Image: On this date in 1989, the Dallas Cowboys trade Herschel Walker

[atlantacowboy]

Good recap. And I remember the trade being criticized by many media people. I think Randy Galloway blasted it.
Many thought Jimmy and Jerry were out of their element and got snookered.

But Jimmy and (yes) Jerry were light-years ahead of this staid league at the time - Jimmy for his understanding of players, the psychological warfare of the game itself and the draft (teams still use Jimmy's draft/trade chart) and Jerry for his business acumen.

By the way, didn't we get to keep some of the players anyway?
Holt was on the 92 Super Bowl team. I can't remember how he engineered it, but Jimmy got to keep the picks AND at least one of the players.

Yeah, Jimmy was way over his head coming to the NFL.

Yeah, I forgot we kept holt and he was a huge part of the 91' super bowl team. He had 9 INTs in 1991. Jimmy cut him for complaining about workouts the following year.

 

[black label]

i won lotto bra

 

[GMO415]

Cerebral HCs = SBs.

 

[Thomas82]

The Vikings really outsmarted themselves with this trade. The Browns offered us a nice package too, and IMO, Herschel would have been a better fit with them, but the Vikings were the more desperate team. At the end, it definitely worked out in our favor. And how fitting was it that Herschel came back the year after we won that last Super Bowl?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Last time Jerry made out on a trade!

Uh, no.

 

[Thomas82]

I was very upset on this day in 1989 as a 9 year old. I think I pouted all day. I was afraid jerry was going to move the team if he was willing to trade walker lol. Walker was my hero then.

I was 9 as well. I was more shocked than upset.

 

[TheHerd]

Uh, no.

I know, just making funny.

 

[Flamma]

I liked Walker, but by that time I was fed up with the Cowboys so the trade didn't bother me too much. I think '88 was our 3rd straight losing season, and the worst one of the three. Cowboys fans weren't used to that.

 

[joseephuss]

One reason that people might see the trade as overrated is that it was in additional later trades that those picks turned into the most stellar players. Emmitt was picked not with a Minnesota pick, but with a Steelers pick that the Minnesota pick helped obtain. Woodson was chosen with a Patriots pick that came from a trade of a Minnesota pick. Kevin Smith was drafted from the Falcons' spot in the first round, which Dallas obtained by trading a Patriots pick that in turn had been gained by a trade of the Minnesota pick.
Of course none of that could have happened without the Minnesota blockbuster trade, but at the same time it also required the further wheeling and dealing that the Cowboys did after. The Walker deal was brilliant but so were the moves with these other teams.

And before any of that was possible it took Dallas drafting Herschel Walker in the first place. A 5th round pick in 1985 to obtain the rights to Walker. That was an extra pick in tgat drsft obtained when the Cowboys traded Butch Johnson to the Oilers. A lot of dominoes were aligned over a few seasons eventually leading to the success of the early 90s.

 

[BAT]

I love Herschel

I did too.

On the field.

And especially as a trade asset.

Off the field he is a complete disaster.

It's no wonder Jimmy traded him so quick. Jimmy loves SMART players.

 

[BAT]

seriously overrated trade

Only a non-Cowboys fan would think this.

 

[BAT]

We got Emmitt Smith, Kevin Smith Darren Woodson, and Russell Maryland from that trade. But Walker had already had close to 2000 carries by that time if you include his USFL years so he was on the down hill slide already. I think people think of it as more of a steal than it is because of how ineffective Walker was after 89.

It was a steal because Cowboys accumulated almost 3× more young talent in half the time and rode that talent to 3 championships in 4 seasons.

No team ever has rebuilt from absolute worst in NFL to a dynasty in 3 seasons.

 

[Verdict]

I love Herschel

I remember thinking at the time—Jimmy is taking the picks instead of the players. And having just coached in college he had an idea what what out there in terms of talent.

I will say Jimmy missed on quite a few draft picks in hindsight.

 

[BAT]

I remember thinking at the time—Jimmy is taking the picks instead of the players. And having just coached in college he had an idea what what out there in terms of talent.

I will say Jimmy missed on quite a few draft picks in hindsight.

The ones he hit on were enough for 3 SBs.

I'd rather focus on the multiple championships than a few missed players.

 

[lukemartin79]

Mike Ditka challenged that standard a decade later by trading his entire 1999 draft, plus a first and third in 2000, to move up and draft Ricky Williams.

Yes he did. But where Jimmy built a dynasty from it, Ditka and Ricky were not there very long at all and no championships. Did they even make the playoffs, lol?

 

[joseephuss]

I remember thinking at the time—Jimmy is taking the picks instead of the players. And having just coached in college he had an idea what what out there in terms of talent.

I will say Jimmy missed on quite a few draft picks in hindsight.

That is one reason the trade made a difference. You are always going to miss on quite a few draft picks. Having those extra picks is very helpful. Whatever your hit-rate is in a draft is aided by the sheer volume of picks you have. Without those extra picks, you have to be darn near perfect in order to build a dynasty.

 

[tyke1doe]

One reason that people might see the trade as overrated is that it was in additional later trades that those picks turned into the most stellar players. Emmitt was picked not with a Minnesota pick, but with a Steelers pick that the Minnesota pick helped obtain.

Sorry, but that's a distinction without a difference. If we had not had the Vikings pick, we couldn't have traded up to pick Emmitt Smith with the Steelers pick.

That's like saying we can't count Micah Parsons as a great Cowboys pick because we got him through a trade with our arch-nemesis, the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

Glad things worked out for Herschel and he was able to have a second career working as a full time honorary deputy.

 

[BAT]

Glad things worked out for Herschel and he was able to have a second career working as a full time honorary deputy.

 

[Irv88]

Jimmy called it the “Great Train Robbery”…at the time. The dude was all in and knew exactly what he did.

Other teams have tried..ricky Williams for a ton of draft picks, RGIII also, etc.

Those teams tried to replicate it, but no one else got the draft picks right to make a dynasty.

It is greatest draft trade in history because it resulted in a dynasty.