The great history of Cowboys assistant coaches

Bobhaze

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Remember John Mackovic, the offensive “genius” Landry hired to help with the offense in ‘81-82? He was a rising star in the coaching ranks, although he apparently clashed somewhat with Coach Landry on philosophy. Mac eventually went on to be the head coach at Kansas City chiefs, then later at Univ of Texas with mixed success.

Mackovic is 76 now, and believe it or not, coaching American Football in Italy for a semi-pro team there.
 

Hagman

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Remember John Mackovic, the offensive “genius” Landry hired to help with the offense in ‘81-82? He was a rising star in the coaching ranks, although he apparently clashed somewhat with Coach Landry on philosophy. Mac eventually went on to be the head coach at Kansas City chiefs, then later at Univ of Texas with mixed success.

Mackovic is 76 now, and believe it or not, coaching American Football in Italy for a semi-pro team there.
Yeah. I attended the University of Illinois for most of the years that he coached there. Wasn’t really impressed with what he did in Champaign-Urbana
 

Captain Late

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So Many Great Assistant Coaches in the Coach Landry Era,Jim Myers,Ernie Stautner,Gene Stallings,Ray Renfro,Raymond Berry,Dick Nolan,one that Was Important to the Offense was Red Hickey,who was the Receivers Coach in 1964-1965.He Was a Positive Influence on Bob Hayes Early in His Career And Helped Him To Become A More Polished WR and the Results Were Immediate.The Receiving Group Under Hickey in 64-65 Was Very Productive-Frank Clarke was outstanding,Tommy McDonald had a Good Year in 1964. Pete Gent Developed into a Solid Receiver Under Hickey in 1965 and Bob Hayes had a brilliant Rookie Season.

Hickey Eventually went on to become a Scout and Pushed For Duane Thomas to be Drafted in 1970,telling Coach Landry That if They Drafted Thomas He Would Be His Starting Half Back.And He Eventually Used The Knowledge From Hickey When They Went With The Shotgun as a Huge Part of the Offense in 1975.
 

eromeopolk

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In the storied 60 year history of “America’s Team”, we have had a long list of great players and head coaches. In fact, our first two head coaches, Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, are Hall of Famers that coached the first 34 years of team history.

What has been talked about less is the number of outstanding assistant coaches who were a part of this team’s great history and achievements. Some went on to be excellent HCs in their own right. Many were key cogs in winning 5 Super Bowls.

Here are some of the great assistants in Cowboys history:
  • Ernie Stautner- the former Pittsburgh steeler HOF player served as the Cowboys DL coach for 22 years under Landry. He coached and developed Cowboys greats like Bob Lily, Randy White, TooTall Jones, Harvey Martin, and Jethro Pugh.
  • Dan Reeves- while a Cowboys RB, Reeves was tapped by Landry to be a player-coach after his 4th season as a player. Reeves went on to coach RBs in Dallas for 12 years. He became a head coach in Denver and later NYG and Atlanta, where his teams appeared in 4 Super Bowls. He won NFL “Coach if the Year” twice.
  • Mike Ditka- “Iron Mike” became a Cowboys player briefly in 1971-72 at the end of his great HOF career as a player. Landry then hired Ditka as Special Teams coach, where Ditka served effectively for 9 years before being hired as Chicago’s HC in 1982. His bears won a SB in 85 with perhaps the greatest defense in NFL history.
  • Norv Turner- served under Jimmy Johnson as QB coach and offensive coordinator, Turner was most responsible for the development of HOFer Troy Aikman. Turner became an NFL HC in San Diego and Washington with only marginal success. Aikman chose Turner to introduce him for his HOF speech.
  • Dave Wannstedt- Jimmy Johnson’s defensive coordinator for 4 years, he developed the new “Doomsday Defense” of the 90s that dominated the middle 90s. Wannstedt was never as successful as an NFL head coach in Chicago and Miami.
  • Sean Payton- served only 3 years in Dallas under Bill Parcells as QBs coach and was most responsible for acquiring and developing Tony Romo. Has gone on to Coach the saints and has enjoyed great success there winning a SB in 2009.
These assistant coaches were critical in the success of the Cowboys over the years. There have certainly been many other successful Cowboys assistants. Who else would you mention?

