What is your first Cowboys memory?

[Redball Express]

..that summer my Dad annouced he had bought season tickets to the Cowboys.

I was 12 and didn't even know there was a pro football team in town.

Everything back then was really college football, the Texas/OU game and the Cotton Bowl, etc.

So the first game I went to was something called the Annual Salemanship Club Game..which turned out to be always the first pre-season game of the year at home in Dallas.

It was a night game..thank goodness..the heat in August is a killer..even at night.

What I remember the most was the opening up of an overall whole new experience that changed my life into a sports fan and particularly a Cowboys fan for life.

I remember the drive to the Cotton Bowl. During the drive Dad tuned into the pre-game radio show and I started listening and understanding that the Cowboys were about to play a big game against a top team. That they had drafted somebody name Bobby Hayes and that he would play tonight.

And I recall my father passing numerous guys along the way once we approached the Fair Ground area with signs wanting $5 to park in their parking lots to instead go to one further out for $3, which meant we had to walk about a half mile more to get to our seats.

I recalled looking at the number of cars that were filling up the $5 parking lots closer to the stadiums and thinking..

"Wow, is that easy money on a Saturday night." And I also noticed kids my age actually taking the money at many of the parking lots working with their fathers I assumed and wondering if they got to keep that money for themselves.

Right, sure.

And then the next thing I clearly recall was walking up the Midway with Big Tex standing there and looking up at him and wondering when the State Fair was going to start.

And then noticing there were all sorts of vendors with booths as you made your way to the steps that went up to the ticket windows. Just like when the State Fair was there later in the Fall. That was really cool.

I remember going up to the Cowboy souvenier booths where lot's of people were crowded around and looking over the goodies there and seeing people buying things like T-Shirts, etc. and hearing Dad say it was too expensive and we continued on toward the stadium. I was just a touch disappointed, but quickly got over it.

The next thing that I remember is the call out for "Programs, get your Programs right here, game day programs right here" and seeing Dad buy 2 of them. One for him and Mom and one for me to have as a souvenier.

I was beaming.

Then I remember the scalpers. They were also calling out over the guys hawking programs and saying, "Tickets, got two tickets here, right here.." or Tickets, looking for your extra tickets, tickets".

What I was seeing just left me wide-eyed and just drinking in the whole experience as my father lead the way.

Dad had lived in Washington where I was born and had been a longtime Commanders fan and had seen Sammy Baugh and Sam Huff play and knew his football. He had seen Y.A. Tittle at QB and had been at the Commanders win where they won the Championship 72-0 one year.

He knew what I was getting involved with but I didn't...not yet.

Then I remember Dad saying we ought to use the restroom now because we wouldn't be back until halftime. I did as I was told.

And then I remember walking out into the Cotton Bowl for the very first time and seeing about 40,000+ people seated around the stadium with more coming in every second and then seeing the teams down on the field warming up.

I was the Green Bay Packers and the Cowboys down there. That green and gold just popped out under the screaming lghts we were under. And I was amazed at the number of players down there, there were like 80 players scattered around for the Cowboys as well as the Packers. Groups of linemen over here firing out and groups of RB's running imaginary plays behind them..

As we walked down the steps, I couldn't take my eyes off the QBs and WR's warming up with these long, arching passes going down the sidelines as they warmed up and the noticable crack of the punter warming up down in the endzone and watching the ball climb high in the air and then come down and watch a player field it and spring 10 or 15 yards with it, dodging and juking imaginary defenders all the way.

And then I remember the stadium announcer announcing pre-game advertisements for sponsors in that booming voice he had. And once at our seats, my Dad opening up the program and looking over the rosters and pointing out who was the QB for us and who were the main players for the Cowboys as well as the Packers. Names like Don Perkins, Eddie LeBaron (a former Commanders QB), Frank Clarke, Don Meredith, Danny Villenueva, Bob Lilly and Jerry Tubbs were mentioned.

I had heard of the Packers, names like Paul Horning, Jim Taylor, Herb Adderly, Boyd Dowler, Ray Nitchski, Lionel Taylor and Bart Starr were pointed out. I got my first glimpse of Vince Lombardi, who was already clapping his hands and yelling at the players on the field and it wasn't even the game.

And then I caught my first glimpse of the guy with the funny fedora, Tom Landry, dressed in a white short sleeve shirt. He was standing in the middle of the field with several other assistant coaches with his arms folded and observing.

Next thing I recall is everybody standing up for the anthem and then all the hooping and hollering when it was over and the crowd calling out "let's go, Cowboys" and "gittem Cowboys".

That was pretty exciting to be a part of all that.

Then I recall Bobby Hayes. Early in that game, he caught a punt and turned up field with it and scored.

The crowd went crazy. People screaming, jumping up and down and complete strangers turning to each other and slapping each other and shaking hands. A band somewhere was playing what I came later to know was the team fight song.

I was hooked from that moment on. I recall Bobby Hayes also catching a long bomb later in the game and again the crowd went nuts as he sprinted untouched by 20 yards from a pass thrown by Don Meredith, #17.

