2002 Dallas Cowboys season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 Dallas Cowboys 2002 5–11 4th NFC East Dave Campo Jerry Jones Jerry Jones Texas Stadium Did not qualify La'Roi Glover DT La'Roi Glover (2nd team) Cowboys seasons File:Dallas Cowboys Uniforms 2013-2014.png The 2002 Dallas Cowboys season was the 43rd season for the team in the National Football League (NFL) and the third and final under head coach Dave Campo. It was Emmitt Smith's 13th and final season with the team, officially marking the end of the famed "triplets" tenure in Dallas after wide receiver Michael Irvin was forced to retire prematurely after the 1999 season and quarterback Troy Aikman retired prior to the start of the 2001 season. All three players would eventually be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was also the last of three consecutive 5–11 finishes for the Cowboys, which began in 2000. Texas Stadium also saw new RealGrass Turf surface by week 5, replacing the AstroTurf. The Cowboys' 5–11 record meant that they were the only NFL team operational from 2000 to 2002 that did not win more than 5 games in a season and would not have another consecutive losing seasons until 2024 and 2025. Offseason Additions SubtractionsTE Tony McGee (Bengals) QB Ryan Leaf (Seahawks/Retirement)LB Kevin Hardy (Jaguars) LS Mike Solwold (Buccaneers)DT La'Roi Glover (Saints) WR Darrin Chiaverini (Falcons)WR Darnay Scott (Bengals) FS Izell Reese (Broncos) C Mark Stepnoski (retirement) Despite an off-season filled with promise, the season would again prove to be a disaster. Former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and head coach Bruce Coslet was brought in to run the offense for Dallas. Even though he had been dismissed by Cincinnati, his history of high-powered offenses while running the Bill Walsh–style West Coast offense provided hope for the Cowboys. A promising draft which included former Oklahoma Sooners All-American selection safety Roy Williams in the first round and the free agent addition of Pro Bowl defensive tackle La'Roi Glover provided even more hope for weary Cowboys fans. The team was also covered throughout training camp and featured on the HBO series Hard Knocks with a strong emphasis on the anticipation of running back Emmitt Smith's road to the NFL's all-time rushing record. 2002 expansion draft 2002 NFL expansion draft + Dallas Cowboys selected during the expansion draft Round Overall Name Position Expansion team—19Johnny HugginsTight endHouston Texans 2002 draft class 2002 NFL draft 2002 Dallas Cowboys 1 8 Roy Williams S Oklahoma yes yes 2 37 Andre Gurode C Colorado yes yes 2 63 Antonio Bryant WR Pittsburgh yes 3 75 Derek Ross CB Ohio State yes 4 129 Jamar Martin FB Ohio State yes 5 168 Pete Hunter DB Virginia Union yes 6 179 Tyson Walter G Ohio State yes 6 208 Deveren Johnson WR Sacred Heart compensatory 6 211 Bob Slowikowski TE Virginia Tech compensatory Notes The Cowboys traded their original first-round (No. 6 overall) selection to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for first (No. 8 overall) and third-round (No. 75 overall) selections, and a 2003 sixth-round (No. 186 overall) selection. The Cowboys traded their original third (No. 72 overall), fourth (No. 104 overall) and fifth-round (No. 140 overall) selections to the Chicago Bears in exchange for second (No. 63 overall) and fourth-round (No. 129 overall) selections. The Cowboys traded return man Jeff Ogden to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round (No. 237 overall) selection. The Cowboys traded their seventh-round (No. 237 overall) and 2003 fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round (No. 168 overall) selection. The Cowboys traded their 2001 fourth-round (No. 102 overall) and 2002 seventh-round (No. 217 overall) selections