Posted on 04/10/2010 9:04:22 PM PDT by Paleo Conservative
When the construction of Cowboys Stadium started, we all new that it was only a matter of time before the demolition of Texas Stadium. The fate of Texas Stadium has been set, the Dallas Cowboys old home will be destroyed on April 11th. The implosion will be sponsored by Kraft Macaroni & Cheese oddly enough, because nothing says buy macaroni & cheese like an implosion. That aside lets take a look at the Texas Stadium history and honor the longtime home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Now that we have the boring statistics out of the way lets take a look at the odd facts that made Texas Stadium great. It was in Irving, which as the Dallas Cowboys names implies is close to Dallas. The iconic hole in the roof was not planned, Texas Stadium was actually supposed to be a dome. The hole came about because the roof supports could not handle the weight of a dome. The supports were not modified because back in the day when the public funding for a project ran out, you stopped spending. Cowboys linebacker D. D. Lewis is responsible for the famous quote, “Texas Stadium has a hole in tis roof so god can watch his favorite team play”.
As we have seen with the new Cowboys Stadium, Texas Stadium also played host to plenty events that were not Dallas Cowboys Games. Events such as Concerts, Pro Wrestling, College Football, Religious Gatherings, High School Football, and even a Major League Lacrosse game.
Texas Stadium was the place that I became a fan of football, and it will suck to see it go. I know the stadium is not as high tech or cool as the new Cowboys Stadium, but you could still watch the Cowboys play there and I was lucky enough to see quite a few games there. Texas stadium didn’t do big video boards or 3-D glasses, it did football.
There are enough big HS football stadiums in the Metroplex to accomodate big HS games, it just probably didn’t make sense to keep it given the maintenance costs.
I’m more surprised they got rid of Reunion Arena, I still think there were potential uses for it.
The outfit the brought her down did a near perfect job. They left three buttresses up. Still, they dropped her inside her own footprint, not hard to avoid when you're dealing with a stadium of any kind. I'd love to have some of the metal from the roof. That would make a real nice keepsake.
A lot of people didn't like TS in her later years. Too old, too uncomfortable, too this, too that. I always loved the place. Texas Stadium will always be a special place to me.
Wow.
“...Cost: 35 million (Cowboys Stadium: 1.15 billion)...’
By contrast, the video board that hangs over the field at Cowboys Stadium costs $5 million more that the entire cost of Texas Stadium. Talk about how the cost of doing things have changed.
I didn’t miss it, you had to walk two miles, the bathrooms were horrible, and heaven forbid if you went to a concert there, the acoustics were horrific.
I’m not from Texas. I’m from Tennessee, so it was a yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Never thought the bathroom issue was much of one. It’s not that much different at Cowboys Stadium. Having had to park in the cash lot behind Central Trucking WAS the biggest negative to the trip. the cattle drive down that narrow drive was a thing I always hated. I went to a U-2 concert there. You are spot on right about the acoustics. They sucked. But TS wasn’t designed for concerts. For all its short comings, and there were those, I still loved the place. And up until six years ago, it was the only place I ever saw a pro game.
BTW, you would hate LP Field in Nashville. That place doesn’t have any escalators for the normal paying slugs to use. There are some for the suite owners, though. If you’re in the upper decks, you are screwed. You have to climb a series of ramps to get up there. You almost fell like planting a flag when you get to the top. I’ve done that several time. I’ll take the hike from the TS cash lot any day.
I had the same feelings about the Astrodome. I went to the University of Houston for a summer back in the 60s. My roommates and I would get seats for $2.50 in the upper deck behind home plate, drink Schlitz and watch the Astros, who had some great moments and some comic plays too. In a way it was a wonder of the world at the time as you could sit back in 72 degree cool during the summer on Beautiful Buffalo Bayou ;o); enjoy baseball and escape the Houston steam room weather.
My family went to that. At the time, my brother stood up to commit his life to Christ at that event.
I grew up in Texas, and have lived in California since I was 23 and for over half my life.
You get shallow people in both states. Texans tend to be that way on the money side. Californians are like that on the eco-side of things.
Where I live in California is hot like Texas, but doesn’t stay as hot as long. I personally like the weather better in Texas. I don’t like the California rainy season, and I don’t like how dry it gets in the summer. I also miss having a few snow days.
