OT: Last Cowboys Game in Texas Stadium

[DrFU]

This is sad ... I grew up 5 miles from Texas Stadium, graduated from high school there, watched tons of football games, went to some amazing concerts...

I agree with the writer ... the place has always been ugly, but the memories are great ones.

_____________

COMMENTARY: CEDRIC GOLDEN

Last roundup
After 36 years, Texas Stadium to close up shop
By Cedric Golden

Saturday, December 20, 2008

To see Texas Stadium from the outside, the viewer isn't immediately drawn to thoughts of perfection. It's not something you would see on the cover of Architectural Digest nowadays.

Texas Stadium is ugly. No doubt about it. When you're pulling up to the old house that opened in 1971, there's no denying its homely exterior, a dull mix of blue and white that's legitimized only by the blue stars that cover its sagging shoulders.

But once you're inside the house, it brightens up. The field is tidy, the end zones painted that oh-so familiar shade of blue. The only thing bigger than that huge blue star at midfield and the Ring of Honor encircling the stands are the memories that arose on the turf and in those locker rooms.

If walls could talk, Texas Stadium would rival Oprah.

Thirty-seven years after the stadium was built at a cost of $35 million, the Dallas Cowboys' contest tonight against Baltimore represents the 291st and final regular season game at Texas Stadium. There's a chance the Cowboys could have a playoff game in the stadium next month, but it's unlikely, so this likely represents the final chance to see the Cowboys in Irving. A new stadium is long overdue, and team owner Jerry Jones will move the team into a billion dollar-plus facility next season.

That state-of-the-art facility in Arlington will trump Texas Stadium in every area, except in historical significance . The soon-to-be former home of the Cowboys ranks up there in NFL lore with Lambeau Field in Green Bay and Soldier Field in Chicago.

"The first time I walked in there was to play a preseason game in 1975,'' said former Cowboys linebacker Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. "For a kid coming from a small black college in Oklahoma (Langston University), it was just impressive to see that place. I can say this because I'm black: It was like going from a slave ship to a yacht."

In his second game at Texas Stadium, Henderson took a reverse handoff from Rolly Woosley on a kickoff, raced 97 yards for a touchdown against the St. Louis Cardinals and slam-dunked the ball over the goal post. He was but one of many Cowboys who captured the imagination of fans in this state.

Henderson played with a linebacker named D.D. Lewis, who unlike Henderson wasn't particularly fast. Other players were much stronger than he was, too, and unlike teammates Harvey Martin and Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Lewis never played in a Pro Bowl.

But he stands out this weekend as an important figure in Texas Stadium history.

As the Cowboys prepare for their last hurrah in Irving, his name has rolled off the lips of Cowboy historians and fans alike . And it's not because of any play he made during his 13 seasons with the Cowboys. No, it's because of one thing he said to reporters in the locker room more than 35 years ago.

When asked about the Cowboys' popularity, he said, "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch his favorite team play."

Lewis' statement — he says he never claimed it as his own but was quoted making it — epitomized what the Cowboys stood for in the 1970s, when they became known as America's Team. There was a polite arrogance about them. From coach Tom Landry's Baptist preacher suits topped off by his familiar fedora, to the selfless efficiency of quarterback Roger Staubach, to the brazen Doomsday defense, to the mind-numbing speed of running back Tony Dorsett, the Cowboys not only played to the state of Texas, they played to an entire nation.

We caught a glimpse of that football palace every Friday night during the opening of the prime-time soap opera "Dallas." Diehard Cowboys fans will tell you it had to be midday when that overhead scene was shot because a shadow is covering half of the field.

In Mac Engel's book "Texas Stadium: America's Home Field," Staubach wrote in the foreword:

"There was not a bad seat in the place. It was almost as if everyone in the family room sat on the couch to watch a game played on the carpet in front of them. There was a family element to Texas Stadium, too. The fans all seemed to know each other, and they all knew us."

