Dallas 2002
Growing up in the Falkner family, you could choose any professional team to be a fan of except for the National Football League. If you know me or my family personally, you’d understand our relationship with the Dallas Cowboys. As lifelong diehards, only my mother, father, and somewhat my brother witnessed the glory days of the ’90s and the rise of today’s brand. But I and my sister, on the other hand, have seen the not-so-glory days; one could argue “comical” days.
Our first-ever trip to a Dallas Cowboys game came in 2002 on Thanksgiving day. A family of five packed in a Chevy suburban loaded up for Irving, TX., which, at the time, the Cowboys played in legendary Texas Stadium. An eight-hour drive to finally see what we’ve spent so many years cheering for on television we’d finally get to see in person.
The Cowboys hosted the Washington Redskins, which, if you’ve followed the NFL for the last 4-5 decades, would recognize that this is one of the greatest rivalries in football history. When we arrived that Wednesday on Thanksgiving Eve, I instantly picked up a vibe I’d never felt before. It was special because I was not only getting to see my first real football game but also the first real-time I got to know my father, being that I was so young. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 27-20, a game that was won in the fourth quarter. Though the Cowboys were bad that season, it would be the only time they won back-toback games.
After four of the best days of my life, experiencing the Dallas/Ft Worth area and spending time with friends and family, it was time we headed back home to Mississippi. The trip would become a Falkner family tradition to spend Thanksgiving with the Cowboys. And we’ve done so for the last 20-plus years.
In this column, I want to pay tribute to my father for starting a tradition that has kept the Falkner’s on the move. That trip meant so much to me that one day in 2001. My son and someday his children will understand how important the tradition is, too.
It was the first time my dad and I became best friends, and I owe it all to the Dallas Cowboys of 2002. I love you, Dad.