Random Stories About Being a Cowboy Fan

plasticman

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I'm so tired of "The Contract". I really don't wish to discus some impossible, fantasy trade scenario. I don't care to rank the Cowboys best field goal snappers in franchise history. I think we've discussed every angle of the endless number of Dallas Cowboy topics in infinite dimensions.

So why am I here? Because even after listing the usual predictable subjects, I still want to talk about the Dallas Cowboys. What can I say? I'm one of the sick ones.

This offseason has seemed ten years long and now some sadistic members of our society are discussing cancelling the season. Of course, I have enough faith in the fundamental character of our fellow citizens to know it won't happen, but still....

Anyway, this all got me to thinking about the past when it came to being a Cowboy fan. I have a lot of memories of parties, gatherings, "bro" enclaves, interesting circumstances and events surrounding "The Cowboy Game". I have watched Cowboy games on remote military radar sites, I watched one in jail (long story, but not the subject), I watched them during wedding receptions and in hospital rooms. I have had "fiery debate" with fans of many teams, mostly from the NFC east for some reason.

I would like to hear everybody else's most interesting story about being a Cowboy fan. I would do mine now but I've already eaten up four and a half paragraphs explaining the title. Besides, I suspect about 90% of you skip anything longer than two paragraphs....just joking.....I'll post mine in an hour.....I'm hungry.
 

Red Dragon

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I became a Cowboys fan in 1999 - an unfortunate time to become one, because the 90's Triplets dynasty was well and fully over by then. (Prior to that, I was too young to grasp the complex game, and not interested in football anyway.)

I was born in the US but grew up in Asia, so in order to follow Cowboys games, I sometimes would get up at 2 AM and 4 AM to follow the games on Yahoo Sports. This was back in the day when they had the digital field display with helmet icons slowly moving downfield. I suffered through the Campo years.

Having just about zero people to play football with, I would sometimes try to convince the local folks in Taiwan to play some pickup football. As you can imagine, their response was akin to that of Americans being asked to play cricket or jai alai - absolute bewilderment, bemusement, or non-interest.

It wasn't until I came to college in America in 2005 that I finally got to watch a Cowboys game on TV for the first time. I also was going to college in Virginia and New York, so I was immersed in a hostile pond of Commanders, Eagles, Steelers, Giants and other such fans.

To date, I have never seen the Cowboys win a Super Bowl. In fact, I've never even seen them advance beyond the divisional playoffs, or win a road playoff game. I know old-timers who saw Staubach and Aikman will scoff at me, but that's one reason I was and am such a diehard Romo fan - prior to Romo, I had never had a glimpse of what a truly good Cowboys quarterback looks like. I had suffered through the dark days of Wright, Stoerner, Quincy Carter, Leaf, Hutchinson, and Henson.
 
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big dog cowboy

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My wife and I decided to get married but didn't want to wait until the off season, several months down the road. So finally I "gave in" and we got married the last preseason game weekend. I told her that "giving up watching the Cowboys play was a huge sacrifice for me" and she bought it. I recorded the game and watched the no name scrubs a few days later.

:laugh:
 

Established1971

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Well I began being a fan in 1971. I was hooked and though it was pre-cable and I was pre-bar age I could still see a bunch of games a year as they were on in the New York market a lot. I did not get around on my own a lot being a young teenager. But it was ok for me to go to Shea Stadium. I lived in the Bronx but Shea was closer than Yankee for me anyway. Plus I had gone alone once with a cousin to a Met game. And it was a safer neighborhood. So in 1975 I was determined to see a game, the Boys were finishing the season against the Jets at Shea. I think I scalped for a ticket. It was so cold, I mean it is one of my coldest memories of my life, 3 hours of shivering. My hands froze so much that going to the bathroom was close to impossible, Landry sat out Staubach, who was my favorite player, obviously it was disappointing. BUT my seat was good enough and security was so lax that when the game ended hundreds of Jet fans rushed the filed to pull down the goal posts, it was a tradition. I ran down and went over the Cowboys bench. The only ones who hadn't gone into the dugout yet were some from the secondary like Charlie Waters and Dexter Clinkscale. I got to slap them on their should pads and say good luck (the next week was the hail mary game). 3 years later, same thing. Dallas ended the season at Shea, Landry sat Staubach again (his only 2 games missed after his 72 injury) and I got to do on the field again.It was a total replay of 75. I think even the scores were similar. I think Dennis Thurman was there this time, maybe Roland Woolsley. When the annual NFL Films season highlights films came out they included the fans rushing the field as part of the video, and you can see me!!! That was a thrill.
 

