Dallas City News

We are at day 89 of our 99 day countdown until the regular season. Here is your daily fact associated with number 89.

On October 12th, 1989, the Dallas Cowboys initiated the largest trade deal in NFL history. Most fans know it as the “Herschel Walker trade”.

Set Number: X33781

The trade itself centered around running back Herschel Walker, but involved three NFL teams and a total of 18 players and 12 draft picks. Jimmy Johnson had recently taken over the head coaching role at Dallas and was coming off one of the worst seasons in team history going 1-15. What they did have on the roster was a Heisman-winning running back who had been to two Pro Bowls and been named All-Pro twice. With Johnson knowing the Minnesota Vikings felt they were only a running back away from Super Bowl glory, the stage was set.

Michael Irvin very nearly got traded to the Oakland Raiders but the Vikings had caught the buzz Jerry Jones and Johnson had created and informed the Cowboys they were interested in a trade. After securing a trade for Vikings running back Darrin Nelson to the San Diego Chargers (he refused to play for Dallas) the monumental trade was initiated. The Cowboys sent Herschel Walker to the Vikings, along with their third-round pick, fifth-round pick (they received from the Chargers), 10th-round pick and their third-round pick in 1991. In exchange, Dallas received players Jesse Solomon, David Howard, Issiac Holt and Alex Stewart. Only Holt would become a pivotal player in the trade as Johnson was only interested in the draft picks. Holt would become the team’s starting left cornerback and one of the team’s better defensive players.

The most important part of the trade was the draft picks Dallas would receive. They took Minnesota’s first-round pick along with their second- and sixth-round pick in 1990. They also acquired conditional picks in 1991 with Minnesota’s first- and second-round picks as well as conditional first-, second- and third-round picks in 1992.

The Vikings assumption was that Dallas would not be able to meet the conditions in the trade but Johnson merely stashed the players on the roster to meet the parameters of the trade and continue to receive the draft picks. With those draft picks the Cowboys selected players Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson and Clayton Holmes. From there the Cowboys would go on to win three Super Bowls and dominate the 1990’s. Since the trade, the Vikings have yet to return to a Super Bowl and Herschel Walker would return to the Cowboys in 1996.