Mike McCarthy poised to pass Cowboys coaching legend in wins

Mike McCarthy can put his name ahead of a Dallas Cowboys legend with just three wins in 2024.

Randy Gurzi | Jul 7, 2024

Dallas Cowboys, Mike McCarthy / Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports

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Mike McCarthy might not have been the most popular hire when he was announced as the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 but he's done a good job overall. He heads into the fifth and final year of his deal and has already won 42 games for Dallas.

That includes three consecutive campaigns with 12 wins that shot him up the franchise leaderboard.

McCarthy boasts a record of 42-25, giving him a better winning percentage than any coach in team history. He can also leap to third place for wins and surpass a coaching legend. Jimmy Johnson, who coached in Dallas for five seasons from 1989 through 1993, finished his career in Big D with a 44-36 record, just two wins ahead of McCarthy.

Dallas Cowboys, Jimmy Johnson / RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Of course, Johnson also had two Super Bowls and was 7-1 in the playoffs compared to 1-3 for McCarthy. He was even the reason the roster was strong enough that Barry Switzer put up a 40-24 record and won another title.

That means McCarthy would need some serious postseason success to be mentioned in the same breath as Johnson, but that won't change his placement in their record book.

From there, McCarthy would need to secure another deal to have any shot at moving to second place. Jason Garrett currently occupies that spot with a record of 85-67. First place, however, isn't something anyone can dream about.

The legendary Tom Landry has a stranglehold on that spot with a record of 250-162-6.

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