1985 Dallas Cowboys season

1985 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach	Tom Landry (26th season)
General manager	Tex Schramm (Since 1960)
Owner	Bum Bright (Since 1984)
Home field	Texas Stadium
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoff finish	Lost Divisional Playoffs (Rams) 20–0

The Cowboys finished the 1985 season with a record of ten wins and six losses, good for first place in the NFC East, and earning a trip to the playoffs (the final postseason appearance for the Cowboys under Tom Landry), where they lost in a divisional playoff game to the Los Angeles Rams.

Tom Landry's team got off to another fast start, opening the season with a 44–14 trouncing of their longtime nemesis, the Redskins, and later defeating the Steelers (their first victory over Pittsburgh since 1972) to give the team a 5–1 record and an early two-game lead over the rest of the division. However, the team was up and down the rest of the way, finishing out the season 5–5 and allowing both the Giants and Redskins to catch up with them at 10–6. Two wins each over both the Giants and Redskins allowed the Cowboys to win the division based on the tie-breaking rules. During the inconsistent stretch toward the end of the season, the Cowboys suffered two of the most embarrassing defeats in team history. On November 17, the undefeated Chicago Bears came to Texas Stadium and gave the Cowboys a 44–0 beating that was the worst loss in team history, and it was also the first time in 218 games that the Cowboys had not scored. Three weeks later the team traveled to Cincinnati, where the Bengals handed them a 50–24 loss, piling up 570 yards in the process, the most yards the Cowboys had given up in team history. The Cowboys proved to be a resilient bunch however, winning a crucial game at home against the Giants the following week that gave them their first division title since 1981, and the final for Tom Landry. That game would prove to be the last highlight of the season, as the team was shut out in the playoffs for the first time in team history, 20–0, by the Rams in Anaheim, California, which would prove to be the final playoff appearance for the Cowboys under Landry.

With the previous season's quarterback controversy behind him, Danny White led the Cowboys' passing game to number three overall in the league. Wide receiver Tony Hill posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards, and Mike Renfro blossomed in his second season with the Cowboys. Tight end Doug Cosbie had another pro bowl season. Turnovers proved to be a problem though, as White and backup quarterback Gary Hogeboom combined to throw 24 interceptions. Running back Tony Dorsett was the only reliable ball carrier on the roster, rushing for 1,307 yards on the season, and going over 10,000 yards for his career. On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys registered 62 sacks and 33 interceptions, with cornerback Everson Walls becoming the first player to ever lead the league in interceptions three times, with nine. The big plays covered up a pass defense that ranked 27th in the league, and a defense that ranked 23rd overall. The secondary allowed big plays through the air throughout the season, and the defense allowed running back Eric Dickerson to rush for a playoff record 248 yards in their playoff game against the Rams.

1985 NFL Draft

Round	Pick	Name	Position	School
1	17	Kevin Brooks	Defensive end	Michigan
2	44	Jesse Penn	Linebacker	Virginia Tech
3	76	Crawford Ker	Offensive guard	Florida
4	103	Robert Lavette	Running back	Georgia Tech
5	114	Herschel Walker	Running back	Georgia
6	144	Kurt Ploeger	Defensive end	Gustavus Adolphus
6	157	Matt Moran	Offensive guard	Stanford
7	178	Karl Powe	Wide receiver	Alabama State
7	184	Jim Herrmann	Defensive end	BYU
8	216	Leon Gonzales	Wide receiver	Bethune-Cookman
9	243	Scott Strasburger	Linebacker	Nebraska
10	270	Joe Jones	Tight end	Virginia Tech
11	297	Neal Dellocono	Linebacker	UCLA
12	324	Karl Jordan	Linebacker	Vanderbilt

Roster

Dallas Cowboys 1985 roster
Quarterbacks 14 Gary Hogeboom 16 Steve Pelluer 11 Danny White Running Backs 33 Tony Dorsett 46 Todd Fowler FB/TE 23 James Jones KR 30 Timmy Newsome FB/RB Wide Receivers 87 Gordon Banks 86 Kenny Duckett 80 Tony Hill 81 Karl Powe 82 Mike Renfro Tight Ends 85 Fred Cornwell 84 Doug Cosbie 89 Brian Salonen		Offensive Linemen 61 Jim Cooper T 65 Kurt Petersen G 75 Phil Pozderac T 64 Tom Rafferty C 70 Howard Richards G 66 Chris Schultz T 67 Broderick Thompson G 71 Mark Tuinei C/T/DT 63 Glen Titensor G Defensive Linemen 99 Kevin Brooks DT 78 John Dutton DT 77 Jim Jeffcoat DE 72 Ed Jones DE 60 Don Smerek DE/DT 54 Randy White DT		Linebackers 55 Steve DeOssie MLB 58 Mike Hegman OLB 56 Eugene Lockhart MLB 59 Jesse Penn OLB 50 Jeff Rohrer OLB Defensive Backs 36 Vince Albritton SS 40 Bill Bates SS/PR 47 Dextor Clinkscale SS 26 Michael Downs FS 27 Ron Fellows CB 22 Victor Scott FS 32 Dennis Thurman CB 24 Everson Walls CB Special Teams  4 Mike Saxon P  1 Rafael Septien K		Reserve Lists 76 Dowe Aughtman DT (IR) 62 Brian Baldinger G (IR) 68 Crawford Ker G (IR) 29 Robert Lavette RB (IR) 73 Kurt Ploeger DE (IR) Rookies in italics 45 Active, 5 Inactive