Tangle_Foot

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I wouldn't call it interesting but I was bitten by the Dallas Cowboys football bug in 1966. I was born into a Cowboys household but the buzz in 66 was enough to get my attention, so much so the disappointing loss in 67 brought me to tears. Since then I've attended games, streamed games, listen over the radio, even watched taped delayed games the day after, making sure to stay clear of the results.

I have ended a relationship "she was from St Louis and a Cardinals fan". I've gotten a speeding ticket " trying to make kickoff" and a warning "as it turns out the policeman was on his way home to watch the game as well":) As I've stated it's not interesting unless you're into addictive behavior;)

Go Cowboys :flagwave:
 

plasticman

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So it's late December of 1975. I'm in about my third week of Air Force basic training at Lackland Air Force Base. The airmen trainees are divided into "flights" of 50, probably similar to a platoon. Again, this is basic training, so we have been abused practically 24/7. However, on this particular Sunday, we get "squadron privilege" for the afternoon, meaning we can do what we want, we just aren't alowed to leave our building . Of course, I'm going to spend that time watching the Cowboy playoff game in the dayroom.....which apparently about 30 more of us decided to do.

So here are 30 guys, aged 18 to 22, first free time in three weeks, crammed into this small dayroom watching the game. Now, the makeup of this flight was composed of mostly New Yorkers and Californians, a small contingent of Wisconsins and Minnesotans, with a sprinkle of Hawaiians, Massachusetts, and Texans....two Texans that is, myself included. in other words, two Cowboy fans and about 25 haters.....some extreme. No matter who they were, if they weren't Cowboy fans then they loved watching them get beat.

The Cowboys were the only NFC wildcard team in a system where the three division champions and one wildcard team from each conference made the playoffs. There were no byes, every team played in the first round, the divisional round. Being the wildcard team, the Cowboys played the #1 seed and pfrojected conference champions. Everyone considered the Cowboys a "miracle" after the previous season going 8-6. With all the retirements of previous stars, most experts claimed the Cowboys 1975 season would be their first of a long rebuilding process. But here are the Cowboys 10-4, in the playoffs despite depending on the performance of a lot of rookies. truly, Roger Staubach carried this team on his back. there was no star RB, no Hill, Thomas, Dorsett, only an older player they traded for, Preston Pearson.

All game long, my fellow Texan and I am getting harassed by a mob of loudmouth New Yorkers, irritating Californians, and absolutely crazy Minnesotans. They were sparing no insults and the place sounded like a battlefield.

Late in the 4th quarter it looked like the Cowboys were going to lose, and half the flight were offering their opinion on my Cowboys, ...."Cowboys suck!"......"the cowboys are a bunch of' '_____'", etc.

The Cowboys make it to the 50 with about a minute left. Then, in the middle of a bunch of screaming insults, I watch Staubach launch one to Drew Pearson on the 5 yard line. He catches it, avoids the defenders, and trots into the endone for the winning touchdown.

.........You could have heard a pin drop.....for several seconds.....

My fellow Texan was the first to come out of the stupor and he screams. That wakes me up and I start screaming. I said many things of which none I regret....as 25 guys meekly exited the room. A few New Yorkers couldn't help mumbling something, not unexpected.

I'll never forget that afternoon, when the Dallas Cowboys silenced a crowd of loud rambunctious haters with the "Hail Mary" right in front of my eyes.
 