California definitely has beautiful places, but Oakland and LA are cesspools. The central valley is awful since they turned off the water. Plus you get so much smog in that area.
I personally think that the hill country and East Texas and Padre Island are absolutely beautiful.
What I absolutely hate about California is the politics. They think the government should take care of everything. Then they regulate the heck out of everything. For example, we now have clean air days in the winter, and you can’t have a wood burning fireplace going. On Thanksgiving and Christmas you could not have a wood burning fire going.
Then everything is overly expensive here. The public school system sucks royally: too liberal, not very high standards, and no arts education (music, theater).
The college system is very difficult to get into in California. I think it will be easier for my son to get into Texas A&M then it will be for him to get into UC Davis. Both of them are equivalent educations.
I loved small town Texas. There are still lots of nice people in the small towns. I loved living in College Station for college. I thought it had the frienliest people I’ve ever met. I would love to retire there. I grew up in Dallas, and I don’t like it that much. It’s a big city with big city problems - nuff said.
My closest friends are from college (Texas A&M), and they are the best people I have ever met.
Your description of the folks from Dallas/Ft Worth, for the most part could be a description of just about anywhere. Unfortunately it leaves out the many of good decent folk that don't stick out like the ones you explain.
My description was a generalization of people I met all over texas. Salt of the earth? IF that means friendly “neighborly” I will agree. But that is about the deepest most people get in relationships. There tends to be a taboo about what goes on behind closed doors. You can be sickningly sweet on the outside but don’t reveal what your family is really like. It is really freaking sick. I suspect you know exactly what I am talking about. Appearances are a much higher value than authenticity and honesty. It is so ingrained in the culture that to be forthright and glib is considered rude and improper.
That is why you see those stats not just in the DFW region. If you do not value putting your time and effort into having authentic deep relationships then Texas is the place to be. If that is the kind of life/ relationships people choose that is fine. Just don’t expect people to pretend that it is healthy and normal just because people don’t call you on it.
I have received plenty of private responses that confirm others have experienced the same.
I don’t take this conversation personal but I do have family & friends in the DFW area. I also will travel on biz a few times a year around Texas.
I guess I’m fortunate to have either not meet any of the people you described or they were real good at hiding the evil you suggest.
Not saying evil. Glad your experience is different.
What completely blows my mind (no pun intended) -
When built, Texas Stadium cost somewhere around $35 million (what would that be in today’s dollars?). What the heck was wrong with it? Why was a new $1.5 BILLION stadium “necessary”? Will it make the Cowboys so much better a team? Will it bring about a new morality among a team known of recent for a bunch of criminals?
Who paid for (is paying for) the new stadium?
While I am a Colts fan, and the new Lucas stadium sure appears to be nice - what exactly was so bad wrong with the “old” RCA Dome? Seats too small for anyone but little children? That seems to be the norm anyway...
Again - for the cost of these new stadiums, you could do a lot of renovation and “modernizing” of the “old”.
If these projects were 100% funded by private investors - then have at it. That is what free enterprise and market is all about.
But far too often, taxpayers end up footing the bill.
Maybe I am just a stick-in-the mud, but are there not better uses for the mega $$ going into these new facilities? IF it isn’t already nuts that men are being paid incredible multi-million $ contracts to play A GAME - but these owners demand new bigger and better (in their eyes) facilities to play the same game.
Me too. I grew up in Houston and was 7 when they awarded a Major League franchise, the Colt .45’S. I went to many a game a Colt Stadium which, even though I was young, was a miserable place-HOT and mosquitoes. I watched them build the Astrodome and was at the first game-Mickey mantle hit the forst home run and President Johnson was there. it was like a palace then. To see it in its’ sorry state now is pretty sad.
Speaking of Mickey Mantle, I went to an old-timers game at the Dome that summer (’66) and they had a collection of players from the National League and the American League square off. Dizzy Dean pitched one inning and got all 3 batters out, but some of the other pitchers were serving them up to the batters. Mantle, who must have been batting right handed, jerked one out over the left field wall. But I always count it as an honor and fond memory that I saw Dizzy and Mickey play in the same game.
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