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1997 Dallas Cowboys
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Record: 6-10-0, Finished 4th in NFC East Division
NFL Season Summary
Scored 304 points (19.0/g), 22nd of 30 in the NFL.
Allowed 314 points (19.6/g), 13th.
Differential of -10 points (-0.6/g), 17th.
Expected W-L: 7.7-8.3.
Takeaway/Giveaway Differential -4 (-0.2/g), 22nd.
Coached by Barry Switzer (6-10-0)
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1997 Statistics / Starters & Roster / Games & Schedule / Team Draftees
Starters
Glossary · ProBowl(*), 1st-team All-Pro(+), · CSV · PRE · Hide Non-primary Starters| Pos | Age | Yrs | GS | Summary of Player Stats | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offensive Starters | Complete Team Stats | |||||
| QB | Troy Aikman | 31 | 8 | 16 | 292 for 518, 3,283 yards, 19 td, 12 int, & 25 rushes for 79 yards and 0 td | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 1st pick / 1989 |
| RB | Emmitt Smith | 28 | 7 | 16 | 261 rushes for 1,074 yards, 4 td, & 40 catches for 234 yards and 0 td | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 17th pick / 1990 |
| FB | Daryl Johnston | 31 | 8 | 6 | 2 rushes for 3 yards, 0 td, & 18 catches for 166 yards and 1 td | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 39th pick / 1989 |
| FB | Herschel Walker | 35 | 11 | 6 | 6 rushes for 20 yards, 0 td, & 14 catches for 149 yards and 2 td | Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 114th pick / 1985 |
| WR | Michael Irvin | 31 | 9 | 16 | 75 catches for 1,180 yards, 9 td | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 11th pick / 1988 |
| WR | Anthony Miller | 32 | 9 | 16 | 46 catches for 645 yards, 4 td, & 1 rush for 6 yards and 0 td | San Diego Chargers / 1st / 15th pick / 1988 |
| TE | Eric Bjornson | 26 | 2 | 14 | 47 catches for 442 yards, 0 td | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 110th pick / 1995 |
| TE | David LaFleur | 23 | Rook | 5 | 18 catches for 122 yards, 2 td | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 22nd pick / 1997 |
| LT | George Hegamin | 24 | 3 | 9 | 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 102nd pick / 1994 |
| LT | Mark Tuinei | 37 | 14 | 6 | ||
| LG | Nate Newton | 36 | 11 | 13 | 1 fumble recovered | |
| C | Clay Shiver | 25 | 1 | 16 | 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 67th pick / 1996 |
| RG | Larry Allen*+ | 26 | 3 | 16 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 46th pick / 1994 |
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| RT | Erik Williams* | 29 | 6 | 15 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 70th pick / 1991 |
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| Defensive Starters | ||||||
| LDE | Tony Tolbert | 30 | 8 | 16 | 5.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 85th pick / 1989 |
| LDT | Tony Casillas | 34 | 11 | 14 | 3.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 2nd pick / 1986 |
| RDT | Chad Hennings | 32 | 5 | 10 | 4.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 11th / 290th pick / 1988 |
| RDT | Antonio Anderson | 24 | Rook | 5 | 2.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 101st pick / 1997 |
| RDE | Shante Carver | 26 | 3 | 16 | 6.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 23rd pick / 1994 |
| LLB | Randall Godfrey | 24 | 1 | 16 | 1.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 49th pick / 1996 |
| MLB | Fred Strickland | 31 | 9 | 14 | 0.5 sacks, 0 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered | Los Angeles Rams / 2nd / 47th pick / 1988 |
| RLB | Dexter Coakley | 25 | Rook | 16 | 2.5 sacks, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 65th pick / 1997 |
| LCB | Kevin R. Smith | 27 | 5 | 16 | 0.0 sacks, 1 interception, 0 fumbles recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 17th pick / 1992 |
| RCB | Deion Sanders*+ | 30 | 8 | 12 | 0.0 sacks, 2 interceptions, 0 fumbles recovered | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 5th pick / 1989 |
