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Texas Stadium
Location2401 East Airport Freeway
Irving, Texas 75062
OwnerCity of Irving
OperatorTexas Stadium Corp[citation needed]
Capacity65,675
SurfaceTexas Turf (1971 to 1995)
AstroTurf (1996 to 2002)
RealGrass by Sportfield (2002 to 2008)
Construction
OpenedSeptember 17, 1971 (1971-09-17)
ClosedDecember 2008
DemolishedApril 11, 2010 (2010-04-11)
Construction cost$35 million USD
($190 million in 2024 dollars[1])
Tenants
Dallas Cowboys (NFL) (1971–2008)
Dallas Tornado (NASL) (1972–1975, 1980–1981)
SMU Mustangs (NCAA) (1979–1986)

Texas Stadium was a football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. The stadium opened on September 17, 1971.

Built to replace the aging Cotton Bowl, it served as the home field of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys from 1971 to 2008, and had a seating capacity of 65,675. The Cotton Bowl still stands as of November 2010, but Texas Stadium is now demolished.

In 2009, the stadium was replaced as home of the Cowboys by the $1.15 billion Cowboys Stadium, which completed construction and officially opened on May 27, 2009 in Arlington, Texas.[2]

The stadium was demolished by a controlled implosion on April 11, 2010.

History[]

In the mid-1960s, then-Cowboys owner Clint Murchison, Jr. realized that the area surrounding the Cotton Bowl had become unsafe and downtrodden, and it was not a location he wanted his big dollar season ticket holders to be forced to go through.[3] Murchison was denied a request by Dallas mayor Erik Jonsonn to build a new stadium in downtown Dallas as part of a civic-bond package.[4] Murchison envisioned a new stadium with sky-boxes and one in which attendees would have to pay a personal seating license as a prerequisite to purchasing season tickets.[5] With two games left for the Cowboys to play in the 1967 NFL season, Murchison and Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm announced a plan to build a new stadium in Irving, Texas.[6]

Roof[]

Texas Stadium was to have originally been a stadium with a retractable roof, but it could not support the weight of the entire roof. This resulted in most of the stands being enclosed but not the playing field itself. This unusual arrangement made it difficult to televise the games, a problem, generally speaking, foreseen by the original architect.[7] This design — more commonly seen in European soccer stadiums — prompted Cowboys linebacker D. D. Lewis to make his now-famous quip "Texas Stadium has a hole in its roof so God can watch His favorite team play", often paraphrased as the "hole" in the stadium's roof was there "so that God can watch His team."[8][9]

The roof at Texas Stadium, whose worn paint had become unsightly in the early 2000s, was repainted in the summer of 2006 by the City of Irving, which owned the stadium. It was the first time the famed roof was repainted since Texas Stadium opened. The roof was structurally independent from the stadium it covered.

Non-Cowboys related events hosted[]

The stadium hosted neutral-site college football games and was formerly the home field of the SMU Mustangs from 1979 to 1986. After the school returned from an NCAA-imposed suspension in 1988, school officials moved games back to the school's on-campus Ownby Stadium to signify a clean start for the football program (it has since been replaced by Gerald J. Ford Stadium).

In November and December, Texas Stadium was a major venue for high school football. It was not uncommon for there to be high school football tripleheaders at the stadium. Texas Stadium served as a temporary home for two Dallas-area high schools, Plano Senior High School in 1979 after its home stadium was damaged by a prank gone awry, and Highland Park High School while a new stadium on campus was being built. The 2001 Big 12 conference championship game was held at the site, as well as the 1973 Pro Bowl.

In addition to football, the stadium hosted the North American Soccer League for four seasons, inclding the NASL Championship Match between the Dallas Tornado and Philadelphia and several World Class "friendly" Soccer Matches; concerts; pro wrestling events; and religious gatherings such as Promise Keepers and Billy Graham crusades (a Graham crusade was the first event held at Texas Stadium).

From 1984-1988, the stadium hosted the annual World Class Championship Wrestling's David Von Erich Memorial Parade of Champions wrestling card every May. The initial 1984 card drew more than 40,000 fans, the highest attendance of any wrestling card in the state of Texas at that time.

On March 14, 1992, the stadium played host to the sixth edition of Farm Aid.

