Tex Schramm Texas Earnest " Tex " Schramm , Jr . ( June 2 , 1920 - July 15 , 2003 ) was the original president and general manager of the National Football League ' s Dallas Cowboys franchise . Schramm became the head of the Cowboys when the former expansion team started operations in 1960 . Early life and career . Despite his name , Schramm was not born in Texas , but in San Gabriel , California . Texas was his father ' s name and where his parents met . Schramm attended Alhambra High School and went to the University of Texas , graduating in 1947 with a bachelor ' s degree in journalism . At UT he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity , as was his father . Schramm interrupted his education to serve as an officer in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II . Before joining the Cowboys , Schramm was part of the Los Angeles Rams from 1947 to 1956 . During his tenure , he hired Pete Rozelle as the Rams ' public relations director ; Rozelle later became one of the most important commissioners in the history of the NFL . They remained close friends after Rozelle became NFL commissioner and Schramm became general manager of the Cowboys ( each holding their position for 29 years ) . Dallas Cowboys . In late 1959 , when it became apparent that the NFL was intent on expanding to Dallas , Schramm told his friends in football that he was interested in running the team . Chicago Bears owner George Halas introduced Schramm to Clint Murchison , Jr . , who had tried to bring the NFL to Dallas several times in the past . Murchison hired Schramm as the general manager for a potential Dallas team , which became a reality when the league awarded a team to the city on January 28 , 1960 . In 1960 , Schramm hired head coach Tom Landry and chief scout Gil Brandt . By the mid 1960s , the three men had built the Cowboys into an elite team . The Cowboys had 20 consecutive winning seasons , and were the winningest NFL team of the 1970s . They appeared in five Super Bowl s that decade , winning Super Bowls VI and XII , and losing Super Bowls V , X , and XIII by a combined 11 points . The Cowboys became a marquee NFL franchise , their popularity inspiring the nickname " America ' s Team " . Schramm was known as the most powerful general manager in the NFL . The Cowboys ' owners during his tenure , Murchison ( 1960 – 84 ) and H . R . " Bum " Bright ( 1984 – 1988 ) , largely left day - to - day operations in his hands . Schramm held the Cowboys ' voting right at league meetings , a right normally reserved for team owners . In 1966 , Schramm met secretly with American Football League ( AFL ) founder Lamar Hunt to begin the negotiations that led to the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL , as well as the first Super Bowl in 1967 . Innovations . Schramm was also known for innovations that helped redefine the modern NFL . These include instant replay , using computer technology in scouting , multi - color striping of the 20 - and 50 - yard lines , 30 - second clock between plays , extra - wide sideline borders , wind - direction stripes on the goal post uprights , the referee ' s microphone , and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders . While leading the league ' s Competition Committee , he oversaw rule changes such as using overtime in the regular season , putting the official time on the scoreboard , moving goalposts from the front of the end zone to the back , and protecting quarterbacks through the in - the - grasp rule . Schramm ' s desire for a more comprehensive scouting combine led to the annual offseason NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis . Don Shula said of Schramm , " I truly believe he had as much , or more , to do with the success of professional football as anyone who has ever been connected with the league . " After the Cowboys . Schramm stayed on only briefly with the Cowboys after Jerry Jones purchased the team and fired Tom Landry . He left to become the commissioner of the World League of American Football . Schramm was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1991 . Schramm ' s entry into the Cowboys Ring of Honor took much longer due to strained relations with Jones . Schramm had created the Ring of Honor , and had been a " one - man committee " on inductions . Jones became that " committee " when he took over . Finally in 2003 , Jones announced that Schramm would be inducted into the ring during the next football season . Schramm attended the announcement press conference and spoke , but died a few months later and was inducted posthumously . Schramm married his high school sweetheart , Martha Anne Snowden , in 1941 . Mrs . Schramm died on December 8 , 2002 . They had three daughters .