The Cowboys lost Super Bowl X to Swann and the Steelers, 21-17.

IRVING, Texas - With the Cowboys celebrating a half-century of football in 2010, DallasCowboys.com is reliving the entire journey, from winless upstart to the most valuable, relevant professional franchise in the sport.

From February to July we'll recap each season in detail, remembering the people, games, plays and moments which fostered the legend of America's Team.

We continue with the story of the 1975 season:

Missing the playoffs in 1974 proved to be an aberration, not a pattern. Despite departures of offensive and defensive stars Bob Hayes and Bob Lilly, the Cowboys (10-4) clinched a Wild-Card spot with a top-10 offense and defense.

The postseason would hold a providential pass, a decisive Super entry and ultimately a disappointing finish. Tom Landry's team reached its third Super Bowl, but would fall just short for the second time in five years.

Achievement: Lilly's first step toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame came at halftime of the Nov. 23 game against the Eagles when the Cowboys made him the first inductee into the Ring of Honor.

Best Acquisition: With the first of two first-round picks, the Cowboys found a future Hall of Famer at No. 2 overall. Randy White, "The Manster," would grab the torch from the retiring Lilly and develop into a Doomsday anchor. In 14 seasons he would make eight All-Pro teams and finish second all-time in franchise history for solo tackles (701), third in combined tackles (1,104) and third in games played (209). The Cowboys' other first-rounder that year, No. 18, was used on linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson.

MVP: Quarterback Roger Staubach again ranked among the league's most efficient passers: third in yardage (2,666), eighth in touchdowns (17) and the sixth-best rating (78.5). He also remained a late-game marvel. The Cowboys won four games by a touchdown or less, including the historic "Hail Mary" victory in the NFC divisional round.

Best Win: The Minnesota Vikings (12-2) were hunting a second consecutive Super Bowl berth. The Cowboys wanted to become the first Wild-Card Super Bowl entrant in league history. Staubach and Co. prevailed, 17-14, on a 50-yard prayer to Drew Pearson. The "Hail Mary" pass - coined by Staubach in postgame interviews - elicited protest from the Vikings. Defensive back Nate Wright, who was beaten on the play, and Vikings head coach Bud Grant thought Pearson pushed off. Nevertheless, the Cowboys used their late-game momentum to oust the Los Angeles Rams, 37-7, for the NFC Championship the following week.

Toughest Loss: In one of the closest Super Bowls ever, a Hall-of-Fame making performance from Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann proved to be the difference. Swann had a game-high 161 yards, including a famous diving touchdown catch from Terry Bradshaw. Trailing 21-10 late in the fourth quarter, Staubach threw a 34-yard touchdown to Percy Howard and had a chance to win the game in the final two minutes. But another "Hail Mary"-esque pass was intercepted on the final play and the Vikings survived, 21-17.

Check Out The 1975 Team History Page