FRISCO, Texas — Time was running out and the Dallas Cowboys’ meeting room was getting louder and louder.
Joe Looney needed to make one more free throw to win the competition for the offense as 30 seconds ticked down to zero. And when he did? Chaos ensued.
“It was sick, man,” right tackle Terence Steele said. “Everyone was cheering. It was awesome. Everyone loves it.”
Never mind that Looney last played for the Cowboys in 2020 and the player he competed against, Bradie James, last played for them in 2011. There were bragging rights on the line.
The central theme to Brian Schottenheimer’s approach in his first year as the Cowboys’ head coach is “Compete Every Day.” It’s on the wall leading from the locker room to Ford Center. It’s on a wall in his office.
On May 30, Schottenheimer extended it to the former Cowboys as part of what they called “Legends Day,” when about 25 former players from different eras of Dallas history came to one of the organized team activities at The Star.
This wasn’t just about watching a little practice and grabbing a bite to eat.
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They were in the team room for the meetings, which is why Looney and James were competing in the free throw shooting competition, just like the current players do. They were in the position meetings, too. They spoke to the current players, offering tips and mentorship. They watched the practice.
It was a way for Schottenheimer to bridge the generations of Cowboys and have current players meet some of the former players who helped build “America’s Team.”
“There’s such great tradition and history here with the Cowboys, and you talk about not just the Super Bowl trophies, but some of the great players,” Schottenheimer said. “We wanted them to kind of see our energy and our juice, the way we like to operate. They paved the way for the guys that sit in those chairs today.
“I mean they’re part of our family. It’s like having an uncle or grandfather, in some cases, that you can use as a sounding board. You can use as a mentor. Are they going to be friends? Hell, I hope so. But if they’re not, there’s experiences that they can garner from the likes of Randy White, Bob Lilly, Michael Irvin, Dat Nguyen.”
Osa Odighizuwa was a third-round pick in 2021. The defensive tackle had never met White, the Hall of Fame defensive tackle who played for the Cowboys from 1975 to 1988. Yet there he was listening to White not only tell stories about his Super Bowl teams but about some tricks of the position they share.
“I liked the way he emphasized the confidence that you need to have,” Odighizuwa said. “What’s the word? Just supreme confidence in yourself and your teammates. If you’re trying to do something great out there on the field, you have to believe it first.”
Jason Garrett had former players visit often when he coached the Cowboys from 2011 to 2019. He was a backup quarterback with Dallas from 1993 to 1999, so he knew most of the alumni already.
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Schottenheimer is in his fourth year in the organization and six months into his tenure as head coach.
“I was just blown away,” said former defensive lineman Tony Casillas, who won two Super Bowl rings with the Cowboys in the 1990s. “Magnetic personality. Very positive. He just kind of captured my respect. I believe in first impressions. I don’t know how it’s going to transition into the season, but I just like that he captivated all of us that were there.”
After the team meeting, the former players went into the position meetings. Looney was joined in the offensive line room by eight-time Pro Bowler Tyron Smith, who retired this offseason. Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett was with the running backs. Kevin Smith, who was a starting cornerback on two of the three Super Bowl teams in the ’90s, spent time with the DBs. Irvin mixed with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens and the rest of the receivers.
Casillas said the former players likely got more from the visit than the current ones because they were transformed back to their playing days, sitting in the meeting room as defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton talked about technique and scheme. The former players offered their thoughts as well.
“Bob Lilly’s talking and I’m like, ‘Oh, my god, Bob Lilly’s here giving advice to these young players,'” Casillas said. “That’s a name you won’t forget, like Roger Staubach. Bob ‘Mr. Cowboy’ Lilly.”
The visit went beyond the specifics involved in their positions.
“[Schottenheimer] is just trying to get across brotherhood,” Steele said. “Doesn’t matter the generation, we’re all Dallas Cowboys players at one point. He wants to honor the fact that they built this place. They built a legacy here. I thought it was really cool to see them guys come back, pour some knowledge into us, kind of be around us for a little bit. Yeah, it was a sweet deal.”
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Executive vice president Stephen Jones said there will be more alumni events in the future.
“Everybody loved it and the guys who missed it, guys like Troy [Aikman] even mentioned he hated [to miss it],” Jones said. “He called up, ‘If I weren’t in Europe, I would’ve been there.’ Hopefully next time we’ll have even more. We love having those guys back.”
The Cowboys have gone 29 seasons without a Super Bowl appearance. It’s a number that Schottenheimer knows but does not obsess over.
The shadows cast by the five Super Bowls and the lack of playoff success over nearly three decades can be burdensome to the current team, but Schottenheimer disagrees.
“I don’t think so. Not when the head coach sits up here and talks about the ultimate goal is to win a world championship. I think it’s to be celebrated,” Schottenheimer said. “You’ve got an incredible organization, incredible team, but the history speaks to what we’re about. So, I think some people might view it as being burdensome. I don’t. I think it’s awesome.”
The former players gave a vision of what the future of the current players can be.
“They’re going to be us one of these days,” Casillas said. “What their legacy going to be? Did we make a bunch of money, or did we win championships?”
Said Schottenheimer, “I think the more those guys are around, the more we see their Super Bowl rings, which they wear very proudly, I think that’s great for our guys because that’s why we do it. We don’t hide from that.”