I had no idea I had just witnessed a historic moment in the franchise that night. It was my very first game and the Cowboys beat the Packers that night decidedly.

My last memory was walking back to the car along with thousands of fans and listening to people with portable radios listening to the post-game report and live interviews with the players and coaches talking about what had just happened.They all were excitedly talking about Bobby Hayes and what he did that night. I really didn't know much about him.

My Dad told me during the game that he was " The World's Fastest Human". That impressed me. I was into comic books back then and I thought the World's Fastest Human was "The Flash".

Little did I realize I had just seen the real thing with my own eyes that night. Twice.

Like most fans then, we all worshiped him from that moment on. And Bobby Hayes became the icon of the team. He alone was responsble IMO for bringing this franchise out of the cellar and making the NFL recognize the team as competitive.

And the rest was history as they say.

And I was there.

That's my first Cowboy memory.

:starspin ReDBaLL ExPReSS:starspin

 

[MichaelWinicki]

My first memory is the of the Cowboys is losing Superbowl 5 on the field goal by Jim O'Brien.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

Bottle caps.

Coca-Cola had a promotional campaign in the Dallas area. All of the bottle caps on Coca-Cola products that had a football stamped on the outside had on the inside a head shot of either a Cowboys player or an NFL star. From participating stores, you could get a map-size sheet that had corresponsing spaces on which to glue each bottle cap. When the sheet was full, you could take it to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company office in Dallas and trade it in for a new football.

My mother -- a saint -- would take me to all the convenience stores in the area, and I would talk the store clerks into emptying the bottle caps from their Coke machines. In those days, when you bought a soft drink from a machine, there was a bottle cap opener on the machine. The caps fell into a bin for later disposal. The clerks would empty those bins into my brown paper bag, and I would sift through all the bottle caps to find the ones that had the football stamp.

I filled the sheets -- two of them, actually -- and my brother and I got new footballs.

The NFL players were impressive -- John Unitas, Bart Starr, Y.A. Tittle, Deacon Jones, whomever -- but the guys who I wanted were the Cowboys. Not just stars like Don Meredith and Don Perkins, Bob Lilly and Frank Clarke. I wanted the Don Bishops, the Mike Gaechters, the Mike Connollys, the Jerry Tubbs, the Don Talberts, and on and on.

I had the Cowboys roster memorized when I was so young that I can't recall any specific games. All I knew was that these guys were important, that they were football players!

The Ice Bowl cost me my football virginity.

 

[Chief]

My earliest Cowboys memory is the loss in the Super Bowl to the Colts.

I remember my dad, uncles and grandfather talking about how Roger Staubach was better than Craig Morton and that Roger should be playing.

 

[pgreptom]

As I read this thread... most of you at 35-55. Good god. I won't even share my first memory... I know the responses I'll get... "Wasn't that last year??", or some other smart*** ****. 1950???? 1960?? Good gracious.

 

[Eddie]

1978. I was 8 years old in 5th grade.

Cowboys were walking off the field after having beaten the Rams 20-0 in the NFC-CG.

They wore their dark uni's. They had a swagger which hooked me immediately.

 

[skinsscalper]

As painful as it is, the "Catch" game was the first one I remember. I was six year old and was rooting for the guys "with the stars". The rest is history

Ditto. I remember that I watched football the whole season for the first time that year, but nothing really stood out as a "memory". That game, though, oh man I was so broken hearted. I cried for literally hours. I was completely devastated. I remember my mom saying "They'll get it next year". Oh they got it all right. Another *** whoopin' in the NFC Championship game.

The 90's Cowboy teams were like the bikeor vacation that you always wanted but were certain you would never get. I remember shedding a tear when I realized that the Cowboys were going to win Super Bowl XXVII. I just couldn't believe that the only team that I had ever loved was going to be the World Champions. It felt like I had waited my whole life.

On a side note, it must really suck to be an Eagles fan.

:trophy:

 

[YosemiteSam]

As I read this thread... most of you at 35-55. Good god. I won't even share my first memory... I know the responses I'll get... "Wasn't that last year??", or some other smart*** ****. 1950???? 1960?? Good gracious.

I'm only 34 jerkhole! :laugh2:

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

There was this player... he had a star on his helmet... dont know what he was doing.... but... he ran about 99 yards and scored a TD.


The above is the actual thought re-enactment because thats all I really knew about football then

 

[Romo2Dez4six]

1983, i was 4, dallas/washington game first of the season. the whole family was there. my mom and 1 uncle skins fans and 2 other uncles are boys fans so i told them whoever won i would root for and we won 31-30 and the rest is history. i also remember in 89 my uncle all excited because we were going to draft this QB from UCLA.

 

[ndanger]

Honey, come quick! Look at Lil' Nick take his first steps toward the tv ! Oh how cute ! He's smiling at the shiny stars on the helmets on the tv. Our lil' baby is getting so big!

 

[CliffnDallas]

Meeting Dandy Don at the Cotton Bowl in the mid 60's when I was Six.

 

[LucaBrasi]

I live in Pittsburgh, and I was 5 years old throwing a football around my parents living room while my grandfather, uncle and dad wathced Super Bowl X. My dad was the only one rooting for the team with the star on their helmets, so I rooted for them too.
Ever since, its been an addiction.