to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for tight end O.J. Santiago. http://www.prosportstransactions.com/football/DraftTrades/Years/2002.htm 2002 NFL Draft Pick Transactions ProSportsTransactions.com Undrafted free agents + 2002 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeDaShawn Abram CornerbackWyomingDarius BryantDefensive TackleNC StateKhary CampbellLinebackerBowling GreenSam ClemonsQuarterbackWestern IllinoisBilly CundiffPlacekickerDrakeWoodrow DantzlerRunning backClemsonKeith DavisSafetySam Houston StateKevin DeRondeDefensive EndIowa StateFilip FilipovićPunterSouth DakotaEnnis HaywoodRunning backIowa StateChad HutchinsonQuarterbackStanfordRay RobinsonRunning backNC StateJoey SlatenTackleSMU Personnel Staff 2002 Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager – Jerry Jones COO, Director of Player Personnel, and Executive Vice President – Stephen Jones Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Vice President, and General Counsel – Jerry Jones, Jr. Assistant Director Player Personnel – Todd Williams Director of Football Operations – Bruce Mays Director of College and Pro Scouting – Larry Lancewell Head coach – Dave Campo Offensive coordinator – Bruce Coslet Quarterbacks – Wade Wilson Running backs – Galen Hall Wide receivers – Wes Chandler Tight ends – Greg Seamon Offensive line – Frank Verducci Defensive coordinator – Mike Zimmer Defensive nickel Package/Assistant – Bill Bates Linebackers – Gary Gibbs Secondary – Clancy Pendergast Defensive ends – Jim Jeffcoat Defensive tackle – Andre Patterson Special teams – Joe Avezzano Kickers/Quality Control – Steve Hoffman Strength and conditioning – Joe Juraszek Assistant Strength and conditioning – Tony Ollison Assistant Strength and conditioning – Bennie Wylie Media Guide Dallas Cowboys http://media.dallascowboys.com/media-guide/2002-media-guide.tekdownload Dallas Cowboys June 13, 2018 June 13, 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20180613084557/http://media.dallascowboys.com/media-guide/2002-media-guide.tekdownload dead Roster Dallas Cowboys 2002 roster Quarterbacks 17 Quincy Carter  7 Chad Hutchinson  5 Clint Stoerner Running backs 29 Woody Dantzler KR 42 Troy Hambrick 35 Jason McKie FB 22 Emmitt Smith 44 Robert Thomas FB 32 Michael Wiley Wide receivers 88 Antonio Bryant 84 Joey Galloway PR 87 Ken-Yon Rambo KR 85 Darnay Scott 80 Reggie Swinton KR/PR 89 Randal Williams Tight ends 86 Mike Lucky 82 Tony McGee 83 James Whalen Offensive linemen 76 Flozell Adams T 70 Javiar Collins T 65 Andre Gurode G 68 Matt Lehr C/G 77 Solomon Page G/T 69 Ross Tucker G 78 Kurt Vollers T 71 Tyson Walter C Defensive linemen 96 Ebenezer Ekuban DE 98 Greg Ellis DE 92 Demetric Evans DE 97 La'Roi Glover DT 94 Michael Myers DT 60 John Nix DT 75 Brandon Noble DT 64 Daleroy Stewart DT 95 Colston Weatherington DE 93 Peppi Zellner DELinebackers 52 Dexter Coakley OLB 51 Kevin Hardy OLB 57 Louis Mackey OLB 59 Dat Nguyen MLB 55 Markus Steele MLB Defensive backs 40 Keith Davis FS 24 Tony Dixon SS 27 Mario Edwards CB 23 Dwayne Goodrich CB 47 Pete Hunter CB 25 Jermaine Jones CB 20 Derek Ross CB 21 Lynn Scott SS 31 Roy Williams FS Special teams  3 Billy Cundiff K 10 Filip Filipović P 58 Jeff Grau LSReserve lists 73 Larry Allen G (IR) 10px 50 Jamal Brooks LB (IR) 10px 67 Dan Collins G (IR) 10px 81 Rocket Ismail WR (IR) 10px 15 Anthony Lucas WR (IR) 10px 34 Jamar Martin FB (IR) 10px 79 Marques McFadden G/T (IR) 10px 66 Jeremy McKinney G (NF-Inj.) 10px 48 Jeff Robinson LS/TE (IR) 10px 45 Bob Slowikowski TE (IR) 10px 28 Darren Woodson S (IR) 10px Practice squad 26 Markese Fitzgerald CB 46 Ennis Haywood RB 13 Deveren Johnson WR 90 Derrius Monroe DE 72 Dave Volk T Rookies in italics 53 active, 11 inactive, 5 practice squad Regular season The air was immediately let out of the