Counting Down To Training Camp
As we count down the days to camp, let's take a light-hearted look at the significance of each number as we stroll through the years of Cowboys football.
Some talented and decorated players have donned the Cowboys' No. 94. With 111 sacks in just eight seasons, DeMarcus Ware will already go down as one of the greatest Cowboys defenders ever.
Anther Cowboys' 94, Charles Haley had his best season with the Cowboys in 1994, when he finished the year with 12.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.
Speaking of the best players in Cowboys' history, the '94 draft produced Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen, who'd go on to play 12 seasons in Dallas and win a Super Bowl.
Former Cowboys Tony Dorsett and Randy White were both inducted into the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility in 1994. They also became the ninth and 10th members of the Ring of Honor.
Bob Lilly is the only Cowboys player with exactly 94 sacks in his career. Seven other players sit ahead of him on that list.
The '94 season marked Chris Boniol's first with the Cowboys as the primary place kicker. He'd go on to become the Cowboys' assistant special teams coach, where he remains.
Barry Switzer was also named the new head coach in 1994, replacing Jimmy Johnson, who stepped down as the head coach the previous day.
Safety Darren Woodson tied for the team lead in interceptions with five in 1994. His longest interception return that season went for 94 yards, marking the fifth longest touchdown return in franchise history.
Alvin Harper holds the Cowboys' record for longest pass reception in a playoff game, scoring a 94-yard touchdown on a pass from Troy Aikman in 1995 against Green Bay.
Ninety-five stands out because, as no one needs to be reminded, 1995 was the last time the Dallas Cowboys won the Super Bowl.
Future Hall of Famer Deion Sanders signed with the Cowboys in 1995, after Dallas won the "Deion Sweepstakes." He'd go on to earn four Pro Bowl selections with the team.
Emmitt Smith had his absolute best season in helping the Cowboys to the Super Bowl XXX championship. He carried 377 times for 1,773 yards and 25 touchdowns - an average of 110 yards per game.
The longest pass in team history went for 95 yards. It came all the way back in 1966, between Don Meredith and Bob Hayes. It is both the Cowboys' longest pass play and their longest passing touchdown.
The Cowboys have drafted two players 95th overall in the NFL draft. The first was Boston College WR Kelvin Martin in 1987. He played 7 years with Dallas and compiled 237 receptions for 3,083 yards and nine TDs.
The second, BYU defensive tackle Mike Ulufale, didn't enjoy such a distinguished career. Ulufale was taken in the third round of the 1996 draft. He played 3 games that season, starting none, and made 2 tackles.
Defensive tackle Jethro Pugh, who spent his entire 14-year career with Dallas, is sixth all-time in career sacks with 95.5.
The only non-kicker since 2000 to lead the Cowboys in scoring for a season was Marion Barber, who had 96 points on 16 touchdowns during the 2006 season.
The only 96-yard touchdown in Cowboys' history came from defensive back Dennis Thurman, who had a 96-yard interception return against the Redskins in the 1981 season opener.
Twice in franchise history an opponent returned a fumble exactly 96 yards, both times in Philadelphia. Joe Lavender had a 96-yard runback in 1974 and E Joselio Hanson had a 96-yard TD return in 2008 (above).
The first player to wear the No. 96 jersey was Daniel Stubbs, a first-round pick in 1985. That means the Cowboys went 30 years exactly without issuing that jersey number.
First-round picks Ebenezer Ekuban (2003) and Marcus Spears (2005) didn't live up to their first-round expectations but are still arguably the two best players to wear No. 96.
The 1996 season saw the first-two way starter in the NFL since the mid-60's when Deion Sanders started both at CB and WR. Sanders was an All-Pro at CB but also caught 36 passes for 475 yards and one TD at WR.
The Cowboys saw a familiar face on the opposing sideline in a regular-season game in 1996. The Cowboys squared off against former coach Jimmy Johnson for the first time.
The Cowboys netted just 96 total yards of offense in a miserable 31-0 defeat to the Titans in 2000. With Anthony Wright starting the game at QB, the Cowboys limped to the finish line with a 5-11 record.
The 1996 season saw the Cowboys' single-season record for special teams tackles. Linebacker Jim Schwantz was named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad after tallying 32 tackles in the kicking game.
The '97 season saw Michael Irvin top the 10,000-yard receiving mark for his career on a 14-yard touchdown reception at Washington on Oct. 13. He became the 14th player in NFL history to reach the plateau.
The Cowboys also finished the '97 season with just seven interceptions, tying the Cowboys' record from 1989 and last season for the fewest in a year.