Pompey-Cowboy

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I became an NFL fan and a Cowboy fan in 1982. British TV channel, channel 4, began showing a 1 hour highlights show of the previous weekend's games. I was 11 years old and had only ever been interested in soccer to that point. I remember loving the game but sadly can't recall who were the big names of the time, although if I bothered to google that season I would of course remember them. I soon became frustrated at having to wait until Thursday night to find out the previous weeks scores so my brother and I clubbed together to buy a long wave radio that was capable of picking up American Forces radio that broadcast live commentary to U.S personnel based in Europe. The reception wasn't always reliable bit it scratched the itch. The reason that I became a Cowboy fan is a bit lame really but it is what it is. The other big American influence on 11 year old me was TV program "Dallas". The opening title sequence had a shot that scanned over the "COWBOYS" end zone. As that was my only point of reference to American life (coz y'all are J R Ewing right?) I became a Cowboy fan. I had to wait 10 years for the pay off but i've been hooked since day 1.
 

America's Cowboy

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It was the summer of 1978 down in deep South Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, home grown area of where the Great Coach Tom Landry was born and raised. I was in summer school for migrants for the months of June and half of July. Had just finished 3rd grade and looking forward to start 4th grade by late August. Back then, if you were a minority, you went to summer school just to keep you actively learning in school and literally baby-sat throughout the day while your parents/grandparents were busy working all day (and night for some).

Summer school was fun back in the day. Half of the day we were being taught in class for the upcoming grade. The second half of the day was spent playing sports, watching Disney classic movies on a projector screen, going on field trips to the surrounding city parks, going to the movies and even going to the swimming pool to learn how to swim. Fun times!

It also was a time when 99% of all Valleyites were Dallas Cowboys fans! The Dallas Cowboys were fresh off a 2nd Super Bowl victory, they were America's Team and just about all the kids (both boys and girls) were wearing some kind of clothes with a Cowboys logo or player's # on it, along with lunch pail boxes, backpacks, folders, pencils, caps, sports equipment or just about anything with a Cowboys player, #, logo or name on it. Fun times!!!

:starspin::starspin::starspin::starspin::starspin:
 

glimmerman

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Cowboys fan since 1975-1976. Was very young. Was kicking and screaming in the floor when we lost to the steelers in the SB’s.

Rode high in the 90’s. And been kicking and screaming in the floor ever since.
 

LandryFan

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I'm so tired of "The Contract". I really don't wish to discus some impossible, fantasy trade scenario. I don't care to rank the Cowboys best field goal snappers in franchise history. I think we've discussed every angle of the endless number of Dallas Cowboy topics in infinite dimensions.

So why am I here? Because even after listing the usual predictable subjects, I still want to talk about the Dallas Cowboys. What can I say? I'm one of the sick ones.

This offseason has seemed ten years long and now some sadistic members of our society are discussing cancelling the season. Of course, I have enough faith in the fundamental character of our fellow citizens to know it won't happen, but still....

Anyway, this all got me to thinking about the past when it came to being a Cowboy fan. I have a lot of memories of parties, gatherings, "bro" enclaves, interesting circumstances and events surrounding "The Cowboy Game". I have watched Cowboy games on remote military radar sites, I watched one in jail (long story, but not the subject), I watched them during wedding receptions and in hospital rooms. I have had "fiery debate" with fans of many teams, mostly from the NFC east for some reason.

I would like to hear everybody else's most interesting story about being a Cowboy fan. I would do mine now but I've already eaten up four and a half paragraphs explaining the title. Besides, I suspect about 90% of you skip anything longer than two paragraphs....just joking.....I'll post mine in an hour.....I'm hungry.