Cowboys' balloon in the opening regular-season contest which saw the team lose to first-year expansion team and new cross-state rival, the Houston Texans. Though quarterback Quincy Carter again opened the season as the starter, he was eventually benched in favor of newly signed Chad Hutchinson who, until that year, had been a pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals after leaving Stanford as a two-sport star. Many believed that owner Jerry Jones pressured head coach Dave Campo into starting Hutchinson much too early, due in part to the large signing bonus Jones paid to acquire the quarterback. Regardless, neither quarterback proved effective and the team once again spiraled towards a losing season. It is believed 2002 was the first time an NFL franchise had five African American starters on their offensive line, when the Cowboys lined up rookie center Andre Gurode, tackles Flozell Adams and Solomon Page, guards Larry Allen and Kelvin Garmon.http://a.espncdn.com/nfl/columns/pasquarelli_len/1417470.html Color barrier on offensive line disappearing Len Pasquarelli August 13, 2002 ESPN March 26, 2022 The Cowboys kept making NFL history on October 27 at home against the Seattle Seahawks. Despite a close loss, Emmitt Smith broke the all-time career yardage rushing record previously held by Walter Payton.Numbelievable!, p. 159, Michael X. Ferraro and John Veneziano, Triumph Books, Chicago, Illinois, 2007, 978-1-57243-990-0 The game was stopped momentarily in recognition of the moment, allowing an emotional Smith to briefly celebrate with teammates both current and past who attended the game, as well as members of Payton's family. Smith later scored the 125th rushing touchdown of his career on the same drive. The milestone moment would provide the lone bright spot of the year for the team and Smith, who failed to reach the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season for the first time in his career since his rookie season of 1990. Overshadowed by the NFL rushing landmark, safety Darren Woodson quietly became the Cowboys' all-time leading tackler. During a late-season loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, reports began to surface that owner Jerry Jones had secretly met with Bill Parcells, the former head coach of the New York Giants, New England Patriots and New York Jets, about the Cowboys' head-coaching position, on board Jones's private jet. Though this would prove to be a critical move to the Cowboys' future success, it was nonetheless embarrassing for current head coach Dave Campo, who had received no word that any potential moves were pending, and Jones was roundly criticized for the incident. On-field ineptitude and off-field controversy once again led to a 5–11 season, the team's third consecutive such finish. Dave Campo was predictably dismissed after the season and would be the last head coach to have multiple losing seasons until Mike McCarthy in 2020 and 2024. Notable additions to the team included wide receiver Antonio Bryant and center Andre Gurode. Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Venue Attendance Record 1 September 8 at Houston Texans L 10–19 Reliant Stadium 69,604 0–1 2 September 15 Tennessee Titans W 21–13 Texas Stadium 62,527 1–1 3 September 22 at Philadelphia Eagles L 13–44 Veterans Stadium 65,537 1–2 4 September 29 at St. Louis Rams W 13–10 Edward Jones Dome 66,165 2–2 5 October 6 New York Giants L 17–21 Texas Stadium 63,447 2–3 6 October 13 Carolina Panthers W 14–13 Texas Stadium 61,773 3–3 7 October 20 at Arizona Cardinals L 6–9 (OT) Sun Devil Stadium 59,702 3–4 8 October 27 Seattle Seahawks L 14–17 Texas Stadium 63,854 3–5 9 November 3 at Detroit Lions L 7–9 Ford Field 61,789 3–6 10 Bye 11 November 17 at Indianapolis Colts L 3–20 RCA Dome 57,057 3–7 12 November 24 Jacksonville