ONE FAN’S PERSPECTIVE

IT'S A WONDERFUL DAY IN DALLAS

By Jay Betsill

Thursday, January 14, 2010 - 1:00am

Life is all about experiences and making memories. If you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, a great experience can lead to memories that will last a lifetime.

On Tuesday afternoon, January 12, 2010, I had the honor of attending the kickoff to "A Century in the Making" extravaganza at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas. The past century of football milestones and memories have paved the way for Super Bowl XLV's arrival to Cowboys Stadium in 389 days. To better appreciate what it took to land this huge event to this area, the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee put together a panel that selected 250 memorable football moments/achievements and will allow fans to be a part of history as they vote them down to the final 100.

Woodrow Wilson, the only public school to produce two Heisman Trophy winners (Davey O'Brien and Tim Brown) was the perfect setting for this event from a historical perspective.  The two Heisman Trophies were on display when I entered the building. A few steps down the hallway, Troy Aikman was a guest on the Michael Irvin ESPN Radio show. When I made my way to my seat in the school's auditorium, I got chills as I realized I was sitting three feet from Hall of Famer Rayfield Wright. And this was only the beginning.

Brad Sham, the voice of the Dallas Cowboys, took the stage. "We don't have beaches and we don't have mountains," Sham said. "But what we do have is a culture, a tradition, and a passion for football." Sham hosted the program that began with several guests speaking about the upcoming Super Bowl XLV and the history of football in the region. 

A flawless NFL Films tribute to North Texas Football was followed by the opening of the red curtain that covered the stage and the unveiling of the 11 football dignitaries. It was as if all of this football history that had been discussed came to life. Imagine the Ben Stiller movie "A Night at the Museum," only set in a North Texas Football Hall of Fame. The 11 legends on the stage were Billy Sims, "Mean" Joe Greene, Daryl Johnston, Michael Irvin, Craig James, Abner Haynes, Tony Dorsett, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Tim Brown, and David O'Brien (son of TCU legend Davie O'Brien.)

What followed was a trip down memory lane as each man spoke on their memories as it pertained to the game of football in North Texas. There was some priceless banter between Staubach and Greene involving the Steelers 35-31 win in Super Bowl XIII. Brad Sham quipped, “Roger, you gotta let it go," while instigating the whole thing. It was special for me because my father played football alongside Joe Greene at North Texas, so I was raised getting to hear of the larger than life figure from the Coke commercial. Memories of my dad teaching me to throw a spiral in the backyard crept into my mind as "Mean" Joe talked about playing college football.
The most moving moments involved the Dallas Texans' Abner Haynes as he discussed his days at North Texas State in the late 1950s when he and teammate Leon King integrated college football in Texas.

The biggest cheers of the day belonged to Tim Brown. He said he woke up singing the Woodrow Wilson fight song in the shower and went on to mention that his high school teams were bad, with a record of 4-25-1. Billy Sims talked Texas-OU football. Craig James spoke of his time at SMU and his teammate Eric Dickerson during the days of the Pony Express. Troy Aikman, Daryl Johnston, and Michael Irvin represented the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl teams of the 1990s.

At the end of the presentation, Brown and O'Brien presented the school with a plaque commemorating Woodrow Wilson's place in Heisman history. The plaque will be on display in the school's trophy case.

"A Century in the Making" voting begins Jan. 18 at the Fort Worth Stcok Show and Rodeo. The physical ballots are exclusively published by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Star-Telegram publisher Gary Wortel said, "We've been publishing great sports moments for 104 years." Online voting, managed by American Airlines, starts in March at www.centuryinthemaking.com.

"Winning those three Super Bowls in four years was tough. Wow, what a beautiful thing to share with the people of Texas, "Michael Irvin said, with his trademark smile."I just can't wait for the Super Bowl to be here next year."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Jay Betsill follows the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee on Facebook.