1981 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1981

1981 NFL season

The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...

 Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 season was their 22nd in the league

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

. The team matched their previous output

1980 Dallas Cowboys season

The 1980 Dallas Cowboys season was their 21st in the league. The team improved their previous output of 11–5, winning twelve games. They qualified for the playoffs, but lost in the Conference Championship....

 of 12–4. They lost the Conference Championship game for the second straight season.

The season began with four straight victories, followed by two losses (including a surprising 45–14 blowout loss to the 49ers in week six). The Cowboys rebounded to win 8 of their 9 games to clinch the NFC East but had to settle for the conference's number two seed behind the 49ers.

The Cowboys easily defeated Tampa Bay in the divisional playoff to earn a rematch with the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. The game was much closer this time, and the Cowboys still held a 27–21 lead with less than a minute to play. However, Joe Montana led a late drive and hit Dwight Clark in the famous "Catch" to give San Francisco a 28–27 victory.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
1	September 6, 1981	at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...	W 26–10	55,045
2	September 13, 1981	St. Louis Cardinals	W 30–17	63,602
3	September 21, 1981	at New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...	W 35–21	60,311
4	September 27, 1981	New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 18–10	63,449
5	October 4, 1981	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 20–17	49,477
6	October 11, 1981	at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	L 45–14	57,574
7	October 18, 1981	Los Angeles Rams St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...	W 29–17	64,649
8	October 25, 1981	Miami Dolphins Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 28–27	64,221
9	November 1, 1981	at Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 17–14	72,111
10	November 9, 1981	Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 27–14	62,583
11	November 15, 1981	at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...	L 27–24	79,694
12	November 22, 1981	Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...	W 24–10	64,587
13	November 26, 1981	Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 10–9	63,499
14	December 6, 1981	at Baltimore Colts History of the Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....	W 37–13	54,871
15	December 13, 1981	Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	W 21–10	64,955
16	December 19, 1981	at New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	L 13–10	73,009

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Attendance
Divisional	January 2, 1982	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...	W 38–0	64,848
Conference	January 10, 1982	at San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...	L 28–27	60,525

Standings

NFC East NFC East The NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins....
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	367	277	L-1
Philadelphia Eagles 1981 Philadelphia Eagles season The 1981 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in an appearance in the postseason.-Offseason:After going 12–4 and winning the NFC title and losing in Super Bowl XV to the Oakland Raiders in the 1980 season the Eagles would be picking next to last in the 12 rounds of the draft-1981 NFL Draft:The 1981...	10	6	0	.625	368	221	W-1
New York Giants 1981 New York Giants season The 1981 New York Giants season was the 57th season for the club in the National Football League. The Giants qualified for the playoffs for the first time in 18 years with a 9–7 record, which placed them third in the National Football Conference East Division...	9	7	0	.563	295	257	W-3
Washington Redskins 1981 Washington Redskins season The 1981 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 6-10 record from 1980. This was Joe Gibbs' first season as Head Coach.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:...	8	8	0	.500	347	349	W-3
St. Louis Cardinals 1981 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season The 1981 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 62nd season the team was in the league. The team improved on their previous output of 5-11, winning seven games. Despite the improvement the team failed - for the sixth consecutive season - to reach the playoffs, ....	7	9	0	.438	315	408	L-2