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	NFL Recap	Attendance
1	September 9, 1985	Washington Redskins	W 44–14	Texas Stadium	Recap	62,292
2	September 15, 1985	at Detroit Lions	L 21–26	Pontiac Silverdome	Recap	72,985
3	September 22, 1985	Cleveland Browns	W 20–7	Texas Stadium	Recap	61,456
4	September 29, 1985	at Houston Oilers	W 17–10	Astrodome	Recap	49,686
5	October 6, 1985	at New York Giants	W 30–29	Giants Stadium	Recap	74,981
6	October 13, 1985	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 27–13	Texas Stadium	Recap	63,062
7	October 20, 1985	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 14–16	Veterans Stadium	Recap	70,114
8	October 27, 1985	Atlanta Falcons	W 24–10	Texas Stadium	Recap	57,941
9	November 4, 1985	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 10–21	Busch Memorial Stadium	Recap	49,347
10	November 10, 1985	at Washington Redskins	W 13–7	RFK Stadium	Recap	55,750
11	November 17, 1985	Chicago Bears	L 0–44	Texas Stadium	Recap	63,855
12	November 24, 1985	Philadelphia Eagles	W 34–17	Texas Stadium	Recap	54,047
13	November 28, 1985	St. Louis Cardinals	W 35–17	Texas Stadium	Recap	54,125
14	December 8, 1985	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 24–50	Riverfront Stadium	Recap	56,936
15	December 15, 1985	New York Giants	W 28–21	Texas Stadium	Recap	62,310
16	December 22, 1985	at San Francisco 49ers	L 16–31	Candlestick Park	Recap	60,114

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Washington Redskins

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys

1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 0 7 0 7 14 • Cowboys 3 14 13 14 44 Date: Monday, September 9 Location: Texas Stadium • Irving, Texas Game start: 8:00 p.m. CST Game weather: 88°F, wind 10 mph Referee: Jerry Markbreit Television network: ABC Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

Scoring summary 1 Cowboys Rafael Septien 53 yard field goal Cowboys 3–0 2 Cowboys Timmy Newsome 1 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 10–0 2 Redskins John Riggins 1 yard run (Mark Moseley kick) Cowboys 10–7 2 Cowboys Mike Renfro 55 yard pass from Danny White (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 17–7 3 Cowboys Rafael Septien 39 yard field goal Cowboys 20–7 3 Cowboys Rafael Septien 43 yard field goal Cowboys 23–7 3 Cowboys Tony Dorsett 9 yard run (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 30–7 4 Cowboys Victor Scott 26 yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 37–7 4 Redskins Clint Didier 19 yard pass from Joe Theismann (Mark Moseley kick) Cowboys 37–14 4 Cowboys Dennis Thurman 21 yard interception return (Rafael Septien kick) Cowboys 44–14

Week 15

1 2 3 4 Total Giants 0 14 0 7 21 • Cowboys 7 14 0 7 28 Date: December 15 Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Game start: 12:00 p.m. Game weather: 36°F; Wind 11 Referee: Fred Silva

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Dallas Cowboys^(3)	10	6	0	.625	6–2	7–5	357	333	L1
New York Giants^(4)	10	6	0	.625	5–3	8–4	399	283	W1
Washington Redskins	10	6	0	.625	4–4	6–6	297	312	W3
Philadelphia Eagles	7	9	0	.438	4–4	6–8	286	310	W1
St. Louis Cardinals	5	11	0	.313	1–7	3–9	278	414	L2

Playoffs

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Game site	NFL Recap	Attendance
Divisional Playoffs	January 4, 1986	at Los Angeles Rams	L 0–20	Anaheim Stadium		66,351

Divisional playoffs

January 4, 1986

NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0

Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cowboys	0	0	0	0	0
Rams	3	0	10	7	20

at Anaheim Stadium, Anaheim, California

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
• Game weather: 67 °F (19 °C), fog, drizzle
• Game attendance: 66,581
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck, Hank Stram and Dick Vermeil

Game information
Scoring RAMS – field goal Lansford 33 RAMS 3–0 RAMS – Dickerson 55 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 10–0 RAMS – field goal Lansford 34 RAMS 13–0 RAMS – Dickerson 40 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 20–0

Awards

• The Cowboys sent four players to the pro bowl following the 1985 season. Wide receiver Tony Hill went to his first since 1979, tight end Doug Cosbie was named to his third consecutive game, cornerback Everson Walls achieved his fourth, and defensive tackle Randy White was named to his ninth consecutive pro bowl. Randy White was named to the associated press All-NFL first team, while Everson Walls was named to the second team.
• Everson Walls, NFL Leader, Interceptions, (9)

Publications

• The Football Encyclopedia ISBN 0-312-11435-4
• Total Football ISBN 0-06-270170-3
• Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes ISBN 0-446-51950-2

References

External links

• 1985 Dallas Cowboys
• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Dallas Cowboys Official Site