America 's Team - wikipedia America 's Team Dallas Cowboys logo The term `` America 's Team '' is a nickname that refers to the National Football League ( NFL ) 's Dallas Cowboys. The nickname originated with the team 's 1978 highlight film, where the narrator ( John Facenda ) opens with the following introduction : They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, `` America 's Team. '' The term is recognized and often used by media outlets, including ESPN, Yahoo !, HBO, and Sports Illustrated. Contents 1 History 2 Records and media 3 Other uses 4 References 5 External links History Bob Ryan, now Vice President and editor - in - chief of NFL Films, coined this for the Cowboys while preparing and editing the team 's 1978 season highlight film. He was quoted as saying : I wanted to come up with a different twist on their team highlight film. I noticed then, and had noticed earlier, that wherever the Cowboys played, you saw people in the stands with Cowboys jerseys and hats and pennants. Plus, they were always the national game on television. Ryan told the NFL Network for their Top Ten Nicknames show : I saw all these fans in away stadiums. Hey, they 're the most popular team in the country. How can I use that ? Why do n't we call them `` America 's Team '' ? During the Cowboys ' first game of the 1979 season, a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals ( Dallas won 22 - 21 ), the television announcer for CBS introduced the Cowboys as America 's Team and the name just stuck. Dallas ' Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry originally did not approve of the appellation of America 's Team. He felt that it would give opposing teams extra incentive to play harder. Eventually he gave in and actually came to like the name. The nickname was coined at the height of Landry 's then - NFL record 20 consecutive winning season streak, during which Dallas appeared in 12 conference championship games ( counting the 1966 - 67 league championships ) and five Super Bowls, and was exemplified on the field by the iconic Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, but the team 's popularity has continued over the decades during periods of both mediocrity and dynastic success. Records and media NFL Films The Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys : The Complete History of America 's Team 1960 - 2003 DVD Cover Directed by NFL Films Starring The Dallas Cowboys Distributed by Warner Home Video Release date November 25, 2003 Running time 73 : 00 Language English In 2003, NFL Films released a DVD collection chronicling the Dallas Cowboys franchise entitled The Dallas Cowboys : The Complete History of America 's Team 1960 - 2003. In 2008, NFL Films would release an updated DVD of The History of the Dallas Cowboys. The popularity of the Cowboys as America 's Team has been supported by such NFL records as `` Team with Most Consecutive Sold Out Games '', a streak of 160 home and away games ( including playoffs ) that began on December 23, 1990, at Philadelphia 's Veterans Stadium and came to an end on December 24, 1999, in a Christmas Eve game against the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Superdome. Other examples are the NFL games featuring the Cowboys that result in record - breaking ratings at the time of broadcast, such as 7 of the 8 Super Bowl games featuring the Cowboys and the NFC Championship Game between the Cowboys and 49ers, the only non-Super Bowl NFL game to be ranked in the Top 45 Primetime Telecasts of All Time. Dallas is the only NFL team that distributes its own merchandise, which remains among the league 's top selling even during losing seasons. As of 2012 the Cowboys were the most valuable American sports franchise at $2.1 billion. Among the many Cowboys innovations that have contributed to their distinct reputation are their professional, overtly beautiful, all female cheerleader squad, nicknamed `` America 's Sweethearts '', that has since been copied around the NFL but still stands out as singularly iconic, and has been the subject of multiple movies, has made numerous national television appearances, routinely tours with the USO, makes other appearances around the world, and has been featured in its own long running reality show on CMT. In 2012 an ESPN poll found that the Cowboys are the most popular NFL team, a result consistently echoed in annual Harris polling. Other uses Franchises with long successful histories and large nationwide fan bases are occasionally referred to as America 's Team. The Atlanta Braves laid claim to the name due to their games being broadcast on cable television systems nationwide on WTBS, building a fan base in areas of the United States far removed from a Major League Baseball team. A 1982 issue of Sports Illustrated had referred to the Braves as `` America 's Team II ''. As a jab against the Cowboys before Super Bowl XXVII, Buffalo Bills coach Marv Levy proclaimed his team to be America 's Team because they would be `` wearing red, white, and blue ''. The Cowboys, which wear white, silver, and blue, went on to defeat the Bills 52 - 17. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney dismissed the suggestion that the Steelers were `` America 's Team. '' `` ' We did n't want that, ' Rooney said. ' We 're Pittsburgh 's team. We feel strongly about that. ' '' In an ESPN.com article titled, `` The Great Debate : ' America 's Team ', '' four sports writers stated their case as to why three other teams besides the Cowboys could lay claim to the nickname of America 's Team. James Walker said the name should be given to the Pittsburgh Steelers since they have the most Super Bowl wins at six. Kevin Seifert said that the Green Bay Packers could be considered America 's Team due to their unique ownership situation. They `` are now owned by 112,120 shareholders who possess about 4.75 million shares of stock. A seven - member executive committee, elected by the board of directors and comprised mostly of local residents, operates the team. '' Tim Graham said the New England Patriots have a right at the name since they dominated the NFL for the entire first decade of the new millennium, by virtue of their team name and colors ( red, white and blue ) and having been formed in Boston, the `` Cradle of Liberty ''. Following their win in Super Bowl XLIV, a few media writers referred to the New Orleans Saints as `` America 's Team '', as their successful bid to win the Super Bowl was seen by many to represent the city 's resurgence after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina ( `` for one game, the Saints are America 's Team '' ). After several `` Cinderella '' runs in the NCAA tournament, the Gonzaga Bulldogs men 's basketball team has been called `` America 's Team '' as well. During their ArenaBowl XXII championship run in 2008, Philadelphia Soul owner Ron Jaworski referred to the Soul as `` America 's Team '' of the Arena Football League. References ^ Jump up to : `` Top 10 Nicknames Show : America 's Team ''. NFL Network. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` NFL announces 2007 MNF schedule ''. ESPN.com. April 11, 2007. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Dyer, Kristian ( October 14, 2014 ). `` America 's team ? That would be the Denver Broncos, not the Dallas Cowboys ''. Yahoo ! Sports. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` HBO 's ' Hard Knocks ' Returning To Cowboys Camp ''. Dallas Cowboys. May 7, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ SI Staff ( September 28, 2015 ). `` Question Everything : Are the Dallas Cowboys still ' America 's Team ? ' ''. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Scales, Kristi ( February 9, 2015 ). `` How the Cowboys Got the Nickname `` America 's Team '' ``. 5 Points Blue ( Dallas Cowboys ). Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Guinn, Jeff ( 1996 ), Dallas Cowboys : Our Story, Summit Publishing Group Jump up ^ West, Gary ( Jan 29, 2012 ). `` Are the Cowboys still America 's Team ? ''. Star - Telegram. Retrieved 10 May 2013. Jump up ^ `` Cowboys Mystique by the Dallas Cowboys Fan Club ''. Jump up ^ Ozanian, Mike ( September 5, 2012 ). `` Dallas Cowboys Lead NFL With $2.1 Billion Valuation ''. Forbes. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Rovell, Darren ( November 21, 2012 ). `` Cowboys remain America 's Team ''. ESPN.com. Retrieved 10 May 2013. Jump up ^ Wulf, Steve ( 1982 - 08 - 09 ), America 's Team II, Sports Illustrated, archived from the original on 2011 - 06 - 03 Jump up ^ Downey, Mike ( January 26, 1993 ). `` SUPER BOWL XXVII : You Name It, They Claim It ''. The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ Popovich, Mike ( 2000 ), From Water Boy to Steelers President, Canton Rep Jump up ^ Matt Mosley ; James Walker ; Kevin Seifert ; Tim Graham ( July 6, 2009 ). `` The Great Debate : ' America 's Team ' ''. ESPN. Retrieved November 23, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Super Bowl XLIV : Why Are the Saints Being Called `` America 's Team '' ? ``. Bleacher Report. 2010 - 02 - 07. Retrieved 2013 - 02 - 07. Jump up ^ Timanus, Eddie ( October 14, 2008 ). `` Cinderella ? This year 's Zags may be Few 's best team yet ''. USA Today. Retrieved February 7, 2013. Jump up ^ Adamski, Chris ( March 17, 2012 ). `` Sacre says Bulldogs still ' America 's Team ' ''. CBS Sports. Retrieved February 7, 2013. Jump up ^ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=20010321&id=IyQyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=auYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6589,104151 Jump up ^ Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, ( 1 ), Philadelphia Soul AFL Arena Bowl Championship Recap Jon Bon Jovi. External links Dallas Cowboys official web site Dallas Cowboys Founded in 1960 Based in Arlington, Texas Headquartered in Frisco, Texas Franchise Franchise History Coaches Players Seasons Expansion draft Draft history Starting quarterbacks First - round draft picks The Ford Center at The Star Stadiums Cotton Bowl Texas Stadium AT&T Stadium Culture NFL on Thanksgiving Day America 's Team Cheerleaders Doomsday Defense Crazy Ray Rowdy Jerry Jones Black Sunday ( film ) King of the Hill Lore Tom Landry Tex Schramm Captain Comeback Ice Bowl Hail Mary The Catch Herschel Walker trade Dirty Dozen Ring of Honor Bounty Bowl series Rivalries New York Giants Philadelphia Eagles Washington Redskins Green Bay Packers San Francisco 49ers Pittsburgh Steelers Houston Oilers / Texans Division championships ( 23 ) 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1981 1985 1992 1993 1994 1995 1998 2007 2009 2014 2016 Conference championships ( 10 ) 1966 1967 1970 1971 1977 1978 1992 1993 1995 League Championships ( 5 ) 1971 ( VI ) 1977 ( XII ) 1992 ( XXVII ) 1993 ( XXVIII ) 1995 ( XXX ) Ring of Honor Bob Lilly Don Meredith Don Perkins Chuck Howley Mel Renfro Roger Staubach Lee Roy Jordan Tom Landry Tony Dorsett Randy White Bob Hayes Tex Schramm Cliff Harris Rayfield Wright Troy Aikman Michael Irvin Emmitt Smith Drew Pearson Charles Haley Larry Allen Darren Woodson Media Broadcasters Radio network KRLD - FM Brad Sham Babe Laufenberg Current league affiliations League : National Football League Conference : National Football Conference Division : East Division Seasons ( 58 ) 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 1992 1993 1994 1995 2017 Championship seasons in bold Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=America%27s_Team&oldid=807288799 '' Categories : English - language films Dallas Cowboys Nicknamed groups of American football players Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 27 October 2017, at 01 : 48. 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Question: when did the dallas cowboys become americas team
Answer: the Cowboys' first game of the 1979 season