Dallas Cowboys Lead NFL in Super Bowl Rematches

Obviously this time of year means the Super Bowl, and for the next nine days little else will be discussed concerning the NFL.

This year’s completely unforeseen rematch between the New York Giants and New England Patriots should feature even more tension than the last meeting between these two teams in Super Bowl XLII. After all, that game was supposed to be a coronation for the Patriots' perfect season.

Sure it was.

But while Super Bowl XLVI marks the first rematch for both teams involved, it’s fun to remember that the Dallas Cowboys have played a total of three rematches in the Super Bowl—far more than anybody else.

After a total of nine trips to the big dance, you might expect a few “reruns,” right?

So as we head toward another Super Bowl rematch, let’s take a look at the team that helped begin the tradition of classic games in highly anticipated rematches dating all the way back to January 21, 1979.

Dallas vs. Pittsburgh I: Super Bowl X

The 1970s brought forth possibly the most bitter and charged power struggle the NFL has ever seen.

The Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers appeared in seven of 10 Super Bowls between 1970 and 1979. Nothing close to this championship selfishness has ever happened again in the Super Bowl era.

January 18th, 1976 marked the first championship meeting between these two teams that, at the time, only included one championship for each.

The Steelers were going for back-to-back championships and, despite a valiant comeback attempt by Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, the Steel Curtain defense of the Steelers was too much for Dallas to handle.

Pittsburgh wide receiver Lynn Swann made perhaps the single greatest catch in Super Bowl history on his way to a then Super Bowl record 161 yards on just four receptions.

The Steelers 21-16 victory was the second of four championships in the 1970s which made them the “Team of the 70s.”

Dallas vs. Pittsburgh II: Super Bowl XIII

The first rematch of the Super Bowl era took place January, 21 1979 and, coincidentally, in the same stadium as the first meeting three years before.

As the decade of the 70s was nearing its end, another championship contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers seemed both inevitable and appropriate. But unlike the setting for Super Bowl X, it was the Cowboys who were the defending champs and seemed poised to have the upper hand.

Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw played flawlessly and tossed four touchdowns passes.

Both teams made their share of big plays on both sides of the ball. Jackie Harris’ dropped a touchdown pass in the back of the end zone that would seem to have possibly reversed the outcome for Dallas.

At eight years old, I didn’t care at all about this game, but I do remember when it happened. It was the first time I ever heard a few loud expletives followed by a slamming door in my house over a sporting event—things that have started to recur again recently.

The Steelers won their third of four championships that night, and would win their last the following year in becoming the “Team of the 70s.”

Super Bowl XIII marked the end of the Cowboys Super Bowl era under Tom Landry and Tex Shramm.  

Pittsburgh’s 35-31 victory marked the greatest Super Bowl ever played, especially given the historical aspects and the volume of Hall of Fame players that took part in the Super Bowl’s first rematch.

Dallas vs. Buffalo I: Super Bowl XXVII

On January 31, 1993, a new era of dominance emerged in the NFL surrounding the league’s youngest team, the Dallas Cowboys.

It had been well beyond a decade, with many losing seasons mixed in, since America’s Team had appeared in the Super Bowl. With completely different ownership and players, a collection of Hall of Famers, rejects and renegades served notice that this team would be a championship contender for years to come.

For Dallas’ opponent, the Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl heartache was becoming routine. Having lost the two previous Super Bowls to the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, both seasoned and veteran teams, many felt that the Cowboys might be a year ahead of schedule.

Not so.

The Dallas offense displayed firepower in the air and on the ground while the defense set an NFL record nine turnovers. Only defensive tackle Leon Lett’s fumble at the goal line—on his own fumble recovery and return—prevented this from being the biggest blowout in Super Bowl history.

For two teams whose only major difference in overall talent was age, a final score of 52-17 was anything but expected, especially with the older team on the receiving end.   

America’s Team was no longer a historical phrase as the Dallas Cowboys were back—and in a big way.

Dallas vs. Buffalo II: Super Bowl XXVIII

As defending world champions the previous season, a trip to the Super Bowl was no longer an electrifying surprise.

By January 30, 1994 it was expected.

As the Dallas Cowboys prepared to become just the fifth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls, the only real question was the health of quarterback Troy Aikman and running back Emmitt Smith. Those questions were amplified by the fact that there was only one week separating the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl.

In the first half of Super Bowl XXVIII at the Georgia Dome, the Cowboys looked nothing like the team that showed up in Pasadena, California the year before. Aikman was off the mark and it was the defending champions that looked tired and weary under the weight of huge expectations.

But if ever there was a tale of two different halves in the history of the Super Bowl, this was among the most profound.

A 13-6 halftime lead for the Bills, appearing in their NFL record fourth straight Super Bowl, collapsed immediately once the second half began.

The turnovers came roaring back and Emmitt Smith, seemingly by himself, willed the Cowboys to a 24-0 performance in the second half.

The final score of 30-13 wasn’t even that close. America’s Team won consecutive Super Bowls for the first time in a record eight tries.

Dallas vs. Pittsburgh III: Super Bowl XXX

As the Dallas dynasty was a bit in question by January 28, 1996, a familiar Super Bowl foe emerged to challenge the Cowboys out of absolutely nowhere.

The Pittsburgh Steelers arrived in Tempe, Arizona as a team that in no way resembled its “Team of the 70s” predecessor. Pittsburgh running back Bam Morris may have offered shades of Franco Harris’ bruising style, but let’s just say that Neil O’Donnell was no Terry Bradshaw.

The defense, while still very good, was hardly a “Steel Curtain.”

The Cowboys were losing players fast—those losses offset in large part by the acquisition of Deion Sanders who joined the team following the 1995 Major League Baseball season.

While it wasn’t Dallas’ most impressive Super Bowl win, it was arguably the most satisfying, especially for fans over the age of about 30 at the time. Now Steelers fans could enjoy watching O’Donnell’s two second-half interceptions fired right to cornerback Larry Brown and think to themselves, “what if.”

A surprise second-half onside kick gave the Steelers an honest shot, but the Cowboys were the established champion en route to becoming the “Team of the 90s” with their 27-17 victory.

Somewhere, former Dallas tight end Jackie Harris had to grin.