How ’Bout Them Cowboys: The Trade That Built a Dynasty — And the Fall That Followed
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This week’s episode revisits one of the most pivotal moments in NFL history — a moment that began with humiliation and ended in a dynasty. It’s the story of the Herschel Walker trade, the team it built, and the once-proud franchise that hasn’t been the same since.
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From Rock Bottom to Rose Bowl
The story begins in Green Bay, October 1989. The Cowboys are 0–4 and about to fall to 0–5. They’re getting run out of Lambeau Field by the Packers. And their best player — Herschel Walker, a two-time Pro Bowler and Heisman winner — finishes his final game as a Cowboy with a whimper: just 44 yards rushing.
Four days later, he’s gone.
Walker is traded to the Minnesota Vikings in one of the most lopsided, franchise-altering deals in NFL history. What did Dallas receive in return? A mountain of draft picks. And Jimmy Johnson — new head coach, new energy — knew exactly how to spend them.
The Picks That Built a Champion
Those Vikings picks became the core of a dynasty:
- Emmitt Smith: Florida RB and future Hall of Famer, the NFL’s all-time leading rusher.
- Russell Maryland: No. 1 overall pick in 1991, Pro Bowl DT.
- Kevin Smith, Clayton Holmes, and Darren Woodson: all contributors, all difference-makers.
And beyond the Walker trade haul, Johnson wheeled and dealed his way into drafting names like Alvin Harper, Leon Lett, Erik Williams, and Larry Brown — Super Bowl heroes all.
From Draft Day to Domination
By 1990, Dallas was improving. By 1991, they were in the playoffs. And in 1992, they were the best team in football.
The proof came on a rainy day in San Francisco. NFC title game. Troy Aikman to Alvin Harper. Jimmy Johnson shouting: “How ’bout them Cowboys?”
Two weeks later, Dallas destroyed Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII — 52–17 in Pasadena. They did it again the next year. And again in 1995.
Three Super Bowls in four years. All because the Cowboys traded their best player when they were at their worst.
The Long Fall
But as the episode points out, things haven’t been the same since.
Jimmy Johnson left in 1994.
Jerry Jones took over personnel decisions.
And while the stadium’s gotten fancier, the results have gotten worse.
Since that third Super Bowl, every other NFC team has reached the conference championship game. The Cowboys? Nothing. Just three decades of hype, heartache, and hollow promises.
Why This Episode Matters
This week’s episode of Sports Wax is all about what happens when ambition meets vision, and how far a franchise can fall when it loses both.
It’s for every Cowboys fan who still feels a chill when they hear “How ‘bout them Cowboys?”
It’s for every football fan who remembers when Dallas was the gold standard.
And it’s a warning: Even dynasties can rot if no one’s tending the foundation.
Take a listen. And remember what it looked like when America’s Team really earned the name: