What was your worst year to be a Cowboys Fan?

[GimmeTheBall!]

Every year when we don't play in the Superbowl.
The above used to be the Cowboy belief system now we're just happy if and when we beat a team over .500

Last two years with the senile Tom Landry as coach.

 

[kskboys]

2001-2002
Quincy carter was selected as a QB for the Cowboys. An amateur could tell Carter is not an NFL QB.
Campo is the coach .
It affirmed that the team management is delusional .

I really haven't been able to be completely positive about a team since then. Hard to be when you don't believe in what they're doing. And I try.

 

[Batman1980]

2002 was my worst year as a fan, 2016 makes sure I no longer get too high about anything less than a game with the Cowboys on Championship Sunday.

 

[windward]

What was your worst year as a Cowboys fan?

Mine was 1988. In my lifetime, which started in 1965, the Cowboys had never won less than 7 games in a season, except for the strike shortened 1982 season, when they went 6-3 and made the NFL championship game for the 3rd straight season. And they had only 3 seasons of 7 wins (1965, 1986 & 1987) in that time. At the age of 23, I had witnessed 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966-1985. The Cowboys had started 6-2 in 1986 on their way to a 21st winning season, only to crater to a 1-7 finish after Danny White was injured, and Steve Pelleur took over at Quarterback. 1986 was their first losing season since 1964, and the first I had ever witnessed.

To watch Tom Landry suffer through the humiliation of a 3-13 season in 1988 was excruciating. That was BEFORE he got fired in February 1989.

2000. The year I knew the Aikman era was over.

 

[mrmojo]

1986. I was living in Commie Niner country, and the Cowboys started 6 and 2, but Danny White got hurt and out for the season, and we finished 7 and 9. It was a bummer.

Holding #75 ..ugh.. in Giant game that Danny was hurt in.

 

[CATCH17]

Garrett years were terrible outside of 2014 and 2016.

We always had to overcome coaching with him in charge so we had to be absolutely phenomenal to win anything with that guy.

Last season was a terrible year because there was no reason to keep him another year and they wasted one of their more talented rosters in the last couple of decades.

 

[mrmojo]

Mine was the entire Campo era, it was a joke with Lacewell heavily involved....at least in 1989 there was hope with a new coaching staff and QB, although we didn't really know at the time.

 

[joshjwp]

16 when Romo retired. Knowing he would never get a Superbowl and haters would always hold that over the head of one of the all time great QBs. Its the ultimate team sport to begin with and on top of that nobody could have won with Wade Philips or Jason Garrett as their head coaches.

 

[wrongway]

The 1989 season was the worst for me. With Jimmy and Jerry coming in and Troy Aikman the number one overall pick I was really excited about that season and never expected the team to be even worse than the 88 team. I didn’t expect the team to be great in 89 but I thought they would make some progress and win at least 6 or 7 games. That season made me really question if Jimmy and Jerry knew what the hell they were doing. Even with all the draft picks the team got in the Herschel Walker trade many thought the Cowboys were fools for trading him. With all the jokes being made about Jimmy and Jerry and the Cowboys 1-15 season that was the lowest point for me as a Cowboys fan.

Agreed, only thing worse is 0-16. Easy call for me.

 

[Redball Express]

What was your worst year as a Cowboys fan?

Mine was 1988. In my lifetime, which started in 1965, the Cowboys had never won less than 7 games in a season, except for the strike shortened 1982 season, when they went 6-3 and made the NFL championship game for the 3rd straight season. And they had only 3 seasons of 7 wins (1965, 1986 & 1987) in that time. At the age of 23, I had witnessed 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966-1985. The Cowboys had started 6-2 in 1986 on their way to a 21st winning season, only to crater to a 1-7 finish after Danny White was injured, and Steve Pelleur took over at Quarterback. 1986 was their first losing season since 1964, and the first I had ever witnessed.

To watch Tom Landry suffer through the humiliation of a 3-13 season in 1988 was excruciating. That was BEFORE he got fired in February 1989.

On of my worst days was right when I first became a fan.

I was like 10 years old.

1965.

My dad had bought season tickets for the first time.

I went with he and my mom and older brother to the games.

I was more into college football like LSU and Tulane as we had just moved from New Orleans.

The team had just completed the 1965 season. The playoff setup was not what it is today.

They had a game called The Playoff Bowl. It featured the runners up in the standings who would play for bragging rights.

Anyway, we qualified and played the Baltimore Colts.

It was actually close. Johnnie Unitas was injured and their HB Tom Mattinley filled in a QB and beat us.

I was totally deflated. But I recall Don Meredith being interviewed and he was not unhappy at all.

He talked about the team being young and inexperienced and that they would be back.

And of course they would. But being young, it seemed like the end of football as I understood it.

I stayed with the team and have been amazed as to how this team has grown with me the whole way.

All in all..a great ride indeed.

 

[KJJ]

Agreed, only thing worse is 0-16. Easy call for me.

There were so many doubts and questions after the 1989 season. That season was a complete disaster and made Jerry and Jimmy look like bafoons who didn’t know what they were doing. Even with all the draft picks the Cowboys got in the Herschel Walker trade many questioned the decision to trade him. Many questioned Aikman after going 0-11. He took a real beating that season and some thought his confidence may have been ruined. That was the biggest concern for me with was whether his confidence was still intact.

Nothing can make a young highly touted QB go bust quicker than losing their confidence. The next real concern was Irvin’s ACL injury. Players didn’t always come back as good from ACL’s back then. I’ll never forget how bad I felt about the team after that season. Never would I have imagined they would go from that miserable season to winning back to back Super Bowl’s in 92 and 93.

 

[buybuydandavis]

What was your worst year as a Cowboys fan?

