The 2000 season was the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

' 41st in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the majo ...

(NFL). Cowboys owner

Jerry Jones Jerral Wayne Jones (born October 13, 1942) is an American businessman who has been the owner, president, and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) since February 1989. Early life Jones was born in Los Ange ...

promoted the team's long-time defensive coordinator,

Dave Campo David Cross Campo (born July 18, 1947) is an American football coach and former player. Campo served as the head coach for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2000 to 2002, compiling a record of 15 wins and 33 losses. He ...

, to be the fifth head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. This was also

Troy Aikman Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...

's last season with the team.

Offseason

The loss of star wide receiver

Michael Irvin Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of F ...

to retirement led Jerry Jones to trade the team's first round pick in the 2000 draft and the 2001 draft to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

for wide receiver

Joey Galloway Joseph Scott Galloway (born November 20, 1971) is an American former professional football player who is an analyst with ESPN. He was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). Galloway was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks with th ...

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Deion Sanders Deion Luwynn Sanders Sr. (born August 9, 1967) is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder. Nicknamed "Prime Time", he played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons ...

was also released after five seasons with the team. He later signed with the Cowboys'

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys (based in Arling ...

division rival

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

. Fullback Daryl Johnston also retired after the 1999 season.

2000 draft class

Notes * The Cowboys traded their 2000 and 2001 first-round selections to the

for wide receiver

. * The Cowboys traded their third-round selection to the Seattle Seahawks for wide receiver James McKnight.

Undrafted free agents

Regular season

After a lackluster draft which saw the team draft three cornerbacks to replace the departure of star cornerback Deion Sanders, the Dave Campo head coaching era had an inauspicious start with an embarrassing blow-out defeat to the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

at home (in which the Eagles recovered an

onside kick In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the ...

on the opening kickoff). The loss proved to be even more costly as

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

suffered a serious concussion early in the game and newly acquired wide receiver Joey Galloway suffered a season-ending injury in the fourth quarter. New faces like veteran quarterback

Randall Cunningham Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known ...

and wide receiver James McKnight filled in on offense under new

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach r ...

Jack Reilly. On defense, the loss of both starting cornerbacks in the off-season required the addition of veterans Phillipi Sparks and Ryan McNeil. Combined with perennial

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

Darren Woodson Darren Ray Woodson (born April 25, 1969) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 2003. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round (37th o ...

, the

Cowboys A cowboy is a professional pastoralist or mounted livestock herder, usually from the Americas or Australia. Cowboy(s) or The Cowboy(s) may also refer to: Film and television * ''Cowboy'' (1958 film), starring Glenn Ford * ''Cowboy'' (1966 film), ...

fielded one of the NFL's best secondaries. Unfortunately, a leaky run defense and an inconsistent, aging offense led to a 5–11 record. In a blow-out loss to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's Nationa ...

, then controversial 49ers wide receiver

Terrell Owens Terrell Eldorado Owens (; born December 7, 1973), nicknamed T.O., is an American football wide receiver for the Knights of Degen of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Regar ...

caused an uproar by celebrating a touchdown on the large Cowboys star at midfield in

Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof (Cowboy ...

, prompting anger and resentment off the field. This prompted a retaliation by

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the le ...

with a famous "Defend the Star" kneel-down celebration of his own on the star. When Owens scored his second touchdown and promptly celebrated in midfield once more, then-safety

George Teague George Theo Teague (born February 18, 1971) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins. He played college football at the University of Alab ...

knocked Owens off and a short brawl ensued on the field. Owens immediately returned to the star to celebrate while the brawl ensued. Teague was ejected from the game, and Terrell Owens was suspended for the next game. Ironically, Owens became a Cowboy later in his career. Emmitt Smith's tenth consecutive 1,000-yard season (an NFL record), along with a season sweep of the rival Washington Redskins, proved to be the only highlights in an otherwise disappointing season. The Cowboys finished 31st in the league in run defense that season, allowing 164.8 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry. Notable additions to the team include future starting cornerback Mario Edwards, as well as

Dwayne Goodrich Dwayne Lewis Goodrich (born May 29, 1978) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Tennessee. Early years Goodrich attended Harold L. Richar ...

. Goodrich gained notoriety after being involved in a hit and run accident which resulted in the deaths of two people. He was subsequently convicted of criminally negligent homicide. Backup running back Chris Warren was released after a 27-7 loss to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

. Warren tipped a pass which was intercepted by Brian Kelly and returned for a touchdown. After the play Warren was benched, he exchanged words with assistant coaches and spent the rest of the game on the sideline sulking. He was released a few days later and was replaced by rookie Michael Wiley, Warren would eventually sign with the

the remainder of the season.

Schedule

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Standings

Roster

Publications

The Football Encyclopedia
Total Football
Cowboys Have Always Been My Heroes

References

External links

2000 Dallas Cowboys

Pro Football Hall of Fame

Dallas Cowboys Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:2000 Dallas Cowboys Season Dallas Cowboys seasons

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...