Irving, TX (My Sportsbook) - Dallas Cowboys head coach Bill Parcells has decided to retire.

Parcells took some time to make his decision after the Cowboys' season ended with a wild-card round loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

"I am retiring from coaching football," Parcells said in a statement released by the Cowboys. "I want to thank Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones for their tremendous support over the last four years. Also, the players, my coaching staff and others in the support group who have done so much to help. Dallas is a great city and the Cowboys are an integral part of it. I am hopeful that they are able to go forward from here.

"I am in good health and feel lucky to have been able to coach in the NFL for an extended period of time. I leave the game and the NFL with nothing but good feelings and gratitude to all the players, coaches and other people that have assisted me in that regard."

The 65-year-old Parcells had been the coach of the Cowboys since January of 2003 and posted a regular-season record of 34-30 during his four-year tenure in Dallas. The Cowboys had three winning seasons and two playoff appearances under Parcells, but the team dropped both of its postseason games -- losing to Carolina in 2003 and Seattle this past season.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, reacted to Parcells' announcement with a statement Monday afternoon. He said the team wanted Parcells to return for next season, but Jones was understandable and respectful of the decision to retire.

"From an ownership and general manager's perspective, Bill's coaching the Cowboys represented a willingness to embrace a different philosophy and approach toward winning," Jerry Jones said. "This experience will re-enforce that willingness to be flexible. To our fans, I would like them to know that it is still all about winning. Winning is the name of the game, and nothing has changed. We have made progress on that front in the recent past, and we will continue to build on that progress with the belief that we have to do better."

Dallas had an up-and-down 2006 season that saw a change of quarterbacks from Drew Bledsoe to Tony Romo, and the ever-present drama surrounding controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens. There has been speculation that dealing with Owens may have factored into Parcells' decision.

The Cowboys were 8-4 and first in the NFC East following an emotional 23-20 victory over the New York Giants on December 3, but the team lost three of its next four to finish with the top wild card spot in the conference.

In the playoff game at Seattle, the Cowboys were in position to win with a short field goal, but Romo failed to handle the snap from center and the Seahawks went on to pull out a 21-20 triumph.

Parcells had an overall head coaching mark of 172-130-1 in the regular season with the Cowboys, New York Jets, New England Patriots and New York Giants, winning Super Bowl titles after the 1986 and 1990 seasons during an eight-year run with the Giants.

This will be the third retirement for Parcells, who first called it quits after his second Super Bowl triumph following the 1990 season. He then went to New England in 1993 and guided the Patriots to a Super Bowl appearance in his fourth season there, but a power struggle after that 1996 campaign led to his departure from Foxboro.

His next stop was with the Jets starting in 1997, and his three-year run with New York's other team included an appearance in the AFC Championship Game after the 1998 season.

Following an 8-8 mark in 1999, Parcells announced his retirement again and said he would not return to coaching. After nearly taking over in Tampa Bay before the 2002 season, he was coaxed back to the sideline the following year by the persuasive Jerry Jones in Dallas.

Parcells has an 11-8 record in the playoffs and is one of only five coaches to guide two different teams to the Super Bowl, joining Don Shula, Dan Reeves, Dick Vermeil and Mike Holmgren.

Nine of Parcells' 19 teams won at least 10 games in a season and he directed 10 squads to the playoffs.

Parcells spent the first 15 years of his coaching career at the collegiate level, including one season as the head coach at the Air Force Academy. He then moved on to the NFL as an assistant in 1979 with the Giants, spent the 1980 season as the linebackers coach with New England and returned to the Giants as the defensive coordinator for 1981 and '82 before taking over the head coaching duties in 1983.