Governor's Cup (Texas)
The Texas Governor's Cup (also known as the Cowboys–Texans rivalry, Battle of Texas, formerly the Cowboys–Oilers rivalry) is the trophy awarded to the winner of the football game between the two National Football League (NFL) teams in Texas, currently the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans. Prior to the Texans' inaugural season in 2002 the Cowboys' opponent was the Houston Oilers (now Tennessee Titans). In 1991, after 13 straight games at the Cowboys' Texas Stadium, the Cowboys and Oilers went to a home-and-away format for the preseason and this format more or less continues to this day for the games between the Cowboys and Texans.[1][2]
Preseason game between the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on August 24, 2019 | |
Dallas Cowboys Houston Texans | |
| First meeting | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | December 11, 2022 Cowboys 27, Texans 23 |
| Statistics | |
| All-time series |
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| Largest victory |
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| Current win streak |
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Since the first meeting between the Cowboys and Texans in 2002, the two teams have met in the regular season every fourth year and meet relatively often (by NFL standards) in the preseason; from 2002 until 2008 and again since 2013, the Cowboys and Texans have been scheduled to play each other in the preseason whenever they are not scheduled to meet in the regular season. In 2010, the teams played both a pre-season and regular season game while in 2009, 2011 and 2012 they did not meet at all. The 2017 preseason game, scheduled to be played in Houston, was cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey.[3] In 2018, the teams played both a pre-season and regular season game once again, marking the first time that this instance of two games in one year had happened since 2010.
History
The two cities of Houston and Dallas have a rivalry that goes way back before the team's founding. Until 2010, both were the two largest cities in Texas, with Dallas being known for having wealthy elites of the Texas oil and gas industry in the early 20th century, while Houston was known for being a working-class city with the lower-tier workers working in making oil pipelines during the Texas boom. In 2010 San Antonio -- yet to ever have an NFL team -- overtook Dallas to become Texas' second largest populated city. The US Census of 2020 has Houston with 2.3 million persons, the largest populated city in Texas, followed by San Antonio with 1.5 million people, then Dallas as Texas third largest city, with 1.4 million residents. [4] The Houston and Dallas metropolitan areas remain far larger than San Antonio's, moreover, the Cowboys have not played in Dallas proper since 1971.
In 1960, the NFL established the Dallas Cowboys, mainly as an effort to cut off the American Football League (AFL)'s Dallas Texans: the cutoff effort was only a partial success, as the Texans relocated to become the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963, but the AFL itself would thrive and eventually merge into the NFL in 1970.
The AFL would be the first league to place a professional team in Houston, and though the Houston Oilers and the Texans were in opposite divisions, they quickly became rivals: this culminated in the double-overtime 1962 American Football League Championship Game that the Texans won to prevent an Oilers threepeat in the Texans' last game under that identity.
In 1965, the AFL's Houston Oilers and NFL's Dallas Cowboys both drafted Oklahoma tackle Ralph Neely. The Oilers sued the Cowboys over Neely's services. In the settlement of the case, the Oilers received three Cowboys draft picks in addition to a cash settlement. The Cowboys also agreed to play five preseason games, three in Houston, against the Oilers. Thus began the Governor's Cup series, a Texas tradition created by franchise free agency.[5]
In 1992 the Cowboys and Oilers met twice in the preseason. The first game took place in Tokyo as part of the NFL's American Bowl series, and the second meeting in Dallas for the Governor's Cup.
The 1994 Governor's Cup was not actually played in Texas but in Mexico City at Estadio Azteca as part of the American Bowl series. As a result of Estadio Azteca's unusually large seating capacity, a league record 112,246 fans watched the Oilers shut out the Cowboys, 6–0 on August 13, 1994.[6]
The Governor's Cup went into recess after the Oilers relocated to Nashville, Tennessee at the end of the 1996 season (being rebranded as the Tennessee Titans): this left the Cowboys as the only NFL team in Texas until the Texans entered the NFL as an expansion team in 2002.
The only other professional football league to feature teams from Dallas and Houston at the same time is the 2020 incarnation of the XFL, which established the Dallas Renegades and Houston Roughnecks.
Governor's Cup win/loss to 1996
Up to the 1996 season, the Dallas Cowboys had won 18 of 31 Governor's Cup meetings leaving the Houston Oilers with 13 Governor's Cup wins.[7]
Governor's Cup results since 2002
The Texans joined the NFL as an expansion team for the 2002 season. Since then, the series is tied overall at 9–9 as of the 2022 season. The Texans lead the pre-season series at 7–5 and the Dallas Cowboys lead the regular season series 4–2.
