The great history of Cowboys assistant coaches

Diehardblues

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Ernie Stautner is still my favorite Landry asst...loved his utility belt he wore.

also respect to longtime Landry asst Jim Myers.

Jerry Tubbs also.

:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:
Yes, great asst coaches under Tom but didn’t go on to success anywhere else .
 

plasticman

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Gene Stallings- One of the "Junction Boys" at Texas A&M's training camp in 1954 under "Bear" Bryant. After graduation he joined Bryant as an assistant coach in Alabama and was there for their 1961 and 1964 national championships.

He was the Dallas Cowboys secondary coach for 14 years from 1972 to 1985 during which he coached two rookie free agents in 1981, Everson Walls and Michael Downs. They combined for a total of 18 INT's that season. They became part of Thurman's Thieves. That year is still the Cowboy record for most INT's with 37. In fact, 5 of the 6 top seasons in INT's was during the time Stallings was secondary coach.

Stallings was the secondary coach through eight conference championship games and three Super Bowls. His secondaries earned a total of 17 Pro Bowl selections and 4 1st team All Pro.

After leaving the Cowboys he became the HC of the Phoenix Cardinals for 4 seasons and then the HC at the University of Alabama when they won the National Championship in 1992.
 

Bobhaze

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Ernie Stautner is still my favorite Landry asst...loved his utility belt he wore.

also respect to longtime Landry asst Jim Myers.

Jerry Tubbs also.

:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:
All good ones! I remember thinking Ernie Stautner looking like he could still play when he coached our DL. Randy White always spoke very highly of ES.
 

cowboyec

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All good ones! I remember thinking Ernie Stautner looking like he could still play when he coached our DL. Randy White always spoke very highly of ES.
he was intense on the sidelines.
Randy credited what he learned under Coach Stautner for turning him into a hall of famer.
hi-praise for sure.
 

Bobhaze

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Gene Stallings- One of the "Junction Boys" at Texas A&M's training camp in 1954 under "Bear" Bryant. After graduation he joined Bryant as an assistant coach in Alabama and was there for their 1961 and 1964 national championships.

He was the Dallas Cowboys secondary coach for 14 years from 1972 to 1985 during which he coached two rookie free agents in 1981, Everson Walls and Michael Downs. They combined for a total of 18 INT's that season. They became part of Thurman's Thieves. That year is still the Cowboy record for most INT's with 37. In fact, 5 of the 6 top seasons in INT's was during the time Stallings was secondary coach.

Stallings was the secondary coach through eight conference championship games and three Super Bowls. His secondaries earned a total of 17 Pro Bowl selections and 4 1st team All Pro.

After leaving the Cowboys he became the HC of the Phoenix Cardinals for 4 seasons and then the HC at the University of Alabama when they won the National Championship in 1992.
Gene Stallings was pure class. I saw him speak one time at a football banquet and he told several great stories about Bear Bryant and Tom Landry. Stallings revered Landry and said many times that his character was such a huge influence on all his coaches and players.

Great story about Stallings when he was coaching at TAM.-In the 1968 Cotton Bowl, his aggies matched up against his old coach The Bear and the Crimson Tide of Ala. The aggies pulled off the upset, and Coach Bryant, showing his class, lifted his former player Stallings on his shoulder after the game. Total class act.
 

cowboyec

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i remember as a kid not only writing my favorite players but numerous times to both Coach Landry and Coach Stautner.
got many responses back from each...letters,autographed photos and all kinds of stickers,pocket schedules,etc...Coach Landry even sent me a Dallas Cowboys Weekly featuring him on the front cover...coaching instructuions thru his bull-horn.
great coaches.
better people.
:bow::bow::bow::bow::bow:
 

cern

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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 was the right guy for the job. aikman immediately bought into his system and the rest is history.
 

75boyz

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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?

Parcells whole staff while here had a long list of recognizable names with varying degrees of career success. Jimmy's crew was decent as well but none accomplished the same success as head guys after leaving. Top to bottom, I take Parcells group.

Sorry, for not doing the whole link or cut/paste of each guy's staff and all the titles they held but it can easily be looked up as I did, lol.
 

OmerV

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Parcells whole staff while here had a long list of recognizable names with varying degrees of career success. Jimmy's crew was decent as well but none accomplished the same success as head guys after leaving. Top to bottom, I take Parcells group.

Sorry, for not doing the whole link or cut/paste of each guy's staff and all the titles they held but it can easily be looked up as I did, lol.
Payton is really the key guy with Parcells group. Zimmer was already a long time Cowboy coach before Parcells, and Sporano and Haley didn't fare any better as head coaches than Wannestedt and Davis.
 

Bobhaze

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Landry and Parcells both have very impressive coaching trees.

Under Tom Landry, 3 of his former assistants took teams to Super Bowls:
  • Dan Reeves- took 3 Denver teams and one Atl team to SBs. Sad that he never won one but he was certainly a very successful HC.
  • Mike Ditka- won a SB with the Bears.
  • Raymond Berry- forgot to mention him earlier- he was WR coach in Dallas under Landry. He took that ‘85 NE team to a SB against the bears under Ditka.
Coach Parcells has had 4 former assistants take teams toSBs:
  • Bill Belechick- has 6 rings in 8 SB trips. The GOAT.
  • Sean Payton- won a SB in 2009 season.
  • Jim Fassel took the midgets to a SB in the early 2000s.
  • Tom Coughlin- won two SBs with the midgets in 2007 and 2011.
Parcells has arguably the best coaching tree in NFL history. But Landry is certainly top 3-5 too.
 
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Plankton

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Landry and Parcells both have very impressive coaching trees.

Under Tom Landry, 3 of his former assistants took teams to Super Bowls:
  • Dan Reeves- took 3 Denver teams and one Atl team to SBs. Sad that he never won one but he was certainly a very successful HC.
  • Mike Ditka- won a SB with the Bears.
  • Raymond Berry- forgot to mention him earlier- he was WR coach in Dallas under Landry. He took that ‘85 NE team to a SB against the bears under Ditka.
Coach Parcells has had 4 former assistants take teams toSBs:
  • Bill Belechick- has 6 rings in 8 SB trips. The GOAT.
  • Sean Payton- won a SB in 2009 season.
  • Jim Fassel took the midgets to a SB in the early 2000s.
  • Tom Coughlin- won two SBs with the midgets in 2007 and 2011.
Parcells has arguably the best coaching tree in NFL history. But Landry is certainly top 3-5 too.

Fassel wasn't a coach under Parcells. He was hired by Parcells, but Parcells resigned before they worked together. Fassel remained as a coach on Ray Handley's Giant staff.
 

Hagman

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Before this thread falls off the page we also have to give recognition to Ben Agajanian. I guess you could still call him an assistant coach? He served as a kicking coach and mentor to cowboy kickers for 20 years. I guess since he only focused on kickers he never got the recognition that a full-blown special teams coach would get. Guy was really a special kind of a player. Lost four toes in an accident and still went on to kick in the NFL.
 

Kaiser

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Dave Camp.....

Nevermind. There are a bunch of different stories, but wasn't Wade Wilson the one who pounded on the table for Dak Prescott?
 
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