int, 66 Lng Rushing Tony Dorsett 19/58 Yds, O TD, 10 Lng Timmy Newsome 6/20 Yds, 2 TD, 7 Lng Receiving Tony Hill 6 Rec, 115 Yds, 1 TD, 66 Lng Doug Cosbie 5 Rec, 83 Yds, O TD, 25 Lng Tony Dorsett 6 Rec, 28 Yds, O TD, 14 Lng Dolphins Passing Dan Marino 23/40, 340 Yds, 4 TD, 2 Int, 63 Lng Rushing Tony Nathan 13/39 Yds, O TD, 15 Lng Woody Bennett 7/14 Yds, O TD, 6 Lng Receiving Mark Clayton 4 Rec, 150 Yds, 3 TD, 63 Lng Mark Duper 4 Rec, 57 Yds, O TD, 25 Lng Nat Moore 3 Rec, 47 Yds, O TD, 22 Lng Tony Nathan 7 Rec, 46 Yds, O TD, 15 Lng Tony Nathan 7 Rec, 46 Yds, O TD, 15 Lng Bruce Hardy 3 Rec, 25 Yds, 1 TD, 14 Lng Vegas Spread Vegas Line= Miami -6.5 Over/Under= 47.0(over) Standings Season recap The Cowboys announced that they would celebrate their 25th anniversary during the 1984 season under the theme "Silver Season". The sale of the franchise from the Murchison family to an 11-member limited partnership headed by Dallas businessman Harvey Roberts ("Bum") Bright was approved by NFL owners on March 19 and the sale was completed on May 18. Gary Hogeboom replaced Danny White as the starting quarterback in the preseason, and a quarterback controversy ensued throughout the season. After a 4–1 start, Hogeboom played poorly in losses to St. Louis and Washington, and was replaced by White in both games. The following week against New Orleans, White had to relieve Hogeboom again, this time after Hogeboom injured his right wrist early in the second half. White led the Cowboys to victory, overcoming a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter. White started the next two games, but after a poor performance by both quarterbacks against the Giants, Hogeboom regained the starting position. The constant change at quarterback didn't help the team's inconsistent play, and they reached their lowest point at Buffalo late in the season, suffering a humiliating 14–3 loss at the hands of the winless Bills. Afterwards, White would go on to start at quarterback for the rest of the season. Still, despite all the turmoil surrounding the Cowboys, they held a 9–5 record going into the season's final two weeks and were tied for the division lead. However, two heartbreaking losses to the Redskins (a game in which the Cowboys led 21–6 at halftime) and Dolphins ended the Cowboys' string of postseason appearances at nine. The Cowboys perennially potent offense fell into disarray during the 1984 season. The offensive line was ravaged by injury and retirement, and Cowboy quarterbacks were under duress all season. The line also struggled to open holes for the running game, despite another productive season from running back Tony Dorsett, who rushed for 1,189 yards. Turnovers were another source of frustration, as the offense turned it over 42 times. The defense once again featured a strong pass rush, led by perennial all-pro defensive tackle Randy White, as well as an opportunistic secondary, with safety Michael Downs leading the way with seven interceptions. However, stopping the run was a problem throughout the season, as the defense allowed 4.4 yards per carry. Awards The Cowboys had three players represent them in the Pro Bowl: Randy White, Doug Cosbie, and Bill Bates, who became the first player to be chosen for the Pro Bowl for outstanding play on special teams coverage units.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=19850128&id=xu8hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nNUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2554,2167995&hl=es The Nevada Daily Mail - Búsqueda en el archivo de Google Noticias White was named to the associated press' All-NFL first team for his play at defensive tackle, while safety Michael Downs was named second team All-NFL, despite being overlooked for the pro bowl. 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 1984 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Dallas Cowboys 1984 season https://web.archive.org/web/20130313170628/http://www.dallascowboys.com/team/history/1984-dallas-cowboys.html 2013-03-13 Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Dallas Dallas