America's Football Team: Collecting Dallas Cowboys Football Memorabilia
Football has always been a favorite American pastime. In fact, I can’t think of anything more American than sitting around during football season eating hamburgers with good friends, good beer, and a good game on television! Maybe this is why collecting football memorabilia is one of the most popular hobbies in our country. Collecting football items and memorabilia can be just as fun and exciting as watching the game! And if you are going to collect football memorabilia, why not make it souvenirs from “America’s football team,” a.k.a. the DALLAS COWBOYS! No other team in NFL history has such a wide and dedicated fan base than the Cowboys. If you are thinking about adding to your football memorabilia collection, or maybe starting a collection for the very first time, then the Cowboys are a great place to start!
This History of the Dallas Cowboys Football Team
(courtesy of http://www.fivepointstexastours.com)
The Dallas Cowboys have made a sigificant mark in professional football history. Originating as an expansion team in 1960, the Cowboys are now one of the most popular and successful teams in the NFL. Today the team is the second most valuable sports team in North America and has an estimated value of over 1.1 billion dollars. Annually the team generates approximately $250 million in revenues, making them one of the wealthiest teams in the NFL.
Known as "America's Team," it seems there's no middle ground when it comes to one's opinion of the Cowboys — people either love them or hate them. This classic football team is based out of Dallas, but they play their home games at Texas stadium in Irving, Texas (plans are in the works for a new stadium to open in 2009 in Arlington, Texas).
Currently the Dallas Cowboys are members of the Eastern Division of the NFC. Over the 40 plus years of the Cowboy's existence, they have set phenomenal records and they hold the best playing record of all football teams. Several of the team's successes include a total of 27 winning seasons and the league record of 20 consecutive winning seasons. They've also won 5 of the 8 Super Bowl games appearances (1st team to win 3 w/in a 4 year period), earned 54 postseason games winning 32, they hold the most season with at least 10 wins, 14 NFC Championship game appearances (2 NFL championship games prior to NFL-AHL merger), they made the playoffs 26 times, and won 18 division championships.
1960s Team History
On January 28, 1960 Dallas, Texas was granted a National Football League franchise. However, team owners Clint Murchison, Jr. and Bedford Wynne faced opposition from the owner of the Washington Redskins. At the time the Redskins were the only team that represented the southern United States, so they were not thrilled to have any new competition. Dallas team owners bought the rights to the Redskins fight song "Hail to the Redskins" and told the Redskins owners that they couldn't use the song unless they agreed to allow for the new team. Today the rivalry between the two teams still runs strong.
Originally the Cowboys were called the Dallas Steers and then the Dallas Rangers. Eventually they fixed their minds on the nickname Cowboys for the 1960 team debut. Tex Shramm was hired as the teams General Manager and Tom Landry was hired as head coach. The Cowboys first season was not much to brag about — they completed the season winless. In 1961 the team made their first draft picks and had their first victory on 09-17-60 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Dallas Cowboys continued to improve throughout the 1960s. In 1966, the Cowboys had their first winning season. With the combination of Don Meredith (Quarterback) and Don Perkins (running back) the team would set a record winning 20 straight seasons, this record has not been matched by any other team to date in NFL history. The team played in their first playoff game, which paved the way to 8 consecutive playoff appearances. In the mid-60s eight players were sent to the Pro Bowl.
The Cowboys were not only becoming a strong force in the NFL, but they were making a strong impact on the people of Dallas as well. The people of Texas were loyal and the Cowboys had to compete with the (AFL) Dallas Texans for their affections. Eventually, the Dallas Texans moved to Kansas City to become the Kansas City Chiefs. Ground was broke in 1969 for a new stadium for the Cowboys. By 1971 Texas Stadium was completed in Irving, Texas a suburb of Dallas County.
The 1966 NFL Championship Game was the Cowboys' first postseason appearance. The Green Bay Packers defeated them, but that would change the following year. In 1967, the Cowboys won their first postseason victory over the Cleveland Browns.
1970s Team History
The AFL and NFL merged in the 1970s. Not only did the NFL see dramatic changes, the Cowboys faced drastic changes as well. The team made it to their first Super Bowl with a new Quarterback Craig Morton. The game was packed with mistakes and the Baltimore Colts defeated the Cowboys 16-13.
