Here are your voting results for the most memorable moment for round one. The final winner will be announced at the regular season home finale.
(1) Emmitt Breaks Rushing Record vs (16) McNabb Runs Wild - click to watch video
1
Emmitt Breaks Rushing Record [95%]
With 9:28 left in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks, running back Emmitt Smith burst up the middle 11 yards to become the NFL's all-time leading rusher passing Walter Payton's mark of 16,726 career rushing yards. Smith finished his Cowboys' 13-year career with 17,162 yards.
McNabb Runs Wild [4%]
16
Time was running out in the first half of the Nov. 15, 2004, Monday night game against the Eagles. The Cowboys had the Eagles pinned, third-and-10 at their own 25 with 3:09 to play. Despite heavy pressure from the Cowboys, Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb made the play that would lead to a 49-21 Cowboys loss.
It was the last game of the regular season, Cowboys-Redskins. Turned out to be last regular-season game of Roger Staubach's career. The winner was claiming the NFC East title. The loser, as it turned out, would not make the playoffs. And there the Cowboys were, trailing 34-21, with only 6:54 to play before Captain Comeback put on his cap, capping one of the most dramatic comebacks in Cowboys history with his seven-yard touchdown pass to Tony Hill.
Woody Dantzler [19%]
15
In a season that didn't have too many things to cheer about, running back Woody Dantzler came up with one of the greatest plays in club history with an electrifying 86-yard kickoff return against the 49ers during a 5-11 season of 2002. Dantzler broke eight tackles, tight-roped the sideline and then sprinted to the end zone for a touchdown, which was actually the second kick return for a score by the Cowboys that season, along with Reggie Swinton. That proved to be the only touchdown of Dantzler's career with the Cowboys, but it was certainly one to remember.
In one of the most memorable Thanksgiving Day games in Cowboys history, little-known backup quarterback Clint Longely came off the bench to replace an injured Roger Staubach in the second half. Trailing 16-3, he led the Cowboys to a pair of third-quarters to take a one-point lead.
But after the Redskins regained the lead with a touchdown in the fourth, followed by a fumble recovery with less than three minutes to play, all hope seemed lost. But Longley got the ball back with more shot and with 35 seconds remaining, he fired a perfect 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, giving the Cowboys an improbable 24-23 Turkey Day win.
Not Losers Anymore [24%]
14
In Bill Parcells' first season with the Cowboys, who had gone 5-11 in three straight previous years, the team had a dramatic 24-20 win over the Panthers, which pulled them into a first-place tie in the conference with an 8-3 record. Quincy Carter passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns in what turned out to be a back-and-forth affair. The most memorable part of the game came in the post-game press conference when the fiery Parcells made a teary quote, pointing out his team had escaped the chance for a losing record.
"You can't call them losers anymore. Their record makes them something else besides losers. One more (win), and you have to call us winners."
The Cowboys went on to finish 10-6 and make the playoffs for the first time in four years.
While Jason Garrett was a backup quarterback for the majority of his career, his most memorable moment of his career occurred in a 1994 Thanksgiving classic, when he ignited a second-half rally past the Packers at Texas Stadium. Trailing 17-6 at halftime, Garrett threw two second-half scores and passed for a total of 311 yards and led the Cowboys to 36 points in the final two quarters. Garrett out-dueled Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who threw four touchdowns to Sterling Sharpe.
Moss Strikes Late [14%]
13
It was supposed to be a night to celebrate arguably the greatest trio of Cowboys in club history. And in the process, beat up on the rival Redskins on Monday Night Football. And for nearly three full hours, that was the case, as the Cowboys not only inducted Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith into the Ring of Honor at Texas Stadium, but a commanding 13-0 lead with less than five minutes to play. Then the Redskins lowered the boom, with a pair of Santana Moss touchdown catches, including a 70-yarder in the final two minutes to stun the home crowd and deliver Washington's first win in Texas Stadium.
