The Story of the Rise and Fall of “America’s Team” Captured in Latest Netflix Release

At the height of the ’90s, you couldn’t go ten feet without seeing a Dallas Cowboys Starter jacket or an iconic navy blue, outlined in silver and white Star on a hat. The team was ingrained in pop culture and at the forefront of the national conscience. The Cowboys earned the moniker as “America’s Team” for their dominant championship runs, winning three Super Bowls over four years with some of the most dynamic athletes the sport has seen. Dallas linebacker, D.D. Lewis once famously said, “Texas Stadium has a hole in the roof so God can watch His favorite team play.”

It was an era marked by the National Football League surging as America’s true pastime, and a game that has cemented itself into Sunday traditions in the fall. Just recently, Netflix released its documentary “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” allowing fans to relive the glorious era for owner Jerry Jones’s storied franchise. The eight-episode series features new interviews, rare archival footage, and a perspective on what made that decade so special in North Texas.

Director and producer Maclain Way, who co-directed “America’s Team” along with his brother, Chapman Way, wanted to tell the story of the hometown heroes they grew up with.

“This project started for us two years ago. Chap and I grew up in Thousand Oaks, a town that was the longtime training camp for the Dallas Cowboys. We knew America’s Team and Roger Staubach and Tom Landry. We dove in, and the things that started jumping out to us were the relationship between Jerry and Jimmy and these characters … Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and Deion Sanders.”

Related Speaker List: Football Speakers

Chapman adds, “For decades now, people have been wanting to tell the ’90s Cowboys dynasty’s story, and I think that it’s been difficult for one reason or another to get both Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson to sit down. I think this was the first time it was able to happen.”

Jimmy Johnson was the dynamic, slick-haired head coach who experienced massive success at the University of Miami, going 52-9 over five seasons, winning the national championship in 1987. He was teammates with Jerry Jones at the University of Arkansas. Jones had purchased the Cowboys in 1989, and his ambition had forced him to fire legendary coach Tom Landry, coming off a 3-13 season. The franchise was far removed from their 1970s dominance when they made five Super Bowl appearances and won two.

Johnson took over as the organization’s second head coach in history, and a new era was born. The Cowboys had already drafted standout wideout Michael Irvin in 1988, who had been a playmaker for Johnson in Coral Gables. The year after they drafted Troy Aikman, they drafted stout running back Emmitt Smith in 1990. The trifecta of “The Triplets” would be the pillars of the Cowboys’ success in the coming decade. The Cowboys won three Super Bowl titles between 1992 and 1996 and even ushered in the infectious bravado and services of Deion Sanders in 1995. With such rapid success and differences in opinion for the future, Johnson had a rift with management and was fired even after having won back-to-back titles. This allowed for legendary head coach Barry Switzer, both in college and pro football, to take over and secure a third title.

The power dynamics and levels of success achieved in such a short window by these men charged egos and strained decades-long friendships. The documentary sheds light on these nuanced relationships behind the scenes. There are interviews with all these men reflecting on their stories, with appearances from Nike founder Phil Knight, and Dallas native, President George W. Bush.

“America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” is now available on Netflix.

Unlock your event’s potential by bringing in a pillar of this Cowboys’ dynasty era as your keynote speaker! Don’t miss the opportunity to inspire your audience—Contact Athlete Speakers today for more information, or fill out our Online Booking Request Form. Let us leverage our 25 years of industry-leading experience to secure the perfect sports talent for your next event!