Game summaries
| Date | Score | Stadium, City | Attendance | Regular season/ Preseason | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cowboys-Oilers Rivalry | |||||
| September 2, 1967 | Dallas Cowboys 30 Houston Oilers 17 | Rice Stadium Houston, Texas | 53,125 | Preseason | |
| August 31, 1968 | Dallas Cowboys 33 Houston Oilers 19 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 52,289 | Preseason | |
| August 28, 1969 | Dallas Cowboys 14 Houston Oilers 11 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 55,310 | Preseason | |
| August 29, 1970 | Houston Oilers 37 Dallas Cowboys 21 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 46,548 | Preseason | |
| December 20, 1970 | Dallas Cowboys 52 Houston Oilers 10 | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas | 50,504 | Regular season | |
| August 26, 1971 | Dallas Cowboys 28 Houston Oilers 20 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 49,078 | Preseason | |
| August 5, 1972 | Dallas Cowboys 26 Houston Oilers 24 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 65,405 | Preseason | |
| August 23, 1973 | Houston Oilers 27 Dallas Cowboys 24 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 46,942 | Preseason | |
| August 17, 1974 | Dallas Cowboys 19 Houston Oilers 13 (overtime) | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 53,148 | Preseason | |
| November 24, 1974 | Dallas Cowboys 10 Houston Oilers 0 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 49,775 | Regular season | |
| August 30, 1975 | Dallas Cowboys 17 Houston Oilers 14 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 46,951 | Preseason | |
| September 4, 1976 | Dallas Cowboys 26 Houston Oilers 20 (overtime) | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 58,844 | Preseason | |
| September 3, 1977 | Houston Oilers 23 Dallas Cowboys 14 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 49,777 | Preseason | |
| August 19, 1978 | Houston Oilers 27 Dallas Cowboys 13 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 62,242 | Preseason | |
| August 18, 1979 | Dallas Cowboys 16 Houston Oilers 13 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 62,803 | Preseason | |
| November 22, 1979 | Houston Oilers 30 Dallas Cowboys 24 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 63,897 | Regular season | |
| August 23, 1980 | Dallas Cowboys 20 Houston Oilers 13 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 63,658 | Preseason | |
| August 29, 1981 | Dallas Cowboys 28 Houston Oilers 20 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 63,799 | Preseason | |
| September 4, 1982 | Dallas Cowboys 20 Houston Oilers 14 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 60,150 | Preseason | |
| December 13, 1982 | Dallas Cowboys 37 Houston Oilers 7 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 51,808 | Regular season | |
| August 27, 1983 | Dallas Cowboys 34 Houston Oilers 31 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 54,363 | Preseason | |
| August 25, 1984 | Dallas Cowboys 31 Houston Oilers 24 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 53,877 | Preseason | |
| August 31, 1985 | Dallas Cowboys 20 Houston Oilers 10 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 53,812 | Preseason | |
| September 29, 1985 | Dallas Cowboys 17 Houston Oilers 10 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 49,686 | Regular season | |
| August 30, 1986 | Houston Oilers 17 Dallas Cowboys 14 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 62,239 | Preseason | |
| September 5, 1987 | Houston Oilers 18 Dallas Cowboys 13 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 47,043 | Preseason | |
| August 27, 1988 | Houston Oilers 54 Dallas Cowboys 10 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 48,400 | Preseason | |
| November 24, 1988 | Houston Oilers 25 Dallas Cowboys 17 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 50,845 | Regular season | |
| September 2, 1989 | Dallas Cowboys 30 Houston Oilers 28 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 63,582 | Preseason | |
| September 1, 1990 | Houston Oilers 27 Dallas Cowboys 6 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 55,499 | Preseason | |
| August 18, 1991 | Houston Oilers 30 Dallas Cowboys 20 | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 53,314 | Preseason | |
| November 10, 1991 | Houston Oilers 26 Dallas Cowboys 23 (overtime) | Astrodome Houston, Texas | 63,001 | Regular season | |
| August 2, 1992 | Houston Oilers 34 Dallas Cowboys 23 | Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Japan | 51,058 | Preseason | |
| August 15, 1992 | Houston Oilers 17 Dallas Cowboys 16 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 61,334 | Preseason | |