Metallica and Guns N' Roses brought their co-headlining Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour to he stadium on September 5, 1992, with Faith No More as their opening act.

In 1993, country singer Garth Brooks's second concert special This Is Garth Brooks II was recorded at the stadium.

In 1994. the stadium hosted the largest Christian concert in history with Christian recording artist Carman. More than 80,000 attended.

In 1994, the stadium hosted the John Tyler vs. Plano East high school football regional playoff, whose wild seesaw finish won it the 1995 Showstopper of the Year ESPY Award.

November 14, 1999 The stadium is the site for country singer Shania Twain and a CBS Special.

On July 9, 2000, Texas Stadium hosted a sold-out concert for the Summer Sanitarium Tour that featured Metallica, Korn, Kid Rock, Powerman 5000, and System of the Down. Metallica lead singer James Hetfield was unable to attend the concert as he hurt his back during a jet skiing accident while in Georgia before the Atlanta show. Metallica bass guitarist Jason Newsted, along with other lead singers from the other bands on hand, sang most of the songs. Metallica did return in August to perform two make-up shows at the Starplex in Dallas a month later.

On August 3, 2003, Texas Stadium also host the return of the Summer Sanitarium Tour featuring Metallica, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Deftones, and Mudvayne.

On May 25, 2008, Texas Stadium hosted the first ever professional lacrosse game in Texas when the two time defending champions Philadelphia Barrage played the Long Island Lizards. Both teams compete in the Eastern Conference of the Major League Lacrosse[10]

The Carthage Bulldogs faced the Celina Bobcats at Texas Stadium, becoming the last high school football game played there. The Carthage Bulldogs won, becoming state champions in 2008.

Throughout the network run of the TV series Dallas, a number of scenes were filmed on location at Texas Stadium. An overhead shot of the stadium (looking down at the field from the hole in the roof) was also featured prominently as part of the show's opening credits for each of its thirteen seasons on CBS.

Seating capacity[]

  • 65,000 (1971-1976)[11]
  • 65,101 (1977-1984)[12]
  • 63,855 (1985-1989)[13]
  • 63,749 (1990-1991)[14]
  • 65,024 (1992-1994)[15]
  • 65,812 (1995-1996)[16]
  • 65,675 (1997-2008)[17]

The Cowboys' departure[]

Texas Stadium - Dallas Cowboys World Champions Mural

"Five-time World Champions Mural" in the Cowboys' tunnel

The Cowboys left Texas Stadium after the 2008 NFL season for the new Cowboys Stadium (opened for the 2009 NFL season) that was partially funded by taxpayers in Arlington, Texas. In November 2004, Arlington voters approved a half-cent (.005 per U.S. dollar) sales tax to fund $325 million of the then estimated $650 million stadium by a margin of 55–45. Jerry Jones, the Cowboys' owner, spent over $5 million backing the ballot measure, but also agreed to cover any cost overruns which as of 2006 had already raised the estimated cost of the project to $1 billion.

The new stadium, which has a retractable roof system, also includes a setting that mimics a hole in the roof as a tribute to Texas Stadium.[18][19]

The Cowboys lost their final game at Texas Stadium to the Baltimore Ravens, 33-24, on December 20, 2008.

Texas Stadium closure[]

The stadium was scheduled for demolition and implosion on April 11, 2010 as confirmed by the mayor of Irving on September 23, 2009.[citation needed]

Many of the items in the stadium were auctioned off by the City and the Dallas Cowboys including the stadium seats, scoreboard and other pieces of memorabilia.

The City of Irving announced that the Texas Department of Transportation would pay $15.4 million to lease the site for 10 years a staging location for the State Highway 114/Loop 12 diamond interchange. The city has the right to relocate the staging area if redevelopment becomes available.[20]

Demolition[]

File:Texas-Stadium-Implosion-WFAA-sm.png

Aerial view of Texas Stadium post-demolition as broadcast by WFAA.

