during the 1989 season the cowboys finished 1-15, I remember a contract holdout prior to training camp contributing to their poor finish, is this true

I don't think he did
But, even if he did, Its a mistake the Cowboys never made again.

Yes he did. In the mid 90's (not sure when exactly). They even played a game or two without him until they were able to come to contract agreements.

no he never did. He's to good for that

He did, right after their first Super Bowl win against Buffalo 52-17. I remember because I went to the training camp when it first opened and he was a no show and was a no show until the 2nd game of the 93 regular season and went in after half time.\

The 89 season, he wasnt there yet, I am not sure who held out but that was Jimmy Johnson's first year as head coach.

Yes! In the 93 season, Emmitt missed the first 2 games, one of which was against the Bills. The 93 Cowboys became the first team to lose the first two games and eventually win the Super Bowl.

held out first 2 games of '93 season and won MVP