Most first-year D/FW teams finished last

How area sports teams fared in their first years in Dallas/Fort Worth:

Dallas Cowboys (1960)

The expansion Cowboys were allowed to pick three players from each of the existing 12 teams in the NFL to stock their roster. The Cowboys missed more than they hit on those 36 picks. Dallas went 0-11-1 in the first season, with the tie coming in an 31-31 game against the New York Giants after an 0-10 start. The Cowboys were competitive early, losing their first two games by a total of nine points. But they ended up being outscored 369-177. Quarterbacking the Cowboys was Eddie LeBaron, with rookie Don Meredith his backup. LeBaron threw 12 touchdown passes and was intercepted 25 times. Meredith, who the Cowboys got in a trade with Chicago, would eventually lead the team to respectability.

First playoff appearance: 1966

First championship: 1971

Texas Rangers (1972)

When the Washington Senators made the move to Arlington after a 63-96 season, expectations weren’t very high. The Rangers delivered on those goals, going 54-100 and finishing last in their division. The biggest star was the manager, Ted Williams, who was in his last season. Texas hit a lowly .217 and averaged less than three runs a game. The Rangers offense ranked last in the American League in 11 categories. The team’s star was Rich Billings, who hit a lofty .254 with a team high 58 RBI. Tom Grieve and future Rangers Hall of Famer Toby Harrah played for the team, which was shut out 27 times.

First playoff appearance: 1996

First championship: Never

Dallas Mavericks (1980-81)

The team was woeful in its first season, going 15-67. The team was supposed to be built around Kiki Vandeweghe, who refused to sign with the Mavs after he was drafted 11th overall. The star of the team was Brad Davis, whom the team signed as a free agent in December. He went on to have a lengthy career with the team. The same couldn’t be said for the starting lineup for the opener, which included Abdul Jeelani, Jerome Whitehead and Winford Boynes. The leading scorer that season was Jim Spanarkel, who averaged 14.4 points a game.

First playoff appearance: 1983-84

First championship: Never

Dallas Stars (1993-94)

The Stars are the gold standard for the area’s first-year teams. It helped that the team was decent as the Minnesota North Stars, winning 36 games in their final year in Minnesota. The team also had a star in the making in Mike Modano, who was their No. 1 pick in 1988 and scored 33 goals in his last year in Minnesota. The Stars beat Detroit in their season opener and finished 42-29-13, taking third in the Central Division and making the playoffs. Dallas beat St. Louis in the first round of the playoffs before losing to Vancouver in the second round.

First playoff appearance: 1993-94

First championship: 1998-99 — Anthony Andro

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