| SS | Darren Woodson* | 28 | 5 | 14 | 2.0 sacks, 1 interception, 2 fumbles recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 37th pick / 1992 |
| FS | Brock Marion | 27 | 4 | 16 | 0.0 sacks, 0 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 196th pick / 1993 |
| Special Teams Starters | ||||||
| K | Richie Cunningham+ | 27 | Rook | 0 | 34 of 37 field goals & 24 of 24 extra points | |
| P | Toby Gowin | 22 | Rook | 0 | 86 punts for a 41.8 average, 0 blocked | |
| PR | Deion Sanders*+ | 30 | 8 | 12 | 33 punt returns for a 12.3 average and 1 td | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 5th pick / 1989 |
| KR | Herschel Walker | 35 | 11 | 6 | 50 kick returns for a 23.3 average and 0 td | Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 114th pick / 1985 |
| Age | Pos | G | GS | Wt | Ht | College/Univ | BirthDate | Yrs | Drafted (tm/rnd/yr) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Aikman | 31 | QB | 16 | 16 | 219 | 6-4 | Oklahoma,UCLA | 11/21/1966 | 8 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 1st pick / 1989 |
| Larry Allen*+ | 26 | G-T | 16 | 16 | 325 | 6-3 | Butte Junior College (CA),Sonoma State | 11/27/1971 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 46th pick / 1994 |
| Antonio Anderson | 24 | DT-DE | 16 | 5 | 311 | 6-6 | Syracuse | 6/4/1973 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 101st pick / 1997 |
| Bill Bates | 36 | DB | 16 | 0 | 204 | 6-1 | Tennessee | 6/6/1961 | 14 | |
| Darren Benson | 23 | DT | 6 | 0 | 308 | 6-7 | Trinity Valley Community College (TX) | 8/25/1974 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 1st pick / 1995 Supp |
| Eric Bjornson | 26 | TE | 14 | 14 | 236 | 6-4 | Washington | 12/15/1971 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 110th pick / 1995 |
| Shante Carver | 26 | DE | 16 | 16 | 250 | 6-5 | Arizona State | 2/12/1971 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 23rd pick / 1994 |
| Tony Casillas | 34 | DT-NT | 15 | 14 | 278 | 6-3 | Oklahoma | 10/26/1963 | 11 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 2nd pick / 1986 |
| Dexter Coakley | 25 | LB | 16 | 16 | 236 | 5-10 | Appalachian State | 10/20/1972 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 65th pick / 1997 |
| Richie Cunningham+ | 27 | K | 16 | 0 | 167 | 5-10 | La-Lafayette | 8/18/1970 | Rook | |
| Billy Davis | 25 | WR | 16 | 0 | 205 | 6-1 | Pittsburgh | 7/6/1972 | 2 | |
| Wendell Davis | 24 | DB | 15 | 0 | 201 | 5-10 | Oklahoma | 6/27/1973 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 6th / 207th pick / 1996 |
| John Flannery | 28 | G-C | 16 | 4 | 303 | 6-4 | Syracuse | 1/13/1969 | 6 | Houston Oilers / 2nd / 44th pick / 1991 |
| Scott Galbraith | 30 | TE | 16 | 0 | 258 | 6-2 | USC | 1/7/1967 | 7 | Cleveland Browns / 7th / 178th pick / 1990 |
| Jason Garrett | 31 | QB | 1 | 0 | 200 | 6-2 | Columbia,Princeton | 3/28/1966 | 4 | |
| Randall Godfrey | 24 | LB | 16 | 16 | 245 | 6-2 | Georgia | 4/6/1973 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 49th pick / 1996 |
| Toby Gowin | 22 | P | 16 | 0 | 167 | 5-10 | North Texas | 3/30/1975 | Rook | |
| Darryl Hardy | 29 | LB | 12 | 0 | 230 | 6-2 | Tennessee | 11/22/1968 | 2 | Atlanta Falcons / 10th / 270th pick / 1992 |
| George Hegamin | 24 | T-G | 13 | 9 | 331 | 6-7 | North Carolina State | 2/14/1973 | 3 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 102nd pick / 1994 |
| Dale Hellestrae | 35 | T-G-C | 16 | 0 | 282 | 6-5 | SMU | 7/11/1962 | 12 | Buffalo Bills / 4th / 112th pick / 1985 |
| Nate Hemsley | 23 | LB | 2 | 0 | 228 | 6-0 | Syracuse | 5/15/1974 | Rook | |
| Chad Hennings | 32 | DT-DE | 11 | 10 | 287 | 6-6 | Air Force | 10/20/1965 | 5 | Dallas Cowboys / 11th / 290th pick / 1988 |
| Tony Hutson | 23 | G | 5 | 1 | 315 | 6-3 | Northeast State (OK) | 3/13/1974 | Rook | |
| Michael Irvin | 31 | WR | 16 | 16 | 207 | 6-2 | Miami (FL) | 3/5/1966 | 9 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 11th pick / 1988 |