Jaguars W 21–19 Texas Stadium 62,204 4–7 13 November 28 Washington Redskins W 27–20 Texas Stadium 63,606 5–7 14 December 8 San Francisco 49ers L 27–31 Texas Stadium 64,097 5–8 15 December 15 at New York Giants L 7–37 Giants Stadium 78,698 5–9 16 December 21 Philadelphia Eagles L 3–27 Texas Stadium 63,209 5–10 17 December 29 at Washington Redskins L 14–20 FedExField 84,142 5–11 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 2: vs. Tennessee Titans Dallas Cowboys 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 2: Tennessee Titans at Dallas Cowboys Titans 7 3 0 3 Cowboys 0 7 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas September 15, 2002 12:00 PM Cloudy skies, 81 F C 1 CBS Kevin Harlan, Randy Cross, Beasley Reece Ed Hochuli (85) 62,527 Recap, Game Book First quarter' TEN – Frank Wycheck 1-yard pass from Steve McNair (Joe Nedney kick), 0:00. Titans 7-0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 8:27. Second quarter DAL – Tony McGee 17-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 12:00. Tied 7-7. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 3:00. TEN – Joe Nedney 37-yard field goal, 5:31. Titans 10-7. Drive: 13 plays, 55 yards, 6:29. Third quarter DAL – Dexter Coakley 52-yard interception return (Billy Cundiff kick), 3:10. Cowboys 14-10. Fourth quarter DAL – Joey Galloway 38-yard pass from Quincy Carter (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:25. Cowboys 21-10. Drive: 7 plays, 95 yards, 3:22. TEN – Joe Nedney 53-yard field goal, 5:18. Cowboys 21-13. Drive: 8 plays, 28 yards, 2:36. Top passers TEN – Steve McNair – 20/38, 226 yards, TD, INT DAL – Quincy Carter – 14/24, 240 yards, 2 TD Top rushers TEN – Eddie George – 19 rushes, 65 yards DAL – Emmitt Smith – 18 rushes, 59 yards Top receivers TEN – Derrick Mason – 7 receptions, 118 yards DAL – Joey Galloway – 5 receptions, 88 yards, TD Week 7: at Arizona Cardinals Dallas Cowboys 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 7: Dallas Cowboys (3–3) at Arizona Cardinals (3–2) – Game summary October 20 2:15 p.m. MST Cowboys 0 0 6 0 0 Cardinals 3 3 0 0 3 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 59,702 81 F C Dick Hantak FOX Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger, Kevin McCabe Box Score First quarter ARI – Bill Gramática 41-yard field goal, 10:50. Cardinals 3–0. Second quarter ARI – Bill Gramática 23-yard field goal, 0:00. Cardinals 6–0. Third quarter DAL – Antonio Bryant 78-yard pass from Quincy Carter (kick failed), 7:50. Tied 6–6. Fourth quarter No scoring plays Overtime ARI – Bill Gramática 40-yard field goal, 3:10. Cardinals 9–6. Top passers DAL – Quincy Carter – 13/22, 202 yards, TD, 4 INT ARI – Jake Plummer – 23/46, 232 yards Top rushers DAL – Emmitt Smith – 22 rushes, 82 yards ARI – Thomas Jones – 22 rushes, 68 yards Top receivers DAL – Antonio Bryant – 3 receptions, 96 yards, TD ARI – David Boston – 6 receptions, 110 yards Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers DAL – 202 – 148 – 342 – 4 ARI – 232 – 152 – 380 – 1 Week 8: vs. Seattle Seahawks Dallas Cowboys 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 8: Seattle Seahawks (1–5) at Dallas Cowboys (3–4) – Game summary October 27 12:04pm local Seahawks 0 7 0 10 Cowboys 0 0 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 63,854 cloudy, 60 °F °C, 96% humidity, wind calm Mike Carey Fox Pat Summerall, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver Gamecenter, Gamebook First quarter No scoring plays Second quarter SEA – Shaun Alexander 2-yard run (Rian Lindell kick), 0:12 (SEA 7–0) Third quarter DAL – Joey Galloway 39-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 0:26 (Tied 7–7) Fourth quarter SEA – Shaun Alexander 5-yard run (Rian Lindell kick), 10:16 (SEA 14–7) DAL – Emmitt Smith 1-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 