I have a number of good stories related to my fandom, but one in particular sticks out to me. I was in the Navy and stationed at NAS Corpus Christi in 1988. One of the local TV stations ran a promo for several weeks running where at the end of the sports segment on Friday's 6 o'clock news, they would ask a Cowboys-related trivia question and the first correct caller would win two tickets, air fare, rental car and hotel stay for the final Cowboys home game of the season (the Cowboys record was terrible that year, so I guess tickets weren't hard to come by). Anyways, being the fan I am, I sat there with phone in hand and dialed all but the last digit so that when the question was asked, I'd get through quickly with hopefully the right answer. I don't remember the trivia question, but I do remember that the answer was Tony Dorsett. I got through immediately and was the lucky winner for that week.

I immediately called my best friend (grew up with him) up in the Houston area and asked if he wanted to come down and fly to Dallas with me for the final home game (he's a big Cowboys fan, as well). Of course, he jumped at it.

The next day, I was bragging to my neighbor that I won two tickets to the game and even though he wasn't a big football fan (of any team) he asked if I he could go with my other ticket. I told him I had already given it to my best buddy from back in the day, but that the contest still had another week or two to go if he wanted to try to win tickets. I told him that the odds of knowing the correct answer and being the first caller in was slim, but he could give it a try. He told me that he knew nothing about Cowboys trivia, so I came up with a scheme. We lived on base, and the houses we lived in were adjoined (my front door and his were only a matter of a few feet apart). I told him to leave his front door open and I would do the same. I told him to dial all but the last digit of the call in number and when the question was asked, I'd holler the answer loud enough so that he could hear it, and hopefully be the first one through with the correct answer. Fortunately, it was another question that I knew the answer to (for some reason, I do remember the question for his tickets---Who did the Cowboys select first, overall, in the 74 draft? ans: Too Tall). When they asked the question, I immediately hollered "Ed Too Tall Jones". He hit the last digit of the number, got through, and won the same package I did.

We then had four tickets so he let me have the extra ticket to give to my friends brother. The four of us flew up on the Saturday before the game and had a great evening in Dallas. The hotel was extremely nice (not your typical Holiday Inn kind of place...they had a stringed quartet playing Christmas music in the lobby), and we had no issues getting to and parking at the stadium.

They lost the game to the hated Buddy Ryan-led eagles but, most importantly to me, I got to witness what I would later find out was Tom Landry's final game as the Cowboys Head Coach. The overall memory of that experience will stay with me always.
 

Captain-Crash

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well mine started back one day when I saw this group of kids out throwing, and kicking the football. I asked the bigger kids what they were doing and they said they were competing in a punt, pass, and kick event. I remember seeing this big kid, who I later found out to be Andy Reid competing against me. I was kinda skeptical, I was thinking it was this Gregg guy. [diehardsomethinganother]. Well, I remember going up against this giant and kicking his butt. That's the day I became a football fan. I still get tears in my eyes thing of my dad cheering me on while I kicked the big kid's butt.
 

Bobhaze

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I am lucky enough to have been a Cowboys fan since 1964, when my dad took me to my first Cowboys game at the Cotton Bowl. I was six years old. Since then I have seen the Cowboys play at all three of their home venues over the last 56 years- the Cotton Bowl, Texas Stadium and the AT&T “Death Star“. (Texas Stadium is my favorite) I have literally seen every playoff game the Cowboys have ever played (all on TV) I have watched all 8 Super Bowls they have played in their entirety, several of them over and over on tape!

My first “favorite player” was “Bullet” Bob Hayes. I got to see him play in person at least 4 times. Watching him catch an 80 yard “bomb” from Dandy Don Meredith was a thing of beauty. Hayes was one of the first real speed receivers of the modern game and when he retired in 1975, he still had a whopping 20 yard per reception avg for his career! Bullet Bob remains the most exciting player I have ever seen play in person...and I’ve seen a bunch!

Cowboys in the 60s and 70s were the most exciting and innovative team in the NFL. Tom Landry’s offense’s and defenses were always innovative. Those 90s teams were also a blast watching them go from the NFL cellar in ‘89 to hoisting a Lombardi in ‘92, ‘93 and 95.