The Cowboys opened their new stadium with an impressive 44-22 win over New England. Running back Duane Thomas scored the first touchdown, a 56-yard run just two minutes after the opening kickoff. The Cowboys opened the brand-new home in the middle of the season and beating the Patriots gave them a 4-2 record. After losing the next week in Chicago, the Cowboys wouldn't lose again, winning their last seven regular-season games and three more in the playoffs, including their first-ever Super Bowl title with a 24-3 win over Miami.
Romo Says Thanks x 5 [54%]
12
In just his fifth career start, Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo put on a Thanksgiving Day show at Texas Stadium, torching the hapless Buccaneers with five touchdowns as the Cowboys routed Tampa Bay 38-10. Romo improved to 4-1 as a starter by spreading the wealth. He threw two touchdowns each to Terry Glenn and Marion Barber and then a fifth score to Terrell Owens. Romo finished the day 22-of-29 passing for 306 yards and five scores, tying a Cowboys single-game record.
For the second straight year, the Cowboys met the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game. But unlike the year before when Dallas pulled off the upset in San Francisco, the Cowboys played host this year, and did so at the brand-new Texas Stadium for the site's first playoff game. The Cowboys didn't disappoint the home fans, dusting off the 49ers, 14-3 behind a pair of touchdown runs from Calvin Hill and Duane Thomas. Roger Staubach actually led the team in rushing with 55 yards on a day when he threw for just 108. The Cowboys cruised on to Super Bowl XI where they demolished the Dolphins, 24-3 to claim their first ever NFL championship.
Moss Gets Revenge [15%]
11
Randy Moss just knew the Cowboys were going to draft him back in 1998. But when the No. 8 overall pick was used for Greg Ellis instead, Moss made sure the Cowboys, and the rest of the league paid for not drafting him higher. In his first game against Dallas, the Vikings' rookie put on quite a show on Thanksgiving Day, despite catching just three passes. All three passes went for touchdowns of 51, 56 and 56 - resulting in 163 yards. Since then, Moss has never lost to the Cowboys, posting a 7-0 record as a member of the Vikings, Raiders and Patriots.
(7) No, Leon, No! vs (10) Pearson's Big Play Lifts Cowboys - click to watch video
7
No, Leon, No! [59%]
Eleven months after his fumble in the waning moments of the Cowboys' blowout Super Bowl XXVII victory, defensive tackle Leon Lett made another notorious mistake on a sleet-filled 1993 Thanksgiving Day. This time, it cost the Cowboys. Leading 14-13 in the final seconds, Lett senselessly attempted to recover a blocked field goal but slipped on the ice and lost control of the ball. The Dolphins recovered at Dallas' 1-yard line and kicked the game-winning field goal.
Pearson's Big Play Lifts Cowboys [41%]
10
Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson caught just two passes in the Cowboys' 1973 Divisional Playoff game with the Rams. But both of them resulted in scores, including an 83-yard game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter that propelled the Cowboys to the NFC Championship Game. Pearson caught a four-yard touchdown pass early in the game, giving the Cowboys a 14-0 lead. But the stingy Rams battled back and closed Dallas' lead to 17-16 with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. However, the Cowboys had a quick answer. Less than a minute later, Roger Staubach heaved a bomb to Pearson, who raced 83 yards for the touchdown. The Cowboys tacked on a late field goal for the 27-16 win.
Tony Romo had been the Cowboys' starting quarterback for all of three games, but on Nov. 19, 2006, he led Dallas to perhaps their most impressive win of the Bill Parcells era - a 21-14 decision over the eventual Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts, who had won their first nine games. Romo was 19-of-23 for 226 yards in his first home start and got a significant boost from the Dallas defense, which returned a Peyton Manning interception for a touchdown in the third quarter.
Defending The Star [67%]
9
Long before Terrell Owens became a Cowboy, he became the villain on a September day in 2000 when he twice celebrated touchdowns, as a member of the 49ers, on the Cowboys' midfield star at Texas Stadium. The first time, he simply raised his arms upward to the open sky. That was retaliated by Emmitt Smith, who spiked the ball at midfield in anger after a score. But later in the game, T.O. scored again and this time as he sprinted to the star, he was followed by safety George Teague, who decked him to the ground, starting quite an altercation and instantly starting a feud between one player and a team. Who knew they would unite some six years later?