Don't Forget the Following:
Jerry Tubbs LB Coach - Coached Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Breunig, and Eugene Lockhart to 5 Super Bowls, 1 Ring of Honor, multiple Pro Bowls, All Pro, and NFL Rookie of the Year linebackers. He coach Anthony Dickerson to a Cowboys season record for sacks until Demarcus Ware played OLB in 3/4 Defense.

Hubbard Alexander WR Coach - Micheal Irvin's receiver coach at Miami (college) and Dallas. Developed Tony Hill and Kevin Williams to solid no.2 WRs to their best seasons in Pro Football, and went on to work develop Randy Moss in Minnesota and Joe Horn. He is the only WR coach to develop 2 Hall of Fame WR from rookie to All Pro.

Jim Myers OL Coach - Rayfield Wright, John Niland, Blain Nye, 3 Irishmen and a Scott, all were coached and developed by Meyers. Coached OL in 5 Super Bowls.

Dave Campo DB Coach - Yes "Campo the Clown" 3 seasons as a 5-11 Head Coach was a very good DB coach taking a 12th rounder in Larry Brown and making him a starter and Super Bowl MVP. Took Kevin Smith from rookie to Pro Bowler, and Darren Woodson from LB to Ring of Honor S. Coached DBs to 3 Super Bowls.

Joe Brodsky RB Coach - Joe Brodsky coach Emmitt Smith to the Leading Rusher in NFL History and made a guy named Daryl Johnston Mooooooooooooose! Like Hub Alexander he was a RB guru at the U that transition to the NFL with the same and greater success.
 

Bobhaze

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Don't Forget the Following:
Jerry Tubbs LB Coach - Coached Lee Roy Jordan, Bob Breunig, and Eugene Lockhart to 5 Super Bowls, 1 Ring of Honor, multiple Pro Bowls, All Pro, and NFL Rookie of the Year linebackers. He coach Anthony Dickerson to a Cowboys season record for sacks until Demarcus Ware played OLB in 3/4 Defense.

Hubbard Alexander WR Coach - Micheal Irvin's receiver coach at Miami (college) and Dallas. Developed Tony Hill and Kevin Williams to solid no.2 WRs to their best seasons in Pro Football, and went on to work develop Randy Moss in Minnesota and Joe Horn. He is the only WR coach to develop 2 Hall of Fame WR from rookie to All Pro.

Jim Myers OL Coach - Rayfield Wright, John Niland, Blain Nye, 3 Irishmen and a Scott, all were coached and developed by Meyers. Coached OL in 5 Super Bowls.

Dave Campo DB Coach - Yes "Campo the Clown" 3 seasons as a 5-11 Head Coach was a very good DB coach taking a 12th rounder in Larry Brown and making him a starter and Super Bowl MVP. Took Kevin Smith from rookie to Pro Bowler, and Darren Woodson from LB to Ring of Honor S. Coached DBs to 3 Super Bowls.

Joe Brodsky RB Coach - Joe Brodsky coach Emmitt Smith to the Leading Rusher in NFL History and made a guy named Daryl Johnston Mooooooooooooose! Like Hub Alexander he was a RB guru at the U that transition to the NFL with the same and greater success.
Great list. All those guys were big parts of winning Super Bowls!
 

Blast From The Past

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I'm guessing Les Miles would qualify on this list. From 1998 through the 2000 seasons he was the tight ends coach for the Dallas Cowboys under head coaches Chan Gailey (1998–99) and Dave Campo (2000). He's had some success in the Collegiate ranks over the years since those days. Although he wasn't a part of a SB team while coaching the Cowboys.
 

quickccc

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In the storied 60 year history of “America’s Team”, we have had a long list of great players and head coaches. In fact, our first two head coaches, Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, are Hall of Famers that coached the first 34 years of team history.

What has been talked about less is the number of outstanding assistant coaches who were a part of this team’s great history and achievements. Some went on to be excellent HCs in their own right. Many were key cogs in winning 5 Super Bowls.