Been a lot of fun. Lots of Cheers and tears. Been too long since we have had real glory around here. So long that too many younger fans have missed out on what this team once was. There’s always hope that someday this team will catch fire again. We are certainly due!
 

Rockport

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1978 Cowboys vs. Denver Broncos. The Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27–10 to win their second Super Bowl. The game was played on January 15, 1978, at the Super Dome in New Orleans. I was in the Marines stationed overseas and we could not watch live. A Marine F-4 flew the game tape in to us 12 hours after the game. We gathered around and some drunk jackass stumbled in before the game even started and said the Cowboys won. We beat the **** out of him.
 

Flamma

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I would like to hear everybody else's most interesting story about being a Cowboy fan. I would do mine now but I've already eaten up four and a half paragraphs explaining the title. Besides, I suspect about 90% of you skip anything longer than two paragraphs....just joking.....I'll post mine in an hour.....I'm hungry.

I live in NJ. I'm a Yankee, Rangers, and Knicks fan. So why am I a Cowboys fan?

My father found a unique way of getting me to watch sports at a really young age. From the age of 6 on up he would offer me bets. I'd use Christmas and birthday money. Dollar here dollar there. It started with Basketball and ballooned from there. But it got me to watch the games and got me to play the sports really early.

It was the 1975 season and I was almost 9 years old. We had a system of how we dealt with the NFL playoffs, and he broke that system. At that time I had no favorite NFL team and I didn't care about the Cowboys. I grew up to like the colors black and red. Even at a young age baby blue and white didn't charm me. But he insisted that I couldn't have the Steelers, I had to take the Cowboys. And was very adamant about it. He was a Steelers fan, obviously. But if you want your son to follow in your footsteps, take one for the team and pony up the 5 bucks. But no. He chose a different path. A path that led to competition. So I rooted for the Cowboys and they lost. But oh no, that won't do. Out of spite I claimed the Cowboys as my team and followed them ever since to his dismay. After just a few years it was too late to change me. I was a fan knee deep.

I loved the trash talk we had with eachother over the years. The only regret I have is that he didn't live long enough to see the Cowboys beat the Steelers in 1995. He died that summer. I spent 40+ bucks on a bottle of Hennessy and poured half of it over his grave and drank the rest myself. Not right there of course.......But I let him know we beat you!
 

5Stars

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I'm grew up in Albuquerque and played baseball as a catcher during my school days. I had another coach ask me to come out for football, but since I was a crybaby, thanks, but no thanks...coach, don't want to hurt all the time. I played ball at Highland High, the Hornets. After school one day I had a job as a dish washer and they had a TV on in the kitchen and they were watching the Cowboy game, don't even remember what game. The Hornets won an important game that day...I cannot remember the score today.

Here is how I became a Dallas Cowboy fan for life. It just happened that after the score of the Cowboy game...was the the same numbers of the score of our teams win that day? From that day on, I got really interested in PRO football, the Cowboys. I watched all of them. As I got older and got married, friends and I have driven to ABQ 12 times to Texas Stadium.

A cool memory about one time, we waited after the game for about two hours to go watch the players board a bus. Too Tall is one tall dude, smiled at all of us at the fence, he came out with Hollywood, gold chains and all, shook hand with anyone that wanted to, I got too. It was an awesome time. We all did witness something as the players were boarding, when Roger came out, he went straight to the bus and did not interact with the fans like some of the other players did. I think he might not have wanted to be mobbed! lol

It was that same score.
 
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JBS

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Not a very good story..but here goes anyways

2009 I was in Atlanta for the sec championship game..before entering the stadium I ran into Jeffrey Lurie (Eagles Owner)...I saw him pass by me and without thinking I go "Mr. Lurie"...he turns around...he had a smile on his face..it looked like he thought I was an eagles fan..then I said, the Cowboys are winning the division this year, baby! He just shook his head and walked away lolol

Dallas won the division..and eliminated the eagles from the postseason that year
 
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