The top selection in the first round of the '97 draft was tight end David LaFleur, who finished his four-year career with 85 catches for 729 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The No. 97 is currently worn by defensive lineman Jason Hatcher. He's worn it since 2006, making him the longest tenured Cowboys' player to ever wear the number.
Bryan McCann's punt return touchdown in 2010 for 97 yards is the longest punt return since Dennis Morgan ran back a punt 98 for a touchdown in 1974.
Only one Cowboys player, George Andrie, recorded exactly 97 sacks in his career. Four others - DeMarcus Ware, Ed Jones, Randy White and Harvey Martin - have at least 100.
The best player to wear No. 98 would have to go to Greg Ellis (1998-2008). Ellis totaled 377 tackles, 77 sacks, 20 forced fumbles and 4 interceptions while starting 155 of 162 games during his Dallas career.
The current player wearing No. 98 is Tyrone Crawford, a third-round pick from Boise State in 2012. Crawford wore No. 70 last year but switched in the offseason.
Fitting that No. 98 would be taken in the 1998 NFL Draft, though Cowboys fans will always remember that Dallas selected Greg Ellis in favor of Marshall wide receiver Randy Moss.
The '98 draft did include a rather solid second-round pick as the Cowboys grabbed Flozell Adams with the 38th overall selection. Adams went to five Pro Bowls in his career.
It wasn't the longest kick return in Dallas history, but with a 98-yard kickoff return in his second pro game, Felix Jones gave Cowboys fans a glimpse of his potential in a Week 2 home win against the Eagles.
In his first of two seasons as head coach, Chan Gailey won the NFC East crown; unfortunately, the 1998 season would be the first of two times during the decade that the Cowboys would reach the playoffs and fail to win a game.
In the 1998 season quarterback Troy Aikman missed five contests after going down in Week 2 against Denver, setting the stage for Jason Garrett to take the reigns. Garrett managed a 3-2 record in place of Aikman.
Dorsett's 99-yard touchdown run against the Vikings during the 1982 season finale is a play that will stand forever in the NFL record books, at least as a tie.
The last time the Cowboys have scored a touchdown on a 99-yard drive occurred in 2009 in a home game against the Chargers. The 11-play series was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown from Tony Romo to Miles Austin.
For the first 25 seasons of Cowboys football, no player wore a jersey in the 90s. In 1985, the Cowboys allowed players to wear 90s numbers and 1985 first-round pick Kevin Brooks was the first to snag No. 99.
Chris Canty is likely the most accomplished player to wear 99. Canty played four seasons (2005-08) before signing with the Giants. He was a part of the Giants' Super Bowl XLVI team.
Currently, the 99 jersey has been issued to Brian Price, a three-year veteran defensive tackle signed to the roster back in January.
The '99 Draft wasn't exactly a memorable one for the Cowboys, who took Ebenzer Ekuban with the 20th overall pick. Other notable selections in '99 were Solomon Page, Dat Nguyen and Wane McGarity.
The '99 season marks the only time in franchise history that the Cowboys made the playoffs without a winning record. It also marked the final season of Chan Gailey's short stint as head coach.
Former coach Tom Landry and the Cowboys recorded their 100th victory with a 40-3 win at Texas Stadium against the Saints on Sept. 24, 1973.
The team holds a perfect 100 percent winning clip when DeMarco Murray rushes for 100 yards. The Cowboys are 4-0 all-time when he's hit the 100-yard mark, most recently in last season's opener at the Giants.
Among former Cowboys players with at least four 100-yard rushing games, Robert Newhouse and Duane Thomas have also recorded perfect winning percentages.
100-yard rushing performances weren't uncommon for former running back Emmitt Smith, who holds the Cowboys' record with 76 100-yard rushing games in his career.
The last time the Cowboys had two 100-yard rushers in a game came in 1998, when Smith and Chris Warren rushed for a combined 224 yards and three touchdowns at Washington in a 31-10 win.
Michael Irvin holds the record for most 100-yard receiving games with 47.
The Cowboys are 0-3 all-time when the weather reaches 100 degrees. The hottest game they've ever played in came in September 2000 in a 41-14 loss at home against Philadelphia in 109-degree heat.
The Cowboys have four returns of exactly 100 yards. An INT return TD by Mike Gaechter (1962), and three on kickoff return TDs by Mel Renfro (1965), Mark Washington (1970) and Reggie Swinton (2002, above).
Tony Romo's 100th touchdown pass occurred in 2009 in a loss to the Giants. He threw two touchdowns to Roy Williams and finished with a total of 392 yards and three touchdown passes.
Jason Witten hit the 100-reception mark in a season for the first time last year. He finished with 110 total catches on the year.