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1981 roster
Quarterbacks 18 Glenn Carano Glenn Carano Glenn Thomas Carano is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys for seven seasons... 14 Gary Hogeboom Gary Hogeboom Gary Keith Hogeboom is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League and a contestant on the CBS reality TV show Survivor: Guatemala.-Career:... 11 Danny White Danny White Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...  P Running Backs 33 Tony Dorsett Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:... 23 James Jones James Jones (running back b. 1958) James Jones, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League for six seasons in the 1980s. Jones played college football for Mississippi State University, and thereafter, he played professionally for the...  RS 44 Robert Newhouse Robert Newhouse Robert Fulton Newhouse is a former professional American football player in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys .-College career:...  FB 30 Timmy Newsome Timmy Newsome Timothy Arthur Newsome is a former American football fullback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1980 to 1988.-Early days:...  RB/FB 20 Ron Springs Ron Springs Ronald Edward "Ron" Springs was a professional American football running back, who played eight seasons in the NFL, for the Dallas Cowboys from 1979–1984, followed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1985-1986. He is the father of NFL cornerback Shawn Springs...  FB Wide Receivers 83 Doug Donley Doug Donley Douglas Max Donley is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys between 1981 and 1984. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted in the second round of the 1981 NFL Draft.-References:... 80 Tony Hill Tony Hill (American football) Leroy Anthony Hill, Jr. is a former professional American football wide receiver who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1977 to 1986... 86 Butch Johnson Butch Johnson Richard Andrew Johnson is an archer from Woodstock, Connecticut in the United States. He has competed in the Summer Olympics five times, and was a part of the gold medal U.S. team at the 1996 Olympics and the bronze medal U.S... 88 Drew Pearson Drew Pearson (American football) Drew Pearson is a sportscaster and former American football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League.-Early years:... Tight Ends 84 Doug Cosbie Doug Cosbie Douglas Durant Cosbie is a former professional American football player in the National Football League who was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round of the 1979 NFL Draft. A 6'6", 236-lb. tight end from Santa Clara University, Cosbie played his entire NFL career for the Cowboys from... 89 Billy Joe DuPree Billy Joe Dupree Billy Joe DuPree is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League who played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:DuPree was born and reared in Monroe, Louisiana... 87 Jay Saldi Jay Saldi John Jay Saldi, IV is a former professional American football tight end in the National Football League. Saldi played for nine seasons from 1976-1984 for the Dallas Cowboys and the Chicago Bears...		Offensive Linemen 61 Jim Cooper Jim Cooper James Hayes Shofner "Jim" Cooper is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party and the Blue Dog Coalition. He previously represented from 1983 to 1995....  T/C 67 Pat Donovan T 71 Andy Frederick Andy Frederick Andrew Brian Frederick is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at the University of New Mexico and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1977 NFL Draft....  T 65 Kurt Petersen Kurt Petersen Kurt David Petersen is a former professional American football player who played guard for eight seasons for the Dallas Cowboys....  G 64 Tom Rafferty Tom Rafferty Thomas Michael Rafferty is a former American football offensive lineman in the NFL. He attended Fayetteville-Manlius High School in Manlius, New York, and went on to start four years for coach Joe Paterno at Penn State University earning All-American honors in 1975.-Early years:Rafferty attended...  C/G 70 Howard Richards Howard Richards Howard Glenn Richards, Jr. is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League. Richards was selected in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys out of the University of Missouri in the 1981 NFL Draft, 26th overall... G 68 Herbert Scott Herbert Scott Herbert Carnell Scott is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League...  G 63 Glen Titensor Glen Titensor Glen Weston Titensor is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League... C/G 73 Steve Wright Steve Wright (offensive lineman) Stephen Hough Wright is a former American football offensive tackle and offensive guard. A 1977 graduate of Wayzata High School, he played college football at Northern Iowa and then played ten professional seasons for four teams from 1981–1992... T Defensive Linemen 76 Larry Bethea Larry Bethea Larry Bethea was an American football defensive lineman who played six years in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He later played for the Michigan Panthers, Oakland Invaders and Houston Gamblers of the United States Football League...  DT 78 John Dutton John Dutton (defensive lineman) John Owen Dutton is a former professional football player, a defensive lineman in the NFL with the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys...  DT 72 Ed Jones Ed Jones (American football) Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football player in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. By the end of his 15 years with the Cowboys, he was officially credited with 57 quarterback sacks. Unofficially, his career sack total is 106...  DE 79 Harvey Martin Harvey Martin Harvey Banks Martin was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends'...  DE 77 Bruce Thornton Bruce Thornton (defensive lineman) Bruce Edward Thornton is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the St. Louis Cardinals. He played college football for the University of Illinois and was drafted in the eighth round of the 1979 NFL Draft...  DE 54 Randy White Randy White (American football) Randall Lee "Randy" White is a former American football defensive lineman and linebacker. He attended the University of Maryland from 1971 to 1974, and played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame...  DT		Linebackers 53 Bob Breunig Bob Breunig Robert Paul Breunig is a former American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League from 1975 to 1984...  MLB 59 Guy Brown OLB 51 Anthony Dickerson Anthony Dickerson Anthony Charles Dickerson was an American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills...  OLB 58 Mike Hegman Mike Hegman Michael William Hegman is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Tennessee State University....  OLB 57 Angelo King Angelo King Angelo King was a professional American football player who played linebacker for seven seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.-References:... MLB/OLB 50 D. D. Lewis OLB 55 Danny Spradlin MLB Defensive Backs 31 Benny Barnes Benny Barnes Benny Jewell Barnes is a former American Football cornerback who played eleven seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys...  SS/CB 26 Michael Downs Michael Downs Michael Lynn Downs is a former American football safety in the NFL, having played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Phoenix Cardinals . He is a 1977 graduate of South Oak Cliff High School in Dallas.... FS 27 Ron Fellows Ron Fellows (American football) Ronald Lee Fellows is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League, having played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Raiders.-College career:... CB 32 Dennis Thurman Dennis Thurman Dennis Lee Thurman is a retired American football cornerback in the National Football League.- Early life :...  CB 24 Everson Walls Everson Walls Everson Collins Walls is a former American football cornerback in the NFL, having played for the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Giants, and the Cleveland Browns. During his 14 seasons, he was a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He was also a 3-time All-Pro selection... CB 41 Charlie Waters Charlie Waters Charlie Tutan Waters is a former American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys from 1970-1981 in the National Football League...  SS 45 Steve Wilson Steve Wilson (defensive back) Steven Anthony Wilson is a former American football defensive back who played for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos from 1979 to 1988. Wilson started for the Broncos in Super Bowl XXII. He played college football at Howard University in Washington, DC...  CB/WR Special Teams  1 Rafael Septien Rafael Septien Jose Rafael Septien was a Mexican placekicker in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1978 through 1986. He was the leading scorer for the Cowboys those nine years... K		Reserve Lists Currently vacant Rookies in italics 45 Active, 0 Inactive