Top moments

The memories at Texas Stadium are too many to recount: Clint Longley's 50-yard pass to beat the Redskins on Thanksgiving Day in 1974; Staubach's touchdown pass to Tony Hill that secured the 1979 NFC East title and beat the Redskins in his last regular-season home game ; and Emmitt Smith surpassing Walter Payton for the NFL's career rushing mark against Seattle in 2002.

Those are just a few.

If Lewis is right, God has watched 312 Cowboys games in Irving since 1971. God surely knows the Cowboys have a 213-99 overall record at Texas Stadium (197-93 in the regular season and 16-6 in the playoffs). And he will have the best seat in the house Saturday, even if many television viewers will be forced to flee from their homes to find refuge in the home of a friend with the NFL Network. Those watching will see 100 ex-Cowboys take the field after the game and a video tribute revealing the five top moments in stadium history.

Once the mecca of NFL stadiums, Texas Stadium was the first to incorporate suites for its high-roller fans, the first to feature its cheerleaders at midfield and the first to immortalize its legends with a ring of honor.

It was a beautiful marriage, but like most marriages, it wasn't perfect.

After losing to Baltimore in Super Bowl V, the Cowboys moved into 65,708-seat Texas Stadium five games into the 1971 season. What followed was a rise to power in the NFL , with four more Super Bowl appearances and two championships coming in the '70s.

The stadium's tenants labored through the forgettable 1980s, when the 49ers, Redskins and Giants seized power from them in the NFC . Jerry Jones purchased the team in 1989, a deal that included the blasphemous firing of Landry and the hiring of unproven college coach Jimmy Johnson.

Then came a rebirth. The stadium's creaky rafters watched over Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin, as another three Super Bowl championships brought the Cowboys the title of Team of the '90s. Along the way, Jones was forgiven by some (not all because I know Dad still hates him) because winning has a way of softening hard feelings.

The stadium also was the scene for several notable non-Cowboys events.

Football fans from my hometown of Tyler remember the Class 5A Division II semifinal in 1994, when the John Tyler High Lions blew a 41-17 lead against Plano East with three minutes remaining in the game. After Plano East's furious comeback — fueled by three consecutive recoveries of onside kicks to set up touchdowns — the Lions trailed 44-41 with only 24 seconds to play. That was more than enough time for Roderick Dunn's game-winning, 97-yard kickoff return that won the team an ESPY award.

The Jacksons played Texas Stadium before Michael turned weird. So did Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and the Eagles .

Now the Cowboys are taking their act elsewhere and that homely stadium in Irving will soon close up shop for good.

The stands will be empty in 2009, but those walls will always remember what went on inside Texas Stadium.

Won't we all.

cgolden@statesman.com; 912-5944

[Rockindeano]

The Jacksons played Texas Stadium before Michael turned weird. So did Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and the Eagles .

The best line in that article.

[Rick]

The Jacksons played Texas Stadium before Michael turned weird. So did Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and the Eagles .

The best line in that article.

I, for one, am glad to see that place go. What a train wreck it is, trying to get in and out of it. The most uncomfortable seats, next to the Cotton Bowl. My horror is that the new stadium will be worse, in terms of traffic, at least. Texas has a black eye for building something without investing in the infrastructure. That was painfully correct with the Texas Motor Speedway. The new stadium sits right off of I30 and just next the the Rangers ballpark, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. The roads aren't even equipped to handle the current traffic, much less add a 100,000 seat stadium. They're building more lanes onto certain avenues, but it'll be nothing nearly enough to handle that kind of traffic. It's going to be a nightmare.

[Saint John]

Blow that fucking dump to smithereens.

[DrFU]

The Jacksons played Texas Stadium before Michael turned weird. So did Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and the Eagles .

The best line in that article.

I, for one, am glad to see that place go. What a train wreck it is, trying to get in and out of it. The most uncomfortable seats, next to the Cotton Bowl. My horror is that the new stadium will be worse, in terms of traffic, at least. Texas has a black eye for building something without investing in the infrastructure. That was painfully correct with the Texas Motor Speedway. The new stadium sits right off of I30 and just next the the Rangers ballpark, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. The roads aren't even equipped to handle the current traffic, much less add a 100,000 seat stadium. They're building more lanes onto certain avenues, but it'll be nothing nearly enough to handle that kind of traffic. It's going to be a nightmare.