Mine was 1988. In my lifetime, which started in 1965, the Cowboys had never won less than 7 games in a season, except for the strike shortened 1982 season, when they went 6-3 and made the NFL championship game for the 3rd straight season. And they had only 3 seasons of 7 wins (1965, 1986 & 1987) in that time. At the age of 23, I had witnessed 20 consecutive winning seasons from 1966-1985. The Cowboys had started 6-2 in 1986 on their way to a 21st winning season, only to crater to a 1-7 finish after Danny White was injured, and Steve Pelleur took over at Quarterback. 1986 was their first losing season since 1964, and the first I had ever witnessed.

To watch Tom Landry suffer through the humiliation of a 3-13 season in 1988 was excruciating. That was BEFORE he got fired in February 1989.

Same. It was a year of aged mediocrity with no hope for the future.

Only won 1 game in 1989, but it was one of my favorite years, with young guys playing hard and getting better instead of old guys phoning it in and getting worse. The perennial preseason.

 

[buybuydandavis]

My first memories of following the Cowboys were in 1989, but I was too young to really care that they had only won 1 game that season.

I think the worst for me were those three straight 5-11 seasons. Although 2017-2019 were pretty bad too. I couldn't even make myself care after that Packers playoff loss and knowing we were just going to continue to waste seasons on a coach whose ceiling was the divisional round.

Yeah, 2000-2002 was just bad. We mortgaged the future on Galloway for the "Aikman Window", and Galloway breaks in his first game. Aikman breaks game after game. Then Aikman retires after the season.

2000 saw our hopes for a last hurrah for Aikman pitilessly crushed, leaving us with a floundering team with little money or picks to improve with, and no competence in using the little ammo we had. The team that Jimmy built was gone, and Jerry was at his clown show best.

2008 was another grim season of dashed hopes. 2007 looked like the beginning of another dynasty with The Team That Parcell's Built, but that team was crapped out in 2008 by the trade for Roy and a declining oline thereafter.

The Team That Parcells Built won *one* playoff game, and only a WC game at that. It's really mind-boggling how *little* was accomplished with a 2007 team that sent an NFL record 13 players to the Pro Bowl and had 3 HOF players making All Pro.

The horrific thing about the reign of Jerry is that the waste of The Team That Parcells Built is not his worst failure. Nothing can compare to failing to suck it up with Jimmy and complete the inevitable 3peat and 4peat in the 90s to be the unquestioned Greatest Team of All Time. It was money in the street waiting to be picked up.

 

[buybuydandavis]

The ending of the 2008 season was just abysmal and stands out in my mind as utterly horrid. I was living in the UK at the time and was staying up late to watch the games... and for us to have a shot at the playoffs and to get absolutely destroyed in Philly 44-6 was crushing

I came away embarrassed, frustrated, and with very little hope. And I was pissed. Yes— very pissed lol

Yeah, forgot about that part of the 2008 debacle. 2009 ended similarly against the Vikings. Getting obliterated to end a season is brutal. At least in 2008 we got the moment of Tony rebelling and going for it on 4th down. Did he convert on that? I can't remember. I just remember dopey old Wade on the sideline mouthing "You can't do that".

2008-2010 was brutal in watching the promise of 2007 squashed year after year until it was no more. How did 2010 start *that* bad? 2009 was a pretty strong team. Tony and Miles had about a year of being the most productive pair in the league, and we added Dez.

 

[buybuydandavis]

2000. The year I knew the Aikman era was over.

When Galloway broke in his first game. Brutal.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Garrett years were terrible outside of 2014 and 2016.
We always had to overcome coaching with him in charge so we had to be absolutely phenomenal to win anything with that guy.

The worst thing about the last few Garrett years was knowing that no matter how good the roster, it would be next to impossible to win a SB with Garrett doing game management.

We really should have been a contending team *this* year. We hit on both Quinn and Bennett, and were healthy at all but LB across the team. But we threw away *so many* games with poor coaching decisions on offense. Leaves me wondering about Moore, but most of the failures simply reeked with of Garrett Stank.

 

[buybuydandavis]

16 when Romo retired. Knowing he would never get a Superbowl and haters would always hold that over the head of one of the all time great QBs. Its the ultimate team sport to begin with and on top of that nobody could have won with Wade Philips or Jason Garrett as their head coaches.

Romo retired in 2017. In 2016, they wouldn't let him come back and play. Kind of a fitting way for his career to end, held back by the coaches yet again. For that matter, Jerry even held him back the next offseason, trying to squeeze a pick out of him instead of letting him go.
2016 was the 2014 team, but better. Except at QB. Never know if Romo could still play near the 2014 level, but he sure looked sharp on the one drive that they gave him. So much "what might have been" with Almost Antonio. Glad he's hit it big in broadcasting.

 

[joshjwp]

Romo retired in 2017. In 2016, they wouldn't let him come back and play. Kind of a fitting way for his career to end, held back by the coaches yet again. For that matter, Jerry even held him back the next offseason, trying to squeeze a pick out of him instead of letting him go.
2016 was the 2014 team, but better. Except at QB. Never know if Romo could still play near the 2014 level, but he sure looked sharp on the one drive that they gave him. So much "what might have been" with Almost Antonio. Glad he's hit it big in broadcasting.

Yeah I just put 16 because it was the year he retired after and I wish I could have seen what he could have done with that 16 team in the playoffs.

 

[Acheman08]

There have been a few years I can think of. 1-15 wasnt great but I think the Campo and Garret eras have produced worse for me. Campo just plain sucked and alot of the old heros were leaving. Garret wasted several really stacked teams that should have at least been in the SB.

 

[Starforever]

All the bad times before Garrett, were appeased. His tenure, sucked the life out my fandom.