1998 Dallas Cowboys season
Encyclopedia
The 1998 Dallas Cowboys
season would mark their 39th in the NFL and team owner Jerry Jones
would hire former Pittsburgh Steelers
offensive coordinator
Chan Gailey
to be the fourth head coach
of the Dallas Cowboys franchise.
Emmitt Smith
. The trio of Smith, Troy Aikman
, and Michael Irvin
helped the Cowboys be the first ever NFC East team to sweep their division en route to capturing the NFC East
title, the team's sixth of the 90's. The Cowboys would later encounter the Arizona Cardinals
for the third time that season in the NFC Wild Card Game, but would lose in a stunning upset in the first round at Texas Stadium
. Ironically, Cornerback
Deion Sanders
would suffer an injury to his toe in a regular season victory over Arizona and made a surprise return against the same team in the playoff loss. It was an outstanding season for Sanders, who played so well on defense and special teams during a win over the New York Giants that a "primetime" award for him.
Troy Aikman was injured in a week two loss at Denver and missed the next 5 games. Jason Garrett started all games during Aikman's absence and went 3–2 as the starting quarterback.
Notable additions to the team that year include defensive end
Greg Ellis and offensive tackle Flozell Adams
.
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 would mark their 39th in the NFL and team owner Jerry Jones
Jerry Jones
Jerral "Jerry" Wayne Jones is the owner and general manager of the NFL team, the Dallas Cowboys.-Early life:Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. His family moved to North Little Rock, Arkansas when he was an infant. Jones was a star running back at North Little Rock High School...
would hire former Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...
Chan Gailey
Chan Gailey
Thomas Chandler "Chan" Gailey, Jr. is an American professional and college football coach. Gailey is the current head coach of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League ; he was formerly the head coach of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets college football...
to be the fourth head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
of the Dallas Cowboys franchise.
Regular season
Gailey would revitalize the Cowboys offense, particularly the running game, which had seen a recent decline despite the presence of running backRunning back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith, III is a retired American football player who was a running back in the National Football League for fifteen seasons during the 1990s and 2000s. Smith played college football for the University of Florida, where he was an All-American; thereafter, he played professionally for...
. The trio of Smith, Troy Aikman
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman is a former American football quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League. The number one overall draft pick in 1989, Aikman played twelve consecutive seasons as quarterback with the Cowboys...
, and Michael Irvin
Michael Irvin
Michael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
helped the Cowboys be the first ever NFC East team to sweep their division en route to capturing the 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....
title, the team's sixth of the 90's. The Cowboys would later encounter the Arizona Cardinals
1998 Arizona Cardinals season
The 1998 Arizona Cardinals season was the Cardinals 11th season in Arizona. The club appeared in the postseason for the first time since the 1982 season and won its first postseason game since 1947....
for the third time that season in the NFC Wild Card Game, but would lose in a stunning upset in the first round at Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium
Texas Stadium was a football stadium in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it was the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, and had a seating capacity of 65,675...
. Ironically, Cornerback
Cornerback
A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
Deion Sanders
Deion Sanders
Deion Luwynn Sanders , nicknamed "Prime Time" and "Neon Deion", is a former National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder who currently works as an NFL Network analyst...
would suffer an injury to his toe in a regular season victory over Arizona and made a surprise return against the same team in the playoff loss. It was an outstanding season for Sanders, who played so well on defense and special teams during a win over the New York Giants that a "primetime" award for him.
Troy Aikman was injured in a week two loss at Denver and missed the next 5 games. Jason Garrett started all games during Aikman's absence and went 3–2 as the starting quarterback.
Notable additions to the team that year include defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Greg Ellis and offensive tackle Flozell Adams
Flozell Adams
Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State....
.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | TV Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 6, 1998 | Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 38–10 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 2 | September 13, 1998 | at Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 42–23 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 3 | September 21, 1998 | 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... |
W 31–7 | ABC 9:00pm | |
| 4 | September 27, 1998 | Oakland Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 13–12 | CBS 4:15pm | |
| 5 | October 4, 1998 | 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 31–10 | FOX 1:00pm | |
| 6 | October 11, 1998 | Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion... |
W 27–20 | FOX 1:00pm | |
| 7 | October 18, 1998 | at 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... |
L 13–12 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||
| 9 | November 2, 1998 | 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 34–0 | ABC 9:00pm | |
| 10 | November 8, 1998 | 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 16–6 | FOX 1:00pm | |
| 11 | November 15, 1998 | at Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 35–28 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 12 | November 22, 1998 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 30–22 | CBS 1:00pm | |
| 13 | November 26, 1998 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
L 46–36 | FOX 4:00pm | |
| 14 | December 6, 1998 | at New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League .... |
L 22–3 | FOX 1:00pm | |
| 15 | December 13, 1998 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 20–17 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 16 | December 20, 1998 | 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 13–9 | FOX 4:15pm | |
| 17 | December 27, 1998 | 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 23–7 | ESPN 8:15pm | |
Roster
| Dallas Cowboys 1998 roster | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
|
Offensive Linemen
Flozell Adams Flozell "The Hotel" Adams is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State.... G/T Larry Allen Larry Christopher Allen, Sr. is a former American football guard of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of the 1994 NFL Draft... T/G Tony Hutson Tony Hutson is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.... G/T Mike Kiselak Michael John Kiselak was an American football player who played center for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he was an All-Star and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award in 1996 and 1997... C Nate Newton Nathaniel Newton is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Carolina Panthers . He also played for the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League, in 1984 and 1985... G Oliver Ross Oliver Calvin Ross is an American football offensive lineman who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fifth round of the 1998 NFL Draft... G/T Clay Shiver Spencer Clay Shiver is a former professional American football player who played offensive lineman for three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and one season for the Carolina Panthers.... C Erik Williams Erik George Williams is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League who played most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys . He played college football at Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, where he was an NAIA All-American offensive lineman. Williams was... T Defensive Linemen
|
Linebackers
Dexter Coakley William Dexter Coakley is a former American football linebacker who played 10 seasons in the National Football League. He was a third round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1997 NFL Draft, out of Division I-AA school Appalachian State... OLB Randall Godfrey Randall Euralentris Godfrey is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. Godfrey played college football at the University of Georgia, where he majored in housing and consumer economics. He also played High School Football at Lowndes High School in Valdosta Georgia... OLB Darren Hambrick Darren Hambrick is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League.At 6'2" and 227 lbs, Hambrick had his best season in 2000 when he led the Dallas Cowboys with 154 tackles. Hambrick later played for the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers... OLB Fred Strickland Fredrick William Strickland, Jr. is a former American football linebacker who played for twelve seasons in the National Football League from 1988 to 1999. He played college football at Purdue University and was drafted in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft.... MLB Robert Thomas (fullback) Robert Lee Thomas, IV is a former professional American football player who played fullback for five seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:... MLB/FB Defensive Backs
Special Teams
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Reserve Lists
Currently vacant Rookies in italics 52 Active, 0 Inactive |
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