Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys reacts against the Miami Dolphins during the Thanksgiving Day game at Cowboys Stadium on November 24, 2011 in Arlington. The Cowboys will wear white helmets on their Thanksgiving Day game this season.  

The Dallas Cowboys last won a Super Bowl some 26 years ago.

Cowboys fans, who were spoiled by five NFL Championships in the first 35 years of the club, are hungry for another title. Or make that a playoff victory. Dallas has four playoff wins since the Super Bowl XXX victory over Pittsburgh in 1996.

I have been a Cowboys fan since birth as my parents took me to a game at the Cotton Bowl when I was less than a year old.

Raised as Tom Landry disciple, my first real memory of the team was the Ice Bowl and then I remember actually crying after the Cowboys lost Super V to the Baltimore Colts.

But the next season they defeated the Miami Dolphins to win Super Bowl VI. From there expectations were division titles, winning seasons, playoff victories and Super Bowl runs — maybe not a Super Bowl every year but most likely a playoff win and a berth in the NFC Championship every few years.

That Super Bowl drought has reached epic proportions. The year was 1996 when the Cowboys won that last Super Bowl — that year Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls defeated the Seattle SuperSonics to win their fourth NBA title; Atlanta hosted the Olympics; Tiger Woods made his professional debut; the Big 12 Conference played its first football game; the New York Yankees defeaedt the Atlanta Braves to win the World Series; Bill Clinton was re-elected president; Patrick Mahomes celebrated his first birthday in September of that year; and the cost of gasoline was $1.23 a gallon.

Makes you feel old. Well, at least for me it does.

But as an eternal optimist, I always feel this is the year.

Why the Cowboys are still popular is a great question. Many youngsters have no idea the squad was once relevant.

Since Dallas won a Super Bowl, the St. Louis Rams and the Los Angeles Rams have won championships; the Kansas City Chiefs captured their first SB in 50 years; the New England Patriots have appeared in nine Super Bowls, winning six; the Denver Broncos have won three crowns; and even the Philadelphia Eagles have won a Super Bowl.

To paraphrase Paula Cole’s song, “Where have all those Cowboys (postseason wins) gone?”

TRAINING CAMP

The Cowboys kick off training camp in Oxnard, California with a news conference on Tuesday.

It is the 43rd year the team has trained in South California and the 16th time in Oxnard. The first workout is Wednesday.

Training camp in Oxnard will conclude on Wednesday, Aug. 10, as the Cowboys will then depart to participate in two joint practice sessions on the road — first in Denver against the Broncos before their preseason matchup on Aug. 13 and next in Los Angeles against the Chargers before a preseason contest on Aug. 20.

The Cowboys are coming off an NFC East title, the third time in quarterback Dax Prescott’s six seasons. While going 12-6 in 2021, the year was a disappointment after dropping a home playoff game to San Francisco.

Prescott needs a healthy camp after a strained throwing shoulder sidelined him for most of the preseason last year. It was a huge positive that he overcame the gruesome broken ankle that ended his 2020 season.

An improved offensive line is needed — Connor Williams left for the Miami Dolphins, center Tyler Biadasz was inconsistent and left tackle Tyron Smith can’t seem to stay healthy. Maybe big first-round pick Tyler Smith can step in and play.

Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has high expectations as he wears No. 88. He needs to step up and dominate until Michael Gallup returns from injury.

As far as Coach Mike McCarthy, it is best things go well this year. Owner Jerry Jones said the loss to the 49ers ranks high on his list of disappointments in his 33 years of ownership.

A slow start, especially with the first two games at home — Sept. 11 vs. Tampa Bay and Sept. 18 vs. Cincinnati — will place McCarthy on a hotter seat.

THROWBACK HELMETS

The Cowboys will be wearing a throwback helmet this season during their Thanksgiving Day game against the New York Giants, taking advantage of the new NFL rule allowing one alternate helmet.

Dallas’ helmets were white during the franchise’s first few seasons.

This season’s throwback shell will be white with a single navy blue star, along with two navy stripes down the middle of the helmet and a gray facemask. The helmets will be worn with matching throwback uniforms consisting of a navy jersey with white sleeves and details, white pants, and navy socks with white stripes.

“We’re beyond excited to bring back our throwback helmets this season,” Cowboys chief brand officer Charlotte Jones said in a statement from the team. “The white helmet, along with the throwback uniforms honoring our teams from the 1960s, have long been a fan favorite, and we’re thrilled to bring back the tradition of wearing those helmets and uniforms on Thanksgiving Day once again.”

The Thanksgiving Day game is Nov. 24. This will be the second time that the Cowboys and Giants have met on Turkey Day, the first time was in 1992, a Dallas 30-3 win.

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