Grouchbucket.

So Texas highways are all designed by crazy people (360 in Arlington has been under construction ALL my life) ... stop pissin' on my trip down memory lane ...

[Rick]

The Jacksons played Texas Stadium before Michael turned weird. So did Madonna, Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Garth Brooks, Paul McCartney and the Eagles .

The best line in that article.

I, for one, am glad to see that place go. What a train wreck it is, trying to get in and out of it. The most uncomfortable seats, next to the Cotton Bowl. My horror is that the new stadium will be worse, in terms of traffic, at least. Texas has a black eye for building something without investing in the infrastructure. That was painfully correct with the Texas Motor Speedway. The new stadium sits right off of I30 and just next the the Rangers ballpark, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. The roads aren't even equipped to handle the current traffic, much less add a 100,000 seat stadium. They're building more lanes onto certain avenues, but it'll be nothing nearly enough to handle that kind of traffic. It's going to be a nightmare.

Grouchbucket.

So Texas highways are all designed by crazy people (360 in Arlington has been under construction ALL my life) ... stop pissin' on my trip down memory lane ...

[Rockindeano]

The new stadium sits right off of I30 and just next the the Rangers ballpark, Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor. The roads aren't even equipped to handle the current traffic, much less add a 100,000 seat stadium. They're building more lanes onto certain avenues, but it'll be nothing nearly enough to handle that kind of traffic. It's going to be a nightmare.

Don't worry about the Rangers. They won't play the same days as the Cowboys anyway, and is Six Flags open that time of year? Out here in Valencia, CA, the place is closed some months and only open on weekends in the winter months. You know, the freezing southern California winters, where the temps drop to 50..BURRR!

[Michigan Girl]

I know.....my last game at Texas Stadium was Thanksgiving Day!!!.....

[escapefan]

I can't believe Irving lost it to Arlington... I worked just 1/2 mile from the Stadium.. Good revenue on game weeks for the company I worked for...

[Rick]

I can't believe Irving lost it to Arlington... I worked just 1/2 mile from the Stadium.. Good revenue on game weeks for the company I worked for...

Irving didn't try. The fact is, that place doesn't generate much to the city. The venue hosts very few events a year, and with all of the security the city is expected to supply, it's a little better than a wash after all is said and done.

[Don]

I can't believe Irving lost it to Arlington... I worked just 1/2 mile from the Stadium.. Good revenue on game weeks for the company I worked for...

Irving didn't try. The fact is, that place doesn't generate much to the city. The venue hosts very few events a year, and with all of the security the city is expected to supply, it's a little better than a wash after all is said and done.

To earn a little more cash, they should hold swapmeets there the rest of the year like Aloha Stadium does.

[NealIsGod]

Turn out the lights, the party's over...

[Don]

Turn out the lights, the party's over...

Fucker! I was just going to post that same line.
Good old Dandy Don.

[NealIsGod]

The Ravens took a giant turd in the punch bowl in Texas Stadium. After being robbed last week, this feels good.

Oh, and have fun watching the playoffs, Patriots.

[Enigma869]

Oh, and have fun watching the playoffs, Patriots.

I agree NIG. The Patriots' only shot was Baltimore losing this game. Leave it to the Cowboys to choke away yet another season. But hey, all is not lost. If the Patriots finish the season at 11-5, they'll at least make history as no team in the history of the NFL has ever gone 11-5 and missed the playoffs!

[Don]

160+ rushing yards in the last 4 minutes. Nice defensive effort in the middle there.

[YoungJRNY]

I don't get the whole media cum swapping with the Dallas Cowboys.

They fuckin' suck.

[texafana]

Cowboys have a shit load of ego driven talent, but they don't have the coach to deal with all the bs. Wade has got to go. They need someone with a mentality the players can respect. Parcels was too far past his prime (youthful energy, etc) to do the job.

[S2M]

The Ravens took a giant turd in the punch bowl in Texas Stadium. After being robbed last week, this feels good.