Here are some of the great assistants in Cowboys history:
  • Ernie Stautner- the former Pittsburgh steeler HOF player served as the Cowboys DL coach for 22 years under Landry. He coached and developed Cowboys greats like Bob Lily, Randy White, TooTall Jones, Harvey Martin, and Jethro Pugh.
  • Dan Reeves- while a Cowboys RB, Reeves was tapped by Landry to be a player-coach after his 4th season as a player. Reeves went on to coach RBs in Dallas for 12 years. He became a head coach in Denver and later NYG and Atlanta, where his teams appeared in 4 Super Bowls. He won NFL “Coach if the Year” twice.
  • Mike Ditka- “Iron Mike” became a Cowboys player briefly in 1971-72 at the end of his great HOF career as a player. Landry then hired Ditka as Special Teams coach, where Ditka served effectively for 9 years before being hired as Chicago’s HC in 1982. His bears won a SB in 85 with perhaps the greatest defense in NFL history.
  • Norv Turner- served under Jimmy Johnson as QB coach and offensive coordinator, Turner was most responsible for the development of HOFer Troy Aikman. Turner became an NFL HC in San Diego and Washington with only marginal success. Aikman chose Turner to introduce him for his HOF speech.
  • Dave Wannstedt- Jimmy Johnson’s defensive coordinator for 4 years, he developed the new “Doomsday Defense” of the 90s that dominated the middle 90s. Wannstedt was never as successful as an NFL head coach in Chicago and Miami.
  • Sean Payton- served only 3 years in Dallas under Bill Parcells as QBs coach and was most responsible for acquiring and developing Tony Romo. Has gone on to Coach the saints and has enjoyed great success there winning a SB in 2009.
These assistant coaches were critical in the success of the Cowboys over the years. There have certainly been many other successful Cowboys assistants. Who else would you mention?

https://pro-football-history.com/franchise/20/dallas-cowboys-coaches

Best Dallas Cowboys Assistants of All Time (Final)
Defensive coordinator- Ernie Stauner
Offensive Coordinator - Norv Turner
WR coach - Hubbard Alexander
TE coach - Tony Sparano,
RB coach - Joe Brodsky,
QB coach - Norv Turner
OLine coach - Tony Wise
DL coach - Ernie Stautner
LB coach - Jerry Tubbs
Secondary coach - Gene Stallings
Special teams - Jim Avezanno
____________________________________

Candidates : Best Assistant Dallas Cowboys coaches of All Time
Defensive coordinator- Ernie Stauner Dave Wannstedt, Butch Davis, Dave Campo, Rob ryan, rod marinelli
Offensive Coordinator - Norv Turner, Ernie Zampese, Sean Payton, jason garrett, scott linehan, kellen moore
WR coach - Hubbard Alexander, Todd Haley, Ray Sherman, Jimmy Robinson, Sandray Lai
TE coach - Robert Ford Tony Sparano, Paul Pasqualoni,
RB coach - Al Lavan, Joe Brodsky,
QB coach - Dan Reeves, Paul Hackett, Norv Turner, Wade Wilson, Sean Payton, David Lee,
OLine coach - Tony Wise, Jim Myers Tony Sparano Hudson Houck, Bill Callahan, Marc Columbo
DL coach - Ernie Stautner, Butch Davis, John Blake, rod marinelli
LB coach - Jerry Tubbs, Dave Wannstedt, George Edwards, Matt Eberflus,
Secondary coach - Gene Stallings, Dave Campo, Dick Nolan, Mike Zimmer, Todd Bowles, Kris Richard
Special teams - Jim Avezanno, Alan Lowery Bruce DeHaven, Joe DeCamillis, Richard Bisaccia
 
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rags747

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Remember John Mackovic, the offensive “genius” Landry hired to help with the offense in ‘81-82? He was a rising star in the coaching ranks, although he apparently clashed somewhat with Coach Landry on philosophy. Mac eventually went on to be the head coach at Kansas City chiefs, then later at Univ of Texas with mixed success.

Mackovic is 76 now, and believe it or not, coaching American Football in Italy for a semi-pro team there.
Mackovic was brought in to bring Landry up to speed on the new NFL, it certainly did not work out well. I believe Mackovic found Landry unready or unwilling to change, was not impressed with Landry at all. It’s been awhile, but that’s the way I remember it.
 

The Fonz

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One of the biggest things I hold against JG was his extreme lack of a coaching network. Most of his assistants were either career underachievers, guys he met on Saban's staff in Miami, or guys that had no business being in the coaching profession.

