Did you know that the Dallas Cowboys were established in 1960 as an expansion team?
The football team that’s known as America’s Team has been regarded as one of our country’s most famous teams and has earned the praise of America.
This is largely due to the team’s visual ambassadors, specifically their five-point lone star that is their team’s logo. This iconic logo has represented the team for nearly six years and has become a signature part of the team.
Even those who don’t closely follow sports can easily identify the navy blue star and the iconic team that it represents. Although the team has what we now know as the most iconic football team logo in the world, it didn’t always look as we see it today. The franchise has branched out from the first logo that they started with and a few changes to get to what we know it as today.
The team has certainly earned their title as America’s Team with their five Superbowl wins and their stadium sellouts. The NFL team is one that has continuously shown us their best and what they’re capable of putting forward, pulling out some of the best victories to date. They’ve had more victories in the league than many other teams and are now known as one of the most famous NFL teams.
Although they aren’t used now, the franchise has had quite a few logos in the past that have molded them into the logo that we’re familiar with today.
Let’s take a deep dive into the history of The Dallas Cowboys logo and how it’s changed throughout the years.
The Dallas Cowboys Logo Through The Years
Although the logo has stayed fairly consistent throughout the years, it has had minor changes that have evolved into what we know it as today. For the most part, the logo has stayed consistent with the star trademark for their team. Few NFL teams have had the same success with keeping a strong and consistent visual identity through the years as the Cowboys have.
However, the logo has changed in the aspect of going from a very simplistic design to a more detailed one and having a few alternative emblems. If you’re looking to learn more about the logo and how it got to where it is today, we encourage you to read on.
1960: The Original Logo
The first and original logo created for the Cowboys was designed back in 1960 when the team was first forming. This logo was simple; a navy blue star with clean lines and no other details included. The logo was paying tribute to their home state, Texas, with the star and by leaving it clean and simple they showed excellence for their team. The bold color choice was professional and sleek, starting what would continue as a strong start to their team.
1964: Today’s Logo
The original logo stayed with the company for a little over three years before the franchise decided that it needed something extra included. The logo got a slight adjustment, merely adding finer details that would give it character and gave it a small modification. Jack Eskridge was the one to make the change to the logo. He added a white border along the star and decided to give it a touch of 3D aesthetic as well. The power of this logo is that it unites the team with their home state and it’s a feeling that they bring to the field every time that they play.
Additional Logos, Uniform Designs, and Helmets For The Team
Although the logo is the main brand identity that the team uses, it isn’t the only design that fans associate with the team. There have been a couple of other alternative emblems, but there are also the iconic uniform designs that the players wear as they’re rushing to the field and the designs that are worn on their helmets. Let’s take a look at these other designs and what they bring to the team.
Alternative Symbols
In addition to the star logo that we’re all familiar with today, there were two other alternative symbols that the team used. These logos were used at the beginning of the team’s origination and didn’t last for longer than a couple of years. They were different than the famous star logo that we now identify with the team but they still incorporated the traditional star.
The Blue and White Polo Player
This first alternative logo wasn’t seen or used as much and was used from 1960 – 1970 and went through a few different versions. This alternative symbol in 1960 featured a cowboy on a horse that was carrying a football and the colors used were blue and white. This was used on and off throughout the early 1960s, but we didn’t see it often and fans weren’t as familiar with it as they were the star at the time.
In 1966 the alternative logo was changed vaguely, a change in the colors choices being the only main difference. Instead of the blue and white that had been used early on, the team opted for color choices of red, white, light blue, and black. There were a few finer details that were tweaked on the rider and his horse and the direction that it was facing, but other than that the logo was kept the same.
Anniversary Logos
When teams have anniversaries, it’s common for graphic designers to create new special logos to use that will mark the anniversary with something unique. The Dallas Cowboys have had two such logos created for two special anniversaries; their 25th anniversary and their 40th anniversary. For the team’s 25th anniversary three stars were incorporated into the design instead of just a single one and had some creative visual effects used. This logo opted to use the team’s full name and also included the words ‘Silver Season’.
The second logo was created to mark the team’s 40th anniversary and was closer to the star logo that’s now used to this date. The star was shown with a ribbon and there were different typefaces used for the logo. There was a circle shown behind the star that emphasized the size of the star and the lettering incorporated. This was basically a glorified version of the star and paid tribute to the team’s original design.
Helmet Design
Although there are no separate designs used for the football player’s helmets, the color choices and how the logo appears on helmets are critical for football teams. The color choice for the Dallas Cowboys helmets is a light grey which works well with the navy blue used in the team’s logo. When designers are creating logos for football teams the logo must work on all areas of their material, especially the helmets.
The Uniforms
Depending on when they’re using them, the Cowboys have a few different uniform color options that they use. When they’re playing at home, they typically wear dark navy blue jerseys with numbers and white accents. The pants are grey with blue stripes, signifying the brand identity logo and keeping it consistent across all areas of the team.
Football players’ uniforms are important, not only because they represent the team, but they need to be easily recognizable from a distance by the audience.