Oh, and have fun watching the playoffs, Patriots.

Yeah, it kinda sucks not being able to control your playoff destiny at this point. The Pats season came down to one 3rd and 15. And you know the more I think about tings the more I can't really say that losing Brady made that much of a difference. It made some, but the defense just isn't up to those Pats teams of the past. The ONLY thing I can say against THAT is that if Brady was there - the Pats drives would be more sustained thus keeping the other team's offense off the field.

Congrats to the Ravens. You guys did to the Pats what Buffalo did last week. Only in a different way.

Oh, and BTW, The Cowboys lost that game because of bad play calling....enough said.

[Rick]

I don't get the whole media cum swapping with the Dallas Cowboys.

They fuckin' suck.

I do, they're the greatest football franchise in the NFL. They have more value than any other team. They've been to more superbowls than any other team. Except for the Raiders, they sell more merchandise than any other team. And they have more fans than any other team. The NFL is the strongest sport in the world. So, they're like king of the hill in sports. The press like talking about them. Like it or not, it's true. Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable. They do not suck, you suck.

[Saint John]

I don't get the whole media cum swapping with the Dallas Cowboys.

They fuckin' suck.

I do, they're the greatest football franchise in the NFL. They have more value than any other team. They've been to more superbowls than any other team. Except for the Raiders, they sell more merchandise than any other team. And they have more fans than any other team. The NFL is the strongest sport in the world. So, they're like king of the hill in sports. The press like talking about them. Like it or not, it's true. Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable. They do not suck, you suck.

And they also haven't won a playoff game since Hannah Montana was wearing fucking Pampers.

[Rick]

I don't get the whole media cum swapping with the Dallas Cowboys.

They fuckin' suck.

I do, they're the greatest football franchise in the NFL. They have more value than any other team. They've been to more superbowls than any other team. Except for the Raiders, they sell more merchandise than any other team. And they have more fans than any other team. The NFL is the strongest sport in the world. So, they're like king of the hill in sports. The press like talking about them. Like it or not, it's true. Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable. They do not suck, you suck.

And they also haven't won a playoff game since Hannah Montana was wearing fucking Pampers.

Yeah, they're not perfect. I'm just fucking with YJ. I'll probably get eaten alive for that post.

[txfirefighter]

I don't get the whole media cum swapping with the Dallas Cowboys.

They fuckin' suck.

I'll deal with you later.

[Maui Tom]

Baltimore just scored again.....

[Saint John]

Baltimore just scored again.....

[Enigma869]

Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable.

I suspect the New York Yankees are probably worth more than the Cowboys franchise and I also suspect they have FAR more fans!

[Saint John]

Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable.

I suspect the New York Yankees are probably worth more than the Cowboys franchise and I also suspect they have FAR more fans!

The Cowboys are now estimated at being worth 1.5 billion, but Manchester United was worth 1.8 billion last year. I believe the Yankees are around 1.2.

The Brits thought Yank Malcolm Glazer was crazy when he paid $1.5 billion for Manchester United in 2005. We then valued the club at $1.25 billion. Today, we peg Man U's worth at $1.8 billion, making it the top dog in our latest annual ranking of the world's most valuable soccer teams.

[Rick]

Only Englands Manchester United soccer team is more valuable.

I suspect the New York Yankees are probably worth more than the Cowboys franchise and I also suspect they have FAR more fans!

The Cowboys are now estimated at being worth 1.5 billion, but Manchester United was worth 1.8 billion last year. I believe the Yankees are around 1.2.

The Brits thought Yank Malcolm Glazer was crazy when he paid $1.5 billion for Manchester United in 2005. We then valued the club at $1.25 billion. Today, we peg Man U's worth at $1.8 billion, making it the top dog in our latest annual ranking of the world's most valuable soccer teams.

The article I read said that 10 NFL teams are now worth over a billion. That's pretty incredible.

[NealIsGod]

The Ravens proved that the stadium isn't the only thing in Dallas with a hole in the middle.

[stevew2]

The Ravens proved that the stadium isn't the only thing in Dallas with a hole in the middle.

good to see ya out and about Nig