Ricky Watters burst on to the scene as a rookie running back with the 49ers in 1992, just in time for the peak of the rivalry against the Dallas Cowboys. The two storied franchises met in three consecutive NFC championship games following the 1992-1994 seasons. Dallas took the first two meetings before the Niners won the third high-profile duel, with the winner eventually going on to win the Super Bowl.
Ahead of the 49ers-Cowboys playoff matchup in the Wild Card round, Watters joined 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs” Friday to discuss the historic rivalry. Listen to the full interview below:
“That sounds good – Niners versus Dallas, man,” Watters told hosts Mark Willard and Dan Dibley. “Here we go again.”
Watters said the rivalry has clearly cooled down over the years, especially since its heyday in the 90s.
“I think it’s more for us back in the 90s,” Watters said. “It was just a special – two special teams, I should say. It was pretty amazing. Obviously, with ‘The Catch’ and Dwight Clark, there is a rivalry there. But I feel like now it’s kind of dissipated a little bit. So let’s get it back.”
The 12-5 Cowboys earned the No. 3 seed in the NFC and tote the league’s top scoring offense (31.2 points per game), behind quarterback Dak Prescott (4,449 yards, 37 touchdowns). The 10-7 49ers are likely entering the final stages of the Jimmy Garoppolo era before handing the franchise over to Trey Lance.
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Troy Aikman and Steve Young aren’t quarterbacking anymore, but Watters is still synonymous with the drop-shadowed jerseys the 1994 49ers made famous.
“I like that alot because I really felt good in that uniform,” Watters said. “I remember when we first got those and saw they were different and saw the black shadow on it – it was just something about it, like, ‘Yeah, this is special.’”
Watters said he loves seeing the current squad wear the jerseys as throwbacks, 27 years later.
“That’s our swag,” Watters said. “We’re the ones that brought it that way. I see the young guys now, the way they’re kinda rocking their uniforms, I like it. I feel like they looked at us, they saw how we played, No. 1, and how we looked as well, and the style we had, and they’re copying it. And I think it’s awesome.”
