Visiting Jerry's World

At the 50 yard line of an N.F.L. field.  1/31/2019 dwm photo

I've been a Packer fan since I was three years old, but when a professional conference placed me within 20 miles of the Cowboys' stadium, I wanted to see it.

You have probably seen it on screen - a large sloping dome with a hole cut in the roof (sliding doors open on nice days) - as it hosted big football games or the Men's Final Four NCAA Basketball.

I've seen short feature stories on the stadium since it opened 10 years ago and was intrigued.

Fans taking the self-guided tour
bring a football to play catch.
1/31/2019  dwm photo

There are guided and self-guided tours.  For $22 - you get inside the stadium seating bowl, can go on the field, and visit the locker rooms of the Cowboys and the Cowboys' cheerleaders.

As I stepped off the stairs on to the springy surface, Ryan welcomed me - I was wearing a Packer hat and polo shirt.  Ryan said he visited Lambeau Field several years ago.  "By the way," he said, "you can stay until 2:30."

I never expected to see the Dallas
Cowboy Cheerleaders' locker room!
1/31/2019 dwm photo

I watched games of pickup ball breaking out on the field or games of catch with fans pretending to be Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin (greats from the Cowboys Super Bowl run 1992, 93, and 95).

After 15 or 20 minutes on the field, I walked through an automatic door to the Cheerleaders' locker room.  There is a large picture of the most recent squad and five lockers decked out with their iconic uniforms.

The Cowboys run to the field through
a crowd in a field-side bar.  1/31/19
dwm photo

Inside the team's locker room, I was interested in seeing Travis Frederick's locker.  More accurately, I should say name.  Frederick is a former U.W. Badger who grew up in the small town of Sharon, Wisconsin southeast of where I grew up.

It's an impressive place - the wood used for the lockers is the same kind used on yachts and expensive cars.

The stadium is famous for its fine art throughout the building, but it wasn't on the self-guided tour.

I'm not sure what the stadium looks like after a game, but it was immaculate.

My Packer cap tops the star. 1/31/2019 (dwm)

A few people gave me good natured grief about my Packer gear, but it was in good fun.  A woman in their Pro Shop said I would only find a Packer 'G' logo on pins made for a playoff contest between Dallas and Green Bay in 2016 (Green Bay won).

I bought the pin and a small blue star to commemorate the visit.  From the field I checked out the Ring of Honor recognizing top players, coaches, and front office people. 

My connection to the 'boys is really from the 1970s - a down time for the Packers when Roger Staubach lead Dallas teams on TV every Sunday.  That's the era when they became known as "America's Team."

I enjoyed my visit, it is very cool stadium - a very different place than Lambeau Field, but it is worth the trip.