The only coach we ever lost under JG that I wasn't happy about was Rich Bisaccia and MAYBE Bill Callahan.
The next 2 years will tel us more about JG ,,,,in Dallas the Jones run the show
 

Bullflop

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Many of the aforementioned coaches here had a distinct advantage of working with and around Tom Landry. If anyone had leanings of being a coach, serving under Landry's influence could be considered a blessing. He was admired by those who knew him best as an outstanding man and teacher. Yes, he had his faults but most of those to follow him were thankful for having known him. Thomas Henderson was surely a good example of that.
 
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Bullflop

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I honestly think Norv might be the best Coordinator weve ever had

and i debate that with myself and probably will pick someone else later

He made a big difference in Troy Aikman's career. Troy would be the first to confirm it, too!
 

Stash

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https://pro-football-history.com/franchise/20/dallas-cowboys-coaches

Best Dallas Cowboys Assistants of All Time (Final)
Defensive coordinator- Ernie Stauner
Offensive Coordinator - Norv Turner
WR coach - Hubbard Alexander
TE coach - Tony Sparano,
RB coach - Joe Brodsky,
QB coach - Norv Turner
OLine coach - Tony Wise
DL coach - Ernie Stautner
LB coach - Jerry Tubbs
Secondary coach - Gene Stallings
Special teams - Jim Avezanno
____________________________________

Candidates : Best Assistant Dallas Cowboys coaches of All Time
Defensive coordinator- Ernie Stauner Dave Wannstedt, Butch Davis, Dave Campo, Rob ryan, rod marinelli
Offensive Coordinator - Norv Turner, Ernie Zampese, Sean Payton, jason garrett, scott linehan, kellen moore
WR coach - Hubbard Alexander, Todd Haley, Ray Sherman, Jimmy Robinson, Sandray Lai
TE coach - Robert Ford Tony Sparano, Paul Pasqualoni,
RB coach - Al Lavan, Joe Brodsky,
QB coach - Dan Reeves, Paul Hackett, Norv Turner, Wade Wilson, Sean Payton, David Lee,
OLine coach - Tony Wise, Jim Myers Tony Sparano Hudson Houck, Bill Callahan, Marc Columbo
DL coach - Ernie Stautner, Butch Davis, John Blake, rod marinelli
LB coach - Jerry Tubbs, Dave Wannstedt, George Edwards, Matt Eberflus,
Secondary coach - Gene Stallings, Dave Campo, Dick Nolan, Mike Zimmer, Todd Bowles, Kris Richard
Special teams - Jim Avezanno, Alan Lowery Bruce DeHaven, Joe DeCamillis, Richard Bisaccia

I was going to mention Tony Wise as well. Had some great offensive lines in Dallas, without a lot of draft investments and a lot of changing names.
 

ottawacowpoke

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Joe Avezzano is the only person to be awarded NFL Special teams coach of the year 3 times. I loved his intensity.
 

eromeopolk

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To some it up the 70's and 90's coaching staff assembled by Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson were the Gold Standard of the Cowboys and the NFL. Only Pittsburgh and New England has had that linear line success of assistant coaches.
 

Bobhaze

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So Many Great Assistant Coaches in the Coach Landry Era,Jim Myers,Ernie Stautner,Gene Stallings,Ray Renfro,Raymond Berry,Dick Nolan,one that Was Important to the Offense was Red Hickey,who was the Receivers Coach in 1964-1965.He Was a Positive Influence on Bob Hayes Early in His Career And Helped Him To Become A More Polished WR and the Results Were Immediate.The Receiving Group Under Hickey in 64-65 Was Very Productive-Frank Clarke was outstanding,Tommy McDonald had a Good Year in 1964. Pete Gent Developed into a Solid Receiver Under Hickey in 1965 and Bob Hayes had a brilliant Rookie Season.

Hickey Eventually went on to become a Scout and Pushed For Duane Thomas to be Drafted in 1970,telling Coach Landry That if They Drafted Thomas He Would Be His Starting Half Back.And He Eventually Used The Knowledge From Hickey When They Went With The Shotgun as a Huge Part of the Offense in 1975.
I had forgotten about Red Hickey. Great example. The Cowboys had one of the best receiving lineups in the NFL in the mid to late 60s.
 
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