A week past Fourth of July festivities it seems like a good time to talk about where the Dallas Cowboys received their famous nickname “America’s Team.” Many younger Cowboys fans may not even know the origins of the name.
The term “America’s Team” originally came from NFL Films in the 1970s. The crews that were filming games across the league noticed that wherever the Cowboys played their fans would pack the stands. It did not matter how far away from Texas they were.
However, the lead up to that endearing term started earlier in Cowboys history. Tex Schramm, who was the Cowboys GM from 1960 to 1989 had a knack for scouting. He developed new ways of finding guys to bring to Dallas.
Schramm brought in players who would go down in history like Tony Dorsett, Randy White, and Ed “Too Tall” Jones. Dallas was on a winning streak and NFL fans saw it.
During coach Tom Landry’s tenure, the Cowboys finished first in their division 13 times and made their way to the Super Bowl 7 times. From 1966 to 1985 they recorded 20 consecutive winning seasons.
The Cowboys were looked at as the “good guys” of the NFL. That paired with their winning records lead to an explosion of fans joining the fan base.
In 1978 the Cowboys were on a 12-4 record after winning the Super Bowl the year before. Bob Ryan, who had produced and edited every Cowboys highlight video since 1964 for NFL Films, wrote an intro for the 1978 video and coined the term “America’s Team.”
“The Cowboys are the Notre Dame of professional football. No matter where they play, their fans are there to greet them. Their faces are recognized by fans all across this country. The sum total of their stars are a galaxy. They are the Dallas Cowboys…America’s Team.”
Once that name came out Schramm took off with it officially making “America’s Team” the Cowboys label.
Others may argue that they do not deserve the name anymore, but you cannot change history. The Cowboys are and will remain “America’s Team.”
Comments