Why The Dallas Cowboys Logo Matters
Why does this logo matter and what has made it one of the most famous of the NFL? The American football team has a logo that just seems to work in every way that you can imagine. It’s not any one single area of the logo that makes it special or unique, it’s rather how all the small areas of the design come together to create something out of the ordinary that creates the legendary logo that we see today. Here’s why the Cowboys logo matters:
The Shape
One reason that we can be certain the logo stands out and works for the team is the shape that’s used. As we said above, a football team’s logo appears on everything from jerseys to helmets and everything in between. The logo is versatile and is simple enough that it looks good on anything it appears on, regardless of size or the material.
The Font Used
Fonts are critical for successful logos and, once again, for football teams, the font must be versatile and able to work on anything needed. Fonts can be tricky for designers since they have to be able to be identified when scaled larger and on smaller material. The font used for the wordmark also holds meaning for the team, appearing to be the Cowboys by Sharshock font.
The Colors That Are Used
For football teams, the colors that are used hold the largest impact since they’re shown on just about everything. From fan merchandise to branding material, uniforms and helmets their logo is going to appear on a variety of materials. This is why the colors must make an impact and are a strong choice. The Dallas Cowboys chose navy blue for their logo and it’s the only color that’s used on its symbols. Blue symbolizes perseverance, power, integrity, purity, and strength.
The Master Designer Behind The Dallas Cowboys Logo
Who’s the graphic designer responsible for creating the iconic Dallas Cowboys logo that’s made such an imprint in our country? Jack Eskridge was the designer behind the navy blue logo and the one that created the famous five-point star. Before becoming a graphic designer Jack played basketball so designing the football logo was second nature to him. Eskridge will go down in history as the man to have created a trademark that established itself strongly with the NFL team.
Facts You Never Knew About The Dallas Cowboys
They’re The Wealthiest Team In The NFL
It’s true! With an estimated value of approximately 6 billion (yes, BILLION) the Cowboys take the lead for the wealthiest team to date in the NFL. The team has gone 20 years without a Superbowl win and they’re still the wealthiest team, so who knows what could happen if they started to win again.
They Were The First Expansion Team In The NFL
Although other teams came from other leagues, the Cowboys were the first true-born expansion team back in 1960. Dallas welcomed the team with open arms and they were quickly embraced by the city. The team’s now one of the wealthiest and one of the most famous in the NFL.
They’ve Played In 31 Different Seasons
From 1966 to 2014 the Cowboys have played in 31 different seasons. Out of these 31 times, they’ve won the Superbowl five times!
They Had One Of The Longest Runs In NFL History
You couldn’t truly call yourself a fan if you don’t already know that Tony Dorsett had one of the longest runs in NFL history with a 99 play in 1982. At the time this broke records, but it was later tied in 2018 by Derrick Henry running back for Tennessee Titans.
They Don’t Play In Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys may have Dallas in their names, but that’s not where they play when they’re in Texas. Currently, they play their home games in Arlington, Texas.
The History Behind The Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys first made their debut into the world of the NFL in 1960 and were originally playing home games at the Cotton Bowl Stadium. At the time Clint Murchison Jr was the majority owner of the team and as he brought the Cowboys into the NFL his first task was to get the team a head coach and player personnel director. Tom Landry was quickly brought on to take the job of the head coach and Gil Brandt was the team’s player personnel director.
Although they now had what some could refer to as the dream trio, that didn’t mean that success came easily or quickly for the Cowboys. Their first few years were a slow uphill climb and the team won as little as five games per season. They didn’t have a breakthrough until their sixth season in 1965. During this season the team was finally seeing success with beginning an NFL record streak of 20 consecutive winning seasons.
They reached the playoffs 18 times, won 2 Superbowls and 5 NFC championships. This was the time that the Cowboys rose to success and during these winning seasons was when a legendary team would forever be made. This was the time when they become known as America’s Team and their fan base grew to new heights.
However, the winning streak couldn’t last and the team experienced their first losing season for the first time in 20 years in 1986. For two more years, the team continued to face losing seasons and this was when the team was sold to a new owner. Jerry Jones become the new owner of the team and he decided to fire Tom Landry, the coach who had been with the team for 28 seasons.
Jimmy Johnson became the new head coach of the team and between him and Jones, they were quick to make things look up for the Cowboys. In the 90s they took the team to two of the four Superbowls and things were starting to look good for the team. However, the two didn’t fully see eye to eye on the team, and Johnson was replaced with college coach Barry Switzer. With their new coach, the team won their third Superbowl in four years, an impressive win.
However, since their last Superbowl win the Cowboys have faced continuous struggles. Since 1998 the team has gone through many new head coaches and they’ve only made it to the playoffs six times. But if readers think that this has discouraged the team’s fanbase then they would be very mistaken. With every game, fans continue to fill the stadium and cheer their loudest for the Cowboys!
Summing Up The History Of The Dallas Cowboys Logo
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the most well-known and widely recognized logos in the world. Their symbol holds significance for power, perseverance, strength, and purity. Although the Cowboys may have experienced a rough start and have had struggles throughout their time, they continue to come out on top and amaze us. Through continuous hard work and everlasting determination, they’ve been a part of writing the NFL history.