 

[Redball Express]

Bottle caps.

Coca-Cola had a promotional campaign in the Dallas area. All of the bottle caps on Coca-Cola products that had a football stamped on the outside had on the inside a head shot of either a Cowboys player or an NFL star. From participating stores, you could get a map-size sheet that had corresponsing spaces on which to glue each bottle cap. When the sheet was full, you could take it to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company office in Dallas and trade it in for a new football.

My mother -- a saint -- would take me to all the convenience stores in the area, and I would talk the store clerks into emptying the bottle caps from their Coke machines. In those days, when you bought a soft drink from a machine, there was a bottle cap opener on the machine. The caps fell into a bin for later disposal. The clerks would empty those bins into my brown paper bag, and I would sift through all the bottle caps to find the ones that had the football stamp.

I filled the sheets -- two of them, actually -- and my brother and I got new footballs.

The NFL players were impressive -- John Unitas, Bart Starr, Y.A. Tittle, Deacon Jones, whomever -- but the guys who I wanted were the Cowboys. Not just stars like Don Meredith and Don Perkins, Bob Lilly and Frank Clarke. I wanted the Don Bishops, the Mike Gaechters, the Mike Connollys, the Jerry Tubbs, the Don Talberts, and on and on.

I had the Cowboys roster memorized when I was so young that I can't recall any specific games. All I knew was that these guys were important, that they were football players!

The Ice Bowl cost me my football virginity.

Thanks for recalling that.

I clearly remember that promotion. Was that one of those white and brown balls I seem to recall they were giving away...?

Somewhere in my mind I recall that. And your Mom..nice Mom.

Thanks for sharing.

:starspin ReDBaLL ExPreSS:starspin

 

[alancdc]

1977 Super Bowl with Robert newhouse throwing the halfback pass.

 

[Hostile]

Super Bowl V. The blue jerseys just looked amazing to me and I was sure that star was magical.

At one point Johnny Unitas was out of the game for the Colts and I remember that my Grandpa, dad, and Uncle were all griping about it. So I announced I was rooting for the Cowboys.

Been an addict ever since.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

My first memory of the Cowboys was the 1988 season. I was 9 years old and watched them stumble to a 3-13 record. I was hooked immediately, can't really say why.

 

[Hostile]

Bottle caps.

Coca-Cola had a promotional campaign in the Dallas area. All of the bottle caps on Coca-Cola products that had a football stamped on the outside had on the inside a head shot of either a Cowboys player or an NFL star. From participating stores, you could get a map-size sheet that had corresponsing spaces on which to glue each bottle cap. When the sheet was full, you could take it to the Coca-Cola Bottling Company office in Dallas and trade it in for a new football.

My mother -- a saint -- would take me to all the convenience stores in the area, and I would talk the store clerks into emptying the bottle caps from their Coke machines. In those days, when you bought a soft drink from a machine, there was a bottle cap opener on the machine. The caps fell into a bin for later disposal. The clerks would empty those bins into my brown paper bag, and I would sift through all the bottle caps to find the ones that had the football stamp.

I filled the sheets -- two of them, actually -- and my brother and I got new footballs.

The NFL players were impressive -- John Unitas, Bart Starr, Y.A. Tittle, Deacon Jones, whomever -- but the guys who I wanted were the Cowboys. Not just stars like Don Meredith and Don Perkins, Bob Lilly and Frank Clarke. I wanted the Don Bishops, the Mike Gaechters, the Mike Connollys, the Jerry Tubbs, the Don Talberts, and on and on.

I had the Cowboys roster memorized when I was so young that I can't recall any specific games. All I knew was that these guys were important, that they were football players!

The Ice Bowl cost me my football virginity.

It is official, I have become your biggest fan on this forum. Your posts the last couple of days are as good as I have ever seen here. This one ranks up there with one of the best I've ever seen.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

Thanks so much to everyone... to you, Hos, for your support... to you, Redball, for your interest... to everyone, for those memories.

Memories are amazing, aren't they? You might not recall much else about childhood, but I'll bet you recall the smell of your first baseball glove...

The footballs might have been brown and white. That I don't recall. The prize itself was secondary. The important thing was to fill that sheet, to collect every bottle cap, to capture all those stars... and especially the Stars.

Funny thing... my aunt's husband played for the Philadelphia Eagles -- MLB. He sent my brother and me a football signed by most or all of the Eagles. This would have been the mid-60s. I remember Irv Cross' signature... and Pete Retzlaff's. Tim Brown as well. Anyhow, they weren't Cowboys, were they? We took the football in the street, threw it, kicked it and scruffed it... played ball. Before long, all of the autographs were gone. The football was worn out, the bladder protruding outside the leather. It was gone.

I've never regretted it. They weren't Cowboys, were they?

 

[jazzcat22]

The Ice Bowl. My brothers kept going on and on about the Packers and Bart Starr. I like the Rams [helmets & fearsome foursome defense], but after realizing the errors of my way. And tired of my brothers' crap. I was too hooked on the STAR on the Helmet.