Texas Stadium was Football Dome of Dreams; Demolition is April 11, 2010

The implosion that will bring down Texas Stadium on April 11, 2010 is timed in several sequenced dynamite blasts, dropping sections of the Dallas Cowboys Dome of Dreams to the ground, which will take one minute in all to fall. The historic football field where NFL dreams came true from 1971 to 2008, that sits under the Hole in the Roof where God looked down on His team, will be filled with dirt before the demolition.

Kraft is sponsoring a Texas Stadium Cheddar Explosion essay contest for kids aged 9-12, and if you win, your Texas Stadium dream may come true, too. You will get to be the Grand Marshall and help push the detonation button that will implode Texas Stadium and rock Dallas Cowboys fans in NFL history. You better hurry and download the contest entry ballot (click here) because the deadline to enter is February 5.

Places to View the Texas Stadium Demolition

View the Texas Stadium Demolition preparations at this City of irving web site. (click here)

View the LIVE Texas Stadium Demolition at this City of Irving Demolition Webcam. (click here)

Texas Stadium Memories - The Dome of Dreams

Since the Kraft Dynamite Kids are too young to remember the best days of the Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams, here are some memories of Texas Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys that NFL football fans everywhere will remember. If you are not from Texas, you might not understand the seriously sad heart beeps that will come from the Texas Stadium demolition. But, you might be one of the lucky people who got a piece of the original Texas Stadium Texas Turf or a Texas Stadium urinal from the Roger Staubach Super Bowl victories days.

I was lucky to attend two NFL Dallas Cowboys games at Texas Stadium, one with Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett when Tom Landry was the Coach. The other NFL game I attended in Texas Stadium was in 1991 when Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith played and Jimmie Johnson was the Coach. There was something extraordinary about the way Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman could connect those Hail Mary bombs with their receivers in the last 25 seconds of the game for the win!

I was devastated on February 25, 1989 when new Texas Stadium owner Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry. How could an Arkansas Razorback come into Texas and fire America's Coach and replace him with a Hog turned Okie? Surely, the Longhorn world had come to an end. Then, he moved the Dallas Cowboy's spring training camp to Austin, in Tom Landry's backyard, as if to push one last stab into Landry's and Texas fans' hearts.

However, that was Troy Aikman's debut NFL rookie 0-11 year, and he signed my Dallas Cowboy football cap during spring training camp at Saint Edwards University in Austin, Texas the next year. Who would know that in 1990 when I got Troy Aikman's autograph, the Dallas Cowboys would sign Emmitt Smith and the Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams would become déjà vu for the Staubach-Dorsett days. Maybe the Texas outsiders who ran the Dallas Cowboys show could be redeemed.

I literally ran into Troy Aikman as he was coming out of the men's restroom at the Bruce Springsteen concert in Austin, Texas. He is much taller and bigger in person than he looks on TV or than he looked on the field! Have you ever stood right next to an NFL player - GEEZ! I didn't remember him being that big in 1990 when I got his autograph.

When remembering Texas Stadium NFL superstars, you cannot leave out Randy White, Michael Irvin, and Drew Pearson who are among the favorite Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams era Dallas Cowboys. Then there are Bob Lilly, Tex Schramm, Charlie Waters, Bullet Bob Hays, Ed "Too Tall" Jones, and Harvey Martin. Of course, Deion Sanders joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1995 to help lead the Cowboys to a Super Bowl XXX victory against rival Pittsburgh Steelers with a score of 27-17.

When I went to Dallas this past 2009 Christmas, we made a special trip to Irving to take one last picture of the Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams before it is demolished. The old NFL days in Texas Stadium were the real days of football dreams when playing for the Dallas Cowboys meant you had made the big time! The old days in Texas Stadium meant the players didn't just play for money, they played for a team, a win, a championship.

Those days in Texas Stadium were not just about personal ego, or who could make the most money, it was about connecting like glue with teammates to bring the team to Super Bowl victory. Something about that team mentality changed when Jerry Jones fired Tom Landry. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys went on to enjoy major victories under Jimmie Johnson and Barry Switzer - but the personality and the raw childhood dreams pulled from the deep pits of Texas Stadium will NEVER be duplicated. Just ask Terrell Owens. So long to Texas Stadium, the only sports venue that made me love the NFL!

Other Memorable Dates In The Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams

October 24, 1971
The inaugural game was played at Texas Stadium when the Dallas Cowboys beat the New England Patriots, 44-21. Roger Staubach was the Dallas Cowboys Quarterback for the Texas Stadium inaugural game and would end his 10-year record-setting career (1969-1979) in the Dome of Dreams.

November 23, 1975
Dallas Cowboy Bob Lilly becomes the first inductee into the Ring of Honor. Lilly also holds the NFL record for farthest sack, when he chased and tackled Bob Grease back 29 yards in the 1972 Super Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins 24-3. Bob Lilly was named a member of the All Century NFL Team and the Greatest Defensive Tackle in NFL history. Bob Lilly is ranked Number 10 on the list of Sporting News 100 Greatest Football Players, and he is the highest ranking Defensive Lineman and the highest ranking Dallas Cowboy player.

December 28, 1975
With 24 seconds on the clock, Roger Staubach throws the most famous game-winning Hail Mary bomb to Drew Pearson in the Division Playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. Final score: 17-14. After the game, Roger Staubach coined the term, "Hail Mary," to describe the pass during the final seconds of this game. The Hail Mary pass and winning catch would send the Dallas Cowboys to Super Bowl X where they were defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-17.

April 9, 2001
Troy Aikman retires from the Dallas Cowboys and NFL football. Troy Aikman holds the record for most starting Quarterback wins of any decade in NFL history, 90 wins from 1990-1999. Aikman led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl wins amidst the most publicized team changing-of-the-guard in NFL history, playing under Jerry Jones' new management style and constant coaching changes.

October 27, 2002
Dallas Cowboys Emmitt Smith breaks the NFL all time rushing record in Texas Stadium. The Cowboys played the Seattle Seahawks in the Texas Stadium Dome of Dreams when Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton's 16,726 record of career rushing yards. Smith played with the Dallas Cowboys for 13 years and ended his Dome of Dreams career with a record-setting 17,162 total rushing yards.

December 20, 2008
The final Dallas Cowboys game played at Texas Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens. Ironically, the Baltimore Ravens were the only NFL team to never have played in Texas Stadium. Even though the Ravens won the final Dallas Cowboys Texas Stadium game with a score of 33-24, this game was the 291^st regular season game in Texas Stadium, ending a 38-year Texas Stadium history with 197-93 all-time record in regular season wins; overall the Texas Stadium era ended its magic with 313 games played, with a 213-99 record and a 16-6 postseason record.

Sources:

Farewell to Texas Stadium
http://www.farewelltotexasstadium.com/

Texas Stadium's Demolition Scheduled for April 11
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-irvcouncil_14met.ART.Central.Edition1.4bc9475.html

Texas Stadium Demolition: Cheddar Explosion Sponsored by Kraft
http://kraft.promotions.com/mncexplosion/splash.do

Pieces of Texas Stadium Sold to Fans
http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2008/06/16/story4.html

City of Irving Texas Stadium Demolition Web Site
http://irvingtx.swagit.com/play/01072010-26/0/