On September 23, 2009, the City of Irving granted a demolition contract to Weir Brothers Inc., a local Dallas based company, for the demolition and implosion of the stadium.[21][22][23]

On December 31, 2009, The City of Irving and Kraft Foods announced details of their sponsorship deal for the stadium's implosion — including a national essay contest with the winner getting to pull the trigger that finishes off the stadium. Kraft paid the city $75,000 and donated $75,000 worth of food to local food banks to promote its "Cheddar Explosion" macaroni product.[24] The city council unanimously approved the sponsorship deal.

At 7:07 a.m. CDT on April 11, 2010, 11-year-old Casey Rogers turned the key to cause the demolition.[25] From the first explosion, it took approximately 25 seconds for the stadium to completely fall. Debris removal continued until July 2010. Texas' Department of Transportation is using the site as an equipment storage and staging area, after which Irving will decide long-term plans.[26]

References[]

  1. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
  2. Bell, Jarrett (September 18, 2009). "'This transcends football': 'Boys boast as new stadium shines". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/cowboys/2009-09-17-cowboys-stadium-cover_N.htm.
  3. Shropshire, 1997 pg. 138-139
  4. Shropshire, 1997 pg. 139
  5. Shropshire, 1997 pg. 139-140
  6. Shropshire, 1997 pg. 139-140
  7. Shropshire, 1997 pg. 140
  8. [1]
  9. [2]
  10. Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Makes Texas Debut
  11. "Cowboys, 49ers in Collision". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. January 1, 1972. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ok8fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vdEEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4256,336756&dq=en.
  12. "SMU-Arkansas Game a Sellout". Associated Press. November 15, 1982. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1PU_AAAAIBAJ&sjid=SFgMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5581,5575718&dq=en.
  13. "Cowboys Buying Ads to Sell More Tickets". The Victoria Advocate. June 27, 1988. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-BZQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XFYDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7186,7463954&dq=en.
  14. "NFC Facts and Statistics". The Daily Sentinel. August 21, 1992. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fCdDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=_6wMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1606,3549649&dq=en.
  15. "Cowboys Are in Demand". Altus Times. September 20, 1992. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zytDAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0KwMAAAAIBAJ&pg=1197,1945527&dq=en.
  16. "City Officials Vow to Bring Super Bowl to Irving, Texas". Kingman Daily Miner. February 8, 1996. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=fJtPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pFIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2716,1858417&dq=en.
  17. "Sports Line". The Bonham Daily Favorite. June 23, 1999. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wi1fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KU8NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6586,1764766&dq=en.
  18. sports.espn.go.com/nfl
  19. Jerrydome or Jerry Dome (Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington)
  20. "Texas Stadium Transition Under Way" (Press release). City of Irving, Texas. 2010-02-16. http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/news-articles/texas-stadium-transition-0209.html. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  21. Plans for the Demolition of Texas Stadium Move Forward after City Council Approves Resolution
  22. Texas Stadium Demolition Set
  23. The Dallas Morning News - Irving officials consider Texas Stadium demolition contracts, events
  24. Dallas Cowboys' Old Home Gets Dynamited in a Macaroni Big Bang
  25. "Texas Stadium leveled in successful implosion". Associated Press. April 11, 2010.
  26. Dallas Morning News: What's next after demolition?

Sources[]

  • Shropshire, Mike. (1997). The Ice Bowl. New York, NY: Donald I. Fine Books. ISBN 1-55611-532-6

External links[]

Coordinates: 32°50′23.17″N 96°54′39.28″W / 32.8397694°N 96.9109111°W / 32.8397694; -96.9109111

Preceded by
Cotton Bowl
Home of the
Dallas Cowboys

1971 – 2008
Succeeded by
Cowboys Stadium
Preceded by
Franklin Field
Ownby Stadium
Home of the
Dallas Tornado

1972 – 1975
1980 – 1981
Succeeded by
Ownby Stadium
final venue
Preceded by
Arrowhead Stadium
Host of the
Big 12 Championship Game

2001
Succeeded by
Reliant Stadium
Preceded by
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Host of the NFL Pro Bowl
1973
Succeeded by
Arrowhead Stadium
Preceded by
Kezar Stadium
RFK Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Candlestick Park
Candlestick Park
Host of NFC Championship Game
1972
1974
1978
1994
1996
Succeeded by
RFK Stadium
Metropolitan Stadium
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Candlestick Park
Lambeau Field



This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Texas Stadium.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with American Football Database, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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