Title: Ten-gallon war : the NFL's Cowboys, the AFL's Texans, and the feud for Dallas's pro football future /
Authors: Eisenberg, John, 1956-
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Year: 2012
Subjects: Hunt, Lamar,; Dallas Cowboys (Football team) History.; Houston Texans (Football team) History.; Dallas Texans (Football team) History.
Abstract: By 1960 pro football was flourishing across the country - except in Texas, where college football still ruled. When two young oil tycoons started their own pro football franchises in Dallas that very same year - the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Texans of the newly formed AFL - a bitter feud was born. Like gunslingers in the Old West, these conniving Mad Men of the gridiron knew their hometown wasn't big enough for the both of them. The Cowboys and Texans filed lawsuits against each other, fought over players, undermined each other's promotional ventures, and rooted like hell for the other guys to fail. The Texans' visionary owner, Lamar Hunt, focused on the fans, putting together a team of local legends and hiring attractive women to drive around town in red convertibles selling tickets. Meanwhile the Cowboys, led by a young Tom Landry in his first year as head coach, focused on winning games and holding their own in the NFL. Ultimately, both teams won the battle, but only one got to stay in Dallas and become "America's Team". In this highly entertaining narrative, rich in colorful characters and unforgettable stunts, John Eisenberg recounts the story of the birth of pro football in Dallas and throughout Texas - and the early moments when the game began to be part of this country's DNA.
Contents: What you be interested in starting up a new league? -- Those Texas millionaires -- You're going to break us all -- Son, that league isn't going to make it -- Is Big D big enough...for two teams? -- I trained on biscuits and gravy -- Someone is going to get hurt here -- This is not a harassment situation -- It's going to take time for this thing to grow -- They thought the Texans were a lot more fun -- We've scared off every fan we have -- They should play each other -- Did you wear mouse ears or a helmet? -- They shouldn't be able to do this to us? -- Let's beat their asses -- We are staying -- We will kick to the clock -- It's nice to be wanted -- There's something I want to visit with you about -- Did Vince really say that?