October 12, 1989 – The Herschel Walker Trade Through the first five games of the 1989 NFL Season, the Dallas Cowboys appeared to be headed nowhere. Months after owner Jerry Jones bought the team, fired Tom Landry following a 3-13 season, and hired former University of Miami head coach Jimmy Johnson, the team made its biggest shake-up yet. Dallas was 0-5 and a far cry from the famed “America’s Team” moniker that had been bestowed upon them in the 1970’s. With this hanging over his head, Jimmy Johnson decided that the best way to rebuild the team and to do so quickly was to stockpile draft picks. To make this happen, the team was going to have to trade away one of its better players to make this possible. Several players were considered and no player was considered to be safe. One possibility was for second-year wide receiver Michael Irvin to be traded to the Los Angeles Raiders. However, Raider owner and general manager Al Davis talked Johnson out of trading Irvin altogether. Ultimately, the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings agreed to a trade. The Vikings received running back Herschel Walker, a third- and tenth-round draft picks from Dallas in 1990, a fifth-round draft pick in 1990 that Dallas had acquired from the San Diego Chargers, and a third-round pick from Dallas in 1991. In exchange, the Cowboys received linebackers Jesse Solomon and David Howard, cornerback Issiac Holt, running back Darrin Nelson (who would later be traded to San Diego after failing to report to Dallas), and defensive end Alex Stewart. However, it would be the draft picks that Jimmy Johnson and the Cowboys would receive that would make the franchise over the 1990’s. Dallas received first round picks from Minnesota in 1990, 1991, and 1992; second round picks from Minnesota in 1990, 1991, and 1992, Minnesota’s third round pick in 1992, and a sixth-round pick from the Vikings in 1990. The draft picks in the 1991 and 1992 drafts would have been retained by the Vikings had any of the players not been cut by the Dallas Cowboys by the end of the 1990 season (all five players acquired were cut for the picks). In all, 18 players and draft selections changed hands between the two teams. Initially, the response was that Herschel Walker went from playing for the worst team in the NFL to a team that was ready to make a run at the Super Bowl. It ultimately, did not work out that way. While the 1989 Minnesota Vikings did win the NFC Central title that year with a record of 10-6, the Vikings made a quick exit in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game against the eventual Super Bowl winners, the San Francisco 49ers losing 41-13 in San Francisco. After going 6-10 in 1990 and 8-8 in 1991, head coach Jerry Burns stepped down and was replaced by Dennis Green. After the 1991 season, Herschel Walker left Minnesota and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he would play for three seasons before playing one year with the New York Giants and two final seasons with the Cowboys. As for Dallas, they turned the draft picks they acquired into players who would star for the team in their dynasty winning Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII and XXX. The Cowboys became the first team to win three Super Bowl in a four-year span. With the draft picks they acquired from the Vikings, the Cowboys drafted eventual Super Bowl starters Alvin Harper (1st round pick in 1991, 12th overall), Dixon Edwards (2nd round pick in 1991, 38th overall), and Darren Woodson (2nd round pick in 1992, 37th overall). Dallas also drafted Alexander Wright (2nd round pick in 1990, 47th pick overall) who didnt work out for the team. The remaining picks were traded. The first of the players selected from draft picks that were traded was Russell Maryland, a starter on all three Dallas Super Bowl teams in the 1990s. The Cowboys used the third-round pick obtained from Minnesota as part of the package sent to the New England Patriots (the team who held the first overall pick in that years draft) in order to draft Maryland. That trade was made possible when the Patriots lost out on the opportunity to draft Raghib Rocket Ismail first overall after he signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League. Another one of the picks that was traded was the first round selection acquired from the Vikings for the 1990 NFL Draft was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers along with the 81st overall selection (third round pick) for the 17th overall selection. With the pick that was acquired from the Steelers, the Cowboys selected running back Emmitt Smith. Smith would go on to set the league’s all-time career rushing record and win the Most Valuable Player Award of Super Bowl XXVIII.
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 18:00:00 +0000
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