Nothing will ever bug me as much as the playoff losses to Cleveland in 1968 and 1969. After that, the Baltimore loss in the Super Bowl. The Cleveland losses hurt because we weren't even competitive. The loss to the 49ers in 94 when Aikman was leading a brilliant comeback and Switzer got flagged for 15 yards for unsportsmanlike because he wouldn't keep his mouth shut is probably number 4. Seeing Staubach retire was number 5, but he made the right move. He'd had several concussions, and didn't want to permanently injure himself.
Flipping that, the win against the 49ers in 1972, Staubach's first big time comeback was the best. The Cowboys were down 28-16 with two minutes left. Staubach completed a TD pass to Billy Parks, then Tony Fritsche made an onside kick behind his back and Mel Renfro recovered it. Staubach fired a pass to Ron Sellers and the Cowboys won 30-28. That was when Staubach got nicknamed Captain Comeback.
The victory against the Redskins in Staubach's final season was number 2. Once again, Staubach brought the Cowboys back in the final seconds. The sweetest part was the Redskins went into the game thinking they were assured of the playoffs. If they won, they were division champs. If they lost, they were the wild card unless Chicago beat St. Louis by something like thirty points. Chicago DID, and the Skins got back to their locker room after blowing a 17 point lead and found out they were OUT. This was the game with the infamous funeral wreath.
Third was the 1992 NFL title game, when Troy and Emitt started the 90's dynasty. That was the game that started the catch phrase "How bout them Cowboys!" when Jimmy Johnson shouted it in the locker room.
The fourth was the Buffalo game this year. 58 minutes of agony followed by two minutes of utter ecstasy.
The fifth was the first Super Bowl victory. It would have been number 1, but the game itself wasn't exciting, as the Cowboys killed the Dolphins. I loved it, though, seeing Tom, Lilly, Jethro Pugh (btw guys, Jethro was a WRECKING BALL) Mel Renfro, Dan Reeves and all the other guys that had suffered through the two losses to Green Bay, the blowouts at Cleveland in 1968 and 1969, the loss to Baltimore the previous year get their rings. Mike Ditka and Lance Alworth also got their player Super Bowl rings on that team.
Good thread, but let's remember guys, as Cowboys fans, we've got a lot more happy memories than fans of most teams. Also, I'm not knocking winning the Super Bowl, but you've gotta enjoy the games. Most of my favorite memories weren't from Super Bowls. I could have also listed the Hail Mary, the Thanksgiving day when Clint "the mad bomber" beat the Redskins, or any of a dozen other great games.