| Daryl Johnston | 31 | RB | 6 | 6 | 238 | 6-2 | Syracuse | 2/10/1966 | 8 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 39th pick / 1989 |
| David LaFleur | 23 | TE | 16 | 5 | 272 | 6-7 | LSU | 1/29/1974 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 22nd pick / 1997 |
| Leon Lett | 29 | DT-DE | 3 | 3 | 290 | 6-6 | Emporia State | 10/12/1968 | 6 | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 173rd pick / 1991 |
| Brock Marion | 27 | DB | 16 | 16 | 200 | 5-11 | Nevada-Reno | 6/11/1970 | 4 | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 196th pick / 1993 |
| Kevin Mathis | 23 | DB | 16 | 3 | 185 | 5-9 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 4/29/1974 | Rook | |
| Hurvin McCormack | 25 | DT | 13 | 0 | 281 | 6-5 | Indiana | 4/6/1972 | 3 | |
| Anthony Miller | 32 | WR | 16 | 16 | 190 | 5-11 | San Diego State,Tennessee | 4/15/1965 | 9 | San Diego Chargers / 1st / 15th pick / 1988 |
| Singor Mobley | 25 | DB | 12 | 0 | 195 | 5-11 | Washington State | 10/12/1972 | Rook | |
| Nate Newton | 36 | G-T | 13 | 13 | 318 | 6-3 | Florida A&M | 12/20/1961 | 11 | |
| Kavika Pittman | 23 | DE | 15 | 0 | 273 | 6-6 | McNeese State | 10/9/1974 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 37th pick / 1996 |
| Deion Sanders*+ | 30 | DB-WR | 13 | 12 | 195 | 6-1 | Florida State | 8/9/1967 | 8 | Atlanta Falcons / 1st / 5th pick / 1989 |
| Steve Scifres | 25 | G | 6 | 0 | 300 | 6-3 | Wyoming | 1/22/1972 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 83rd pick / 1997 |
| Clay Shiver | 25 | C | 16 | 16 | 283 | 6-2 | Florida State | 12/7/1972 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 67th pick / 1996 |
| Emmitt Smith | 28 | RB | 16 | 16 | 221 | 5-10 | Florida | 5/15/1969 | 7 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 17th pick / 1990 |
| Kevin R. Smith | 27 | DB | 16 | 16 | 183 | 5-11 | Texas A&M | 4/7/1970 | 5 | Dallas Cowboys / 1st / 17th pick / 1992 |
| Vinson Smith | 32 | LB | 14 | 3 | 243 | 6-2 | East Carolina | 7/3/1965 | 9 | |
| Omar Stoutmire | 23 | DB | 16 | 2 | 205 | 5-11 | Fresno State | 7/9/1974 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 7th / 224th pick / 1997 |
| Fred Strickland | 31 | LB | 15 | 14 | 246 | 6-2 | Purdue | 8/15/1966 | 9 | Los Angeles Rams / 2nd / 47th pick / 1988 |
| Nicky Sualua | 22 | RB | 10 | 1 | 260 | 5-11 | Ohio State | 4/16/1975 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 129th pick / 1997 |
| Broderick Thomas | 30 | LB-DE | 16 | 0 | 250 | 6-4 | Nebraska | 2/20/1967 | 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers / 1st / 6th pick / 1989 |
| Tony Tolbert | 30 | DE | 16 | 16 | 268 | 6-6 | Texas-El Paso | 12/29/1967 | 8 | Dallas Cowboys / 4th / 85th pick / 1989 |
| Mark Tuinei | 37 | T-C-DT | 6 | 6 | 302 | 6-5 | Hawaii,UCLA | 3/31/1960 | 14 | |
| Herschel Walker | 35 | RB | 16 | 6 | 225 | 6-1 | Georgia | 3/3/1962 | 11 | Dallas Cowboys / 5th / 114th pick / 1985 |
| Kenny Wheaton | 22 | DB | 2 | 0 | 195 | 5-10 | Oregon | 3/8/1975 | Rook | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 94th pick / 1997 |
| Charlie Williams | 25 | DB | 16 | 0 | 204 | 6-0 | Bowling Green | 2/2/1972 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 92nd pick / 1995 |
| Erik Williams* | 29 | T | 15 | 15 | 324 | 6-6 | Central State (OH) | 9/7/1968 | 6 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 70th pick / 1991 |
| Sherman Williams | 24 | RB | 16 | 0 | 198 | 5-8 | Alabama | 8/13/1973 | 2 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 46th pick / 1995 |
| Stepfret Williams | 24 | WR | 16 | 0 | 170 | 6-0 | La-Monroe | 6/14/1973 | 1 | Dallas Cowboys / 3rd / 94th pick / 1996 |
| Wade Wilson | 38 | QB | 7 | 0 | 210 | 6-3 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 2/1/1959 | 16 | Minnesota Vikings / 8th / 210th pick / 1981 |
| Darren Woodson* | 28 | DB | 14 | 14 | 219 | 6-1 | Arizona State | 4/25/1969 | 5 | Dallas Cowboys / 2nd / 37th pick / 1992 |
| Team Total | 27.7 | 16 | 243.3 | 6-2.0 | 4.6 |