| August 21, 1993 | Houston Oilers 23 Dallas Cowboys 20 | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | 63,285 | Preseason | |
| August 15, 1994 | Houston Oilers 6 Dallas Cowboys 0 | Estadio Azteca Mexico City, Mexico | 112,376 | Preseason | |
| September 11, 1994 | Dallas Cowboys 20 Houston Oilers 17 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 64,402 | Regular season | |
| August 26, 1995 | Dallas Cowboys 10 Houston Oilers 0 | Alamodome San Antonio, Texas | 52,512 | Preseason | |
| August 24, 1996 | Dallas Cowboys 24 Houston Oilers 19 | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida | 44,296 | Preseason | |
| Cowboys-Texans Rivalry | |||||
| September 8, 2002 | Houston Texans 19 Dallas Cowboys 10 | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 69,604 | Regular season | |
| August 15, 2003 | Dallas Cowboys 34 Houston Texans 6 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 60,058 | Preseason | |
| August 14, 2004 | Houston Texans 18 Dallas Cowboys 0 | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 70,431 | Preseason | |
| August 27, 2005 | Dallas Cowboys 21 Houston Texans 9 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 54,288 | Preseason | |
| October 15, 2006 | Dallas Cowboys 34 Houston Texans 6 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 63,186 | Regular season | |
| August 25, 2007 | Houston Texans 28 Dallas Cowboys 16 | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 70,512 | Preseason | |
| August 22, 2008 | Dallas Cowboys 23 Houston Texans 22 | Texas Stadium Irving, Texas | 60,795 | Preseason | |
| August 28, 2010 | Houston Texans 23 Dallas Cowboys 7 | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 70,725 | Preseason | |
| September 26, 2010 | Dallas Cowboys 27 Houston Texans 13 | Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas | 71,456 | Regular season | |
| August 29, 2013 | Houston Texans 24 Dallas Cowboys 6 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 76,856 | Preseason | |
| October 5, 2014 | Dallas Cowboys 20 Houston Texans 17 (overtime) | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 91,159 | Regular season | |
| September 3, 2015 | Dallas Cowboys 21 Houston Texans 14 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 85,067 | Preseason | |
| September 1, 2016 | Houston Texans 28 Dallas Cowboys 17 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 81,016 | Preseason | |
| August 31, 2017 | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey[A] | Preseason | |||
| August 30, 2018 | Houston Texans 14 Dallas Cowboys 6 | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas | 71,438 | Preseason | |
| October 7, 2018 | Houston Texans 19 Dallas Cowboys 16 (overtime) | NRG Stadium Houston, Texas | 72,008 | Regular season | |
| August 24, 2019 | Dallas Cowboys 34 Houston Texans 0 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 85,636 | Preseason | |
| September 3, 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[B] | Preseason | |||
| August 21, 2021 | Houston Texans 20 Dallas Cowboys 14 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 72,720 | Preseason | |
| December 11, 2022 | Dallas Cowboys 27 Houston Texans 23 | AT&T Stadium Arlington, Texas | 93,843 | Regular season | |
See also
- Lone Star Series (MLB rivalry between Houston Astros and Texas Rangers)
- Mavericks-Rockets rivalry (NBA)
- Texas Derby (MLS rivalry between Houston Dynamo and FC Dallas)
Notes
- ^ The game was to be moved from its original venue, NRG Stadium, to the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, due to public safety concerns regarding flooding in the Houston area from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey.[8] The game was later cancelled to allow the Texans players to return to Houston after the storm.[9]
- ^ The entire 2020 preseason schedule was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]
References
- ^ . footballinjuries.com. Archived from the original on 2009-05-02.
- ^ Wangrin, Mark (August 3, 1990). "Governor's Cup game moved; Cowboys-Oilers exhibition series switches to Astrodome in '91". Austin American-Statesman. p. D7.
- ^ Cowboys versus Texans preseason game canceled, NFL.com, August 30, 2017
- ^ "Southern and Western Regions Experienced Rapid Growth This Decade".
- ^ Texas Sports News 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ . 15 June 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-06-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Express-News Archives : MySA.com".
- ^ "Cowboys-Texans game relocated to AT&T Stadium". NFL.com. August 28, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ Epstein, Jori (August 30, 2017). . The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
- ^ Shook, Nick (July 27, 2020). "Roger Goodell writes letter to NFL fans as training camps start across U.S." NFL. Retrieved August 14, 2021.