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TBT: Texas Stadium Groundbreaking
by Kristi Scales | Jan 26, 2017
Yesterday, January 25th, is a significant date in Cowboys’ team history. On that date in 1969, ground was broken for construction of an iconic venue that would become home to “America’s Team” for 38 seasons. Built in Irving, Texas, the stadium had a hole in the roof “so that God could watch His favorite team play”. Of course, the venue was called Texas Stadium and it would be the home of the Dallas Cowboys from 1971 through 2008.
Before building a state of the art venue in the suburb of Irving, the Cowboys played home games at The Cotton Bowl in Dallas’ Fair Park beginning with the team’s 1960 expansion season. Team owner Clint Murchison was looking to move to a different neighborhood into a stadium that would include luxury ‘sky boxes’ and personal seat licenses, income sources that were exempt from NFL revenue sharing. Originally Murchison wanted a retractable roof, but concerns over the additional weight led to a design of a partial roof. The fans sitting in the stands would be covered from rain, etc., but the players on the field would be exposed to the weather. The playing surface was artificial turf which was en vogue in the early 1970s.
The construction cost was approximately $35 million, less than the cost of the center hung digital board at the Cowboys’ current home, AT&T Stadium.
Texas Stadium’s original seating capacity was 65,000. The first event held at the stadium was a Billy Graham Crusade on September 17, 1971 which drew more than 43,000 people. Over 30 years later, Graham would return to the stadium in October 2002 for a youth evangelistic event that drew a crowd of 82,000...
by Kristi Scales | Jan 26, 2017
Yesterday, January 25th, is a significant date in Cowboys’ team history. On that date in 1969, ground was broken for construction of an iconic venue that would become home to “America’s Team” for 38 seasons. Built in Irving, Texas, the stadium had a hole in the roof “so that God could watch His favorite team play”. Of course, the venue was called Texas Stadium and it would be the home of the Dallas Cowboys from 1971 through 2008.
Before building a state of the art venue in the suburb of Irving, the Cowboys played home games at The Cotton Bowl in Dallas’ Fair Park beginning with the team’s 1960 expansion season. Team owner Clint Murchison was looking to move to a different neighborhood into a stadium that would include luxury ‘sky boxes’ and personal seat licenses, income sources that were exempt from NFL revenue sharing. Originally Murchison wanted a retractable roof, but concerns over the additional weight led to a design of a partial roof. The fans sitting in the stands would be covered from rain, etc., but the players on the field would be exposed to the weather. The playing surface was artificial turf which was en vogue in the early 1970s.
The construction cost was approximately $35 million, less than the cost of the center hung digital board at the Cowboys’ current home, AT&T Stadium.
Texas Stadium’s original seating capacity was 65,000. The first event held at the stadium was a Billy Graham Crusade on September 17, 1971 which drew more than 43,000 people. Over 30 years later, Graham would return to the stadium in October 2002 for a youth evangelistic event that drew a crowd of 82,000...