The 1971 season had a crippled beginning in the new Texas Stadium. Landry decided to make Staubach the permanent starting quarterback for the remainder of the season after suffering several losses in the first half. This proved to be a smart move, Dallas were unstoppable. With the astounding performance of Staubach the Cowboys went on to the Super Bowl crushed their opponents the Miami Dolphins. To date it is the only Super Bowl game in which the opposing team didn't score a single touchdown. Finally the Cowboys would lose the unfriendly title of "Next Year's Champions."
At this point the Dallas Cowboys began to gain national popularity. People loved to watch the Cowboys powerful and dominating defense and amazing offense.
In 1974, the Cowboys would miss the first playoff in eight years. However the following season the Cowboys drafted Randy White and Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson. They fresh line of talent took them to the next Super Bowl where the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated them. Nevertheless two years later the Cowboys defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XII 27-10. NFL film editor Bob Ryan would be responsible for nicknaming the Cowboys "America's Team" a name that would stick with them through the good and the bad times.
They once again went to the Super Bowl (XIII) defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers despite a failed last-minute effort by Staubach. Staubach retired after the 1979 season and Danny White filled in for the next few years. The glory days and stardom began to fade for America's Team.
1980s Team History
The 1980s did not prove to be a great decade for the Cowboys. They did manage to return to 5 playoffs and to win 2 Division Championships, however they did not make it to another Super Bowl.
In 1984, Murchison sold the Dallas Cowboys to H.R. "Bum" Bright. The ownership didn't seem to help the plunging team and Bright sold the team to Jerry Jones in 1989. Jones immediately fired Landry the one and only coach the Cowboys ever had. Jimmy Johnson replaced Landry as head coach. The Cowboys also underwent several other changes veteran Herschel Walker was traded and the picked Troy Aikman during the draft as their new quarterback. Although they had the worst season ever in 1989, it would prove to be a new course that would bring the team back to glory.
1990s Team History
Emmitt Smith joined the line-up in 1990 as running back. Now the Dallas Cowboys had a triad of talent. Aikman, Smith, and Michael Irving together led the team back to the playoffs for the first time in 6 years in 1991.
1992 was the comeback year for the Cowboys. They won the 1981 NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers and once again won a Super Bowl (XXVII) victory defeating the Buffalo Bills 52-17. The Cowboys set a Super Bowl record of 9 turnovers during the game and coach Johnson became the first to obtain both National Championship (college) and Super Bowl victory (professional) football. The following year was a mirror of '92 the team once again defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship and in Super Bowl XXVIII they defeated the Buffalo Bills 30-13. Another NFL record was set when 11 Cowboys players were sent to the Pro Bowl. Those players were Aikman, Smith, Irving, Everett, Johnston, Maryland, Newton, Norton, Novacek, Stepnoski, and Williams.
Owner Jerry Jones and head coach Jimmy Johnson had a falling out that led Johnson to leave the team at the end of the 1993 season. The new head coach would be Barry Switzer. In 1995, Deion Sanders was added to the team line-up. Following the Cowboys won their 4th straight Division Championship, their 8th NFC Championship, and finally won another Super Bowl (XXX) defeating the Steelers 27-17.
Victory can only last so long and eventually the Dallas Cowboys' glory began to fade. Switzer resigned in 1998 and Chan Gailey was a short-lived replacement. Gailey was let go in 1999 and became the only coach for the Cowboys that did not win a Super Bowl.
2000s Team History
The Cowboys promoted Dave Campo (defensive coordinator) to head coach. Jerry Jones began to face public criticism and was blamed for failing to hire a good head coach because he wanted to coach the team himself. However, Bill Parcells agreed in 2003 to come out of retirement to coach the Cowboys on Jones request. Dallas would shock the nation with a 10-6 record and the best defensive team in the NFL. The 2004 season was littered with injuries, penalties, and turmoil.
In the 2005-2006 season the defense improved, but the offense line left little to be desired. Drew Bledsoe helped to give the Cowboys some stability in their offense, but he alone couldn't make up for other troubles. However, the team managed to place third in the NFC East 2006 season.
Many people question why the Cowboys don't have a large number of Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees and they claim there is a bias against the Cowboys. One thing goes without saying the Cowboys made their mark and set many records in the NFL that have not been broken. One of which is the most (7) Super Bowl MVPs Chuck Howley (linebacker), Roger Staubach (quarterback), Randy White (defensive tackle), Harvey Martin (defensive end), Troy Aikman (quarterback), and Larry Brown (cornerback).