5:35 (Tied 14–14) SEA – Rian Lindell 20-yard field goal, 0:25 (SEA 17–14) Top passers SEA – Matt Hasselbeck: 12/19, 131 yds, 1 INT DAL – Chad Hutchinson: 12/24, 145 yds, 1 TD Top rushers SEA – Shaun Alexander: 23 car, 58 yds, 2 TD DAL – Emmitt Smith: 24 car, 109 yds, 1 TD Top receivers SEA – Bobby Engram: 6 rec, 69 yds DAL – Joey Galloway: 4 rec, 62 yds, 1 TD Team – pass passing yards – rush rushing yards – total total yards – to turnovers SEA – 170 – 97 – 267 – 2 DAL – 132 – 105 – 237 – 1 Week 9: at Detroit Lions Dallas Cowboys 2002 2;text-align:center; autocollapse Week 9: Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions Cowboys 0 0 0 7 Lions 0 0 6 3 Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan November 3, 2002 1:00 pm None (indoor stadium) Fox Pat Summerall, Brian Baldinger Walt Coleman (65) 64,013 Recap, Game Book First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter No scoring plays. Third quarter DET – Jason Hanson 42-yard field goal, 12:06. Lions 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, -7 yards, 2:08. DET – Jason Hanson 44-yard field goal, 6:09. Lions 6–0. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 2:27. Fourth quarter DAL – Troy Hambrick 3-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 7:42. Cowboys 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:06. DET – Jason Hanson 43-yard field goal, 0:48. Lions 9–7. Drive: 9 plays, 38 yards, 2:59. Top passers DAL – Chad Hutchinson – 22/39, 208 yards DET – Joey Harrington – 14/33, 104 yards, 2 INT Top rushers DAL – Emmitt Smith – 16 rushes, 39 yards DET – James Stewart – 19 rushes, 50 yards Top receivers DAL – Joey Galloway – 6 receptions, 56 yards DET – James Stewart – 4 receptions, 41 yards Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 2002 Jacksonville Jaguars season Dallas Cowboys 2002 2; text-align:center collapsed Jacksonville Jaguars at Dallas Cowboys November 24, 2002 12:00 p.m. CST Jaguars 0 5 0 14 Cowboys 0 7 7 7 Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas 62,204 Partly Cloudy, 63 F C Larry Nemmers CBS Don Criqui and Steve Tasker Recap, Game Book First quarter No scoring plays. Second quarter JAX – Ross Tucker tackled in the end zone by Rob Meier for a safety, 10:18. Jaguars 2–0. DAL – Joey Galloway 43-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 2:17. Cowboys 7–2. Drive: 4 plays, 69 yards, 2:12. JAX – Tim Seder 31-yard field goal, 0:00. Cowboys 7–5. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2:17. Third quarter DAL – Emmitt Smith 1-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), 4:15. Cowboys 14–5. Drive: 13 plays, 99 yards, 7:05. Fourth quarter JAX – Stacey Mack 3-yard run (Tim Seder kick), 14:16. Cowboys 14–12. Drive: 8 plays, 38 yards, 3:36. DAL – Joey Galloway 11-yard pass from Chad Hutchinson (Billy Cundiff kick), 11:09. Cowboys 21–12. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 3:07. JAX – Kevin Lockett 8-yard pass from Mark Brunell (Tim Seder kick), 1:54. Cowboys 21–19. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 1:44. Top passers JAX – Mark Brunell – 22/40, 202 yards, TD, INT DAL – Chad Hutchinson – 16/24, 301 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT Top rushers JAX – Fred Taylor – 20 rushes, 100 yards DAL – Emmitt Smith – 20 rushes, 73 yards, 1 TD Top receivers JAX – Jimmy Smith – 13 receptions, 90 yards DAL – Joey Galloway – 9 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD Standings Division Conference Awards and records Darren Woodson, Athletes in Action/Bart Starr Award 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 2002 Dallas Cowboys Pro Football Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys Official Site Category:Dallas Cowboys seasons Dallas Dallas Category:Hard Knocks (documentary series)