I’ve been sensing a growing wave of disgruntlement of late in the land of Jerry Jones. What’s that you say Dallas Cowboys fans? You’re upset that it’s been a while since your beloved Boys have hoisted the Vince Lombardi Trophy above their silver and blue-starred heads? Heck, you say, it’s been just as long since they glimpsed the George Halas Trophy for claiming the top spot in the NFC. Twenty-six years and counting on both.
It’s entirely understandable of course, seeing that most of your children have never seen the Cowboys play in a Super Bowl. Heck, it’s entirely possible your children were born, grew up, went to college, got a job, married and have children of their own now that have never seen the Cowboys in a Super Bowl. For Cowboys fans this is downright intolerable….almost unimaginable. What in the name of Tom Landry’s ghost has been going on over this last quarter of a century, first at Valley Ranch and now at The Star, that could lead to such a long, dusty, deserted, disgusting road of abhorrent gridiron outcomes, year after year after year?
My answer to all of you? Chill out Cowboys Nation – it ain’t that bad. If you want a point of reference, all you have to do is take the four-hour road trip down Highway 45 and visit our fellow Texans living down by the coast. Go ahead and complain about your Super Bowl drought to Houstonians, and see what type of response you get. The Oilers joined the NFL in 1970 and went their entire twenty-six season existence without sniffing the Big Game, and then of course made a hasty exit to Music City in 1996. Enter the Texans in 2002. Anyone remember seeing them playing football sandwiched around a Pepsi halftime extravaganza in the previous twenty years? Nope, me neither.
Now let’s trek on up north to my home town of Chicago. We may have big shoulders, but honestly that just makes it easier for us to cry on them. It may seem like a recent memory to many of my Windy City generation, watching McMahon, Payton, Fridge, Singletary, McMichael, Hampton and Dent dismantle their opponents week after week on their way to Super Bowl XX in New Orleans. And maybe it feels like just yesterday when we watched our heroes carry Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan off the field on their shoulders after trouncing the Patriots 46-10. But in case you aren’t familiar with Roman numerals, XX means 20. The Rams just won Super Bowl LVI – which translated to human is 56 – as in thirty-six years since the Monsters of the Midway won their one and only Super Bowl. Yes they returned to the Super Bowl fifteen years ago in Miami, a game played in an ultra-annoying, non-stop downpour of frigid rain (regrettably, I was there). Devin Hester returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown for the Bears…and then there’s not much more I have to say about the game. If you need a summation, the final score was 29-17, and the quarterback matchup was the Colt’s Peyton Manning against the Bears’ Rex Grossman. Nuff said.
And what about all those other unfortunate franchises whose fanbases would gladly trade places with you? You know, the ones that exist in the darkness under the Cowboys vast umbrella, the NFL teams and cities that Cowboys fans seem to disregard when bemoaning their collective fate. Well there’s just a few of them I’d guess? Right? Not so fast. The first Super Bowl took place on January 15, 1967, and since then, not one of the following twelve teams have ever worn the crown:
Detroit Lions
St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals
Minnesota Vikings
Cleveland Browns
Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans
Atlanta Falcons
San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers
Buffalo Bills
Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
Carolina Panthers
Houston Texans
And while the following teams have won a Super Bowl(s) at some point in their franchise histories, they all have longer droughts than the one that the Cowboys are currently suffering through. Some much longer:
New York Jets – 53 years
Miami Dolphins – 48 years
Oakland/Los Angeles/Vegas Raiders – 38 years
Chicago Bears – 36 years
Washington Football Team – 30 years
San Francisco 49ers – 27 years
So cry me a river Cowboys fans with your five Lombardi Trophies and eight Super Bowl appearances. Guess what? It’s really tough to make it to a Super Bowl, and even harder to win one. Just ask a Vikings, Browns or Lions fan.
