The1982Dallas Cowboysseason was the franchise's 23rd season in theNational Football League. The Cowboys finished with a record of 6–3, placing them second in theNFC. It was the Cowboys 17th consecutive winning season, breaking the mark of 16 set by the Raiders. Dallas would eventually extend the record to 20 consecutive winning seasons. Only one team, the New England Patriots from 2001-2019 with 19 consecutive winning seasons has come the closest to matching it. After losing the season opener to thePittsburgh Steelers (the first time the Cowboys lost a season opener in 17 years), the Cowboys won the next six, including five after the strike had ended. However, two losses at the end of the regular season cost them home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. After beginning their playoff run with victories over theBuccaneers 30–17 and thePackers 37–26, the Cowboys traveled toWashington, where they met defeat at the hands of their arch-rival, theRedskins 31–17. It was the third straight season that the Cowboys lost in theNFC championship game. The Redskins would advance and wonSuper Bowl XVII.^[1]

The Cowboys featured big-play capability on both sides of the ball in 1982. The offense relied onrunning backTony Dorsett, who led the NFC in rushing (and during the season set an NFL record with a 99-yard run from scrimmage against Minnesota), andquarterbackDanny White, who finished second in the NFL inpasser rating. Despite the retirement of longtime startersCharlie Waters andD.D. Lewis before the season, the Cowboys still tied for the NFC lead insacks, andcornerbackEverson Walls led the league with seveninterceptions.^[2]

The Cowboys were the only team to defeat the Redskins in the 1982 season, winning a regular season matchup in Game 5 atRFK Stadium (the scheduled meeting atTexas Stadium was cancelled by the strike). The Cowboys were also the only team in the NFL who never trailed at halftime in '82.

For the only time in franchise history, Dallas did not play theNew York Giants, as both meetings fell victim to the strike.^[3]

Tex Schramm andGil Brandt, proposed to theNFL competition committee a centralization of the evaluation process for theNFLdraft prospects. Before this, teams had to schedule individual visits with players to run them through drills and tests. This proposition created theNFL Scouting Combine, which was first held inTampa,Florida, in1982.^[4]

Coincidentally, the1982 NFL draft was one of the worst inDallas Cowboys history. It is mostly remembered because it was the year the Cowboysdrafted cornerbackRod Hill in the first round. Hill would go on to become the symbol of the team's faileddraft strategy of the eighties, when the Cowboys took too many gambles. From thatdraft onlyJeff Rohrer andPhil Pozderac made contributions.

^[7]

• The Cowboys sent eight players to thePro Bowlfollowing the 1982 season:Bob Breunig,Pat Donovan,Tony Dorsett,Ed Jones,Harvey Martin,Herbert Scott,Everson Walls, andRandy White.
• Danny White andTony Dorsett were named to the All-NFL second team by theAssociated Press atquarterback andrunning back, respectively. On the defensive side of the ball,endEd Jones andtackleRandy White were named to the first team, whileendHarvey Martin andcornerbackEverson Walls were named to the second team.
• Everson Walls, NFL Leader, Interceptions, (7)

The Football EncyclopediaISBN 0-312-11435-4
Total FootballISBN 0-06-270170-3
Cowboys Have Always Been My HeroesISBN 0-446-51950-2

• Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Cowboys' 1982 season at NFL.com
• 1982 Dallas Cowboys season at Pro Football Reference
• 1982 season at Dallas Cowboys official site

• Dallas Cowboys seasons
• 1982 NFL season by team
• 1982 in sports in Texas

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023