Next time you need some R&R come visit the alluring city of Dallas, Texas and catch a Dallas Cowboys game.
Don’t know where to begin? Here are some Dallas Cowboys legends to look out for when starting your Dallas cowboys memorabilia collection:
• Troy Aikman
• Tony Dorsett
• Bob Hayes
• Chuck Howley
• Lee Roy Jordan
• Tom Landry
• Bob Lilly
• Don Meredith
• Don Perkins
• Mel Renfro
• Tex Schramm
• Emmitt Smith
• Roger Staubach
• Randy White
How to Start a Sports Memorabilia Collection
* Ask yourself: Why am I collecting sports memorabilia? Are you collecting with the intentions of selling your valued collection down the road? Or is it because you are a lover of sports? It is a good idea to establish your intention before choosing what to collect. If you are in it solely for the money, then you will only research items that are high in value or are expected to appreciate greatly in value over the coming years. If you are a sports fanatic, do you love all sports or just 1 or 2 sports? Is it a player that you admire or a whole team that you can’t get enough of? In my opinion, you should always collect something because you are passionate about it. The experience will be much more enjoyable for you and the collection will be something special you can pass down in your family for generations. It is also more motivational to collect and maintain a collection if you love what you are doing.
* Establish a theme for your collection. Do you want to only collect baseball cards from a certain time period or team? Is it only autographed items of award winners or hall of famers that you are interested in? Narrowing down options for your collection allows you to be more focused on building a valuable and impressive collection. It is also very important to focus on one category because it allows you to become an expert at what you collect. There are tons of different types of sports memorabilia out there and it is a lot more fun to be an expert at one faction of the game and move on to something new later, then to just know a little bit about a lot of different things. The more you learn, the more engaged in your hobby you will become as you build your collection.
* It’s time for some research. It’s good to start out knowing the general value of what you will be collecting, especially if you intend to sell it down the road. You can use iTaggit’s ValueRange It tool to determine what the items are selling for in today’s market just by typing in the description and clicking “Go.” If you do plan to sell the collection, think about what kind of collection will appeal to the most buyers. For example, you would probably appeal to a greater market if you collected memorabilia of gold medalists in a specific sport rather than just miscellaneous Olympics memorabilia.
* Set up a budget and make yourself a wish list. Collectibles whether they are sports memorabilia or vintage antiques can get pricy. One thing you will learn as you star to really get into your collection is that you will suddenly find yourself having “I HAVE to have it” moments when you come across something that is just perfect for your collections. It is time to exercise that self control! I think that sometimes men aren’t as bad as us women when it comes to impulse purchases -until they comes across a signed Cal Ripken, Jr. jersey that’s just perfect to add to the Orioles-dedicated gameroom, complete with cases of signed game balls and bats! We’re all guilty of it at some point! Making a list of what you want to add to your collection, along with a budget of what you want to spend per month (or whatever works for you) is a good way to keep us on track. Those signed jerseys won’t provide much shelter after we have spent our way to homelessness!
* Knowledge is power. Get online or stop by the bookstore and grab some good reading about what you are collecting. Study up on what makes your item valuable, or more importantly, what decreases the value of your item! Learn about the grading systems and characteristics that would cause your items to fluctuate in value, such as rarity, condition, or events having to do with a player, etc. Knowing all that you can about what you are collecting can help you to not be fooled into buying a replica and can also ensure that your collection holds its value over time.
* Be trendy. Stay on top of the latest trends in sports collecting. Join message boards, sign up for newsletters on websites dedicated to collecting your items, and subscribe to memorabilia publications to stay current on all things sports-memorabilia related. The more you learn about your trade the better and it is just as important to stay current!
* Ladies and fellas’, start your shopping! Shop online marketplaces such as ebay.com, craigslist.org, oodle.com, and the iTaggit classifieds to find rare items. You can also find many websites dedicated to trading and purchasing only sports memorabilia. Check your newspaper listings and local sports memorabilia stores. Remember to always keep an eye out because you never know when you can find the perfect item! Also, if it is autographs you collect, be sure to always have something on hand to be signed when you attend games. Most players will hang around after games or practices to sign autographs and you never know if he or she could be the next big thing! I followed Tiger Woods during a college match years ago and snagged his autograph not thinking much of it (other then my father telling me he’s going to be one to watch). That turned out to be some good advice! Thank you Dad!
