The Cowboys were in Texas but had the image of a Hollywood star, no pun intended. Being a Cowboy was a glamorous one at that with the entire football world focused on the players, even more if they were winning. The Cowboys are not just another NFL team but a high profile institution. The saying is, “Everything is bigger in Texas.” They sure live up to that saying by promoting their players as much as they can but also maintain the basic principal of winning. They were always looking to enhance their image to bigger and better lengths. Being a quarterback on the Cowboys wasn’t just another position on the team, it meant you were given the national spotlight and had to live up to the reputation set by previous Cowboy greats. Even cheerleading for the Dallas Cowboys is considered to be a prestigious honor above all other NFL teams.

There have been countless Hall of Fame players who wore the star such as Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Coach Tom Landry. Tom Landry has the third most all-time wins among NFL coaches with 270. There are currently ten Hall of Fame players who dawned the Cowboy name which included, Troy Aikman, Tont Dorsett, Tom Landry, Mel Renfro, Tex Schramn, Bob Lily, Roger Staubach, Michael Irvin, Randy White, and Rayfield Write. Emmitt Smith who played with the Cowboys from 1990-2002 winning three Super Bowls with fellow teammates Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history with 18,355 rushing yards. He also leads all running backs with 175 total touchdowns and is a member of the 1990′s All Decade Team.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t retire numbers but place the names and number in the Ring of Honor to commemorate the players and honor them for their contributions.

While the Cowboys a tradition of winning, their last playoff win came in 1996 when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX 27-17. Despite not having won a playoff game in over a decade the Cowboys are one of the most valuable franchises in all of sports being estimated at over $1.6 billion. When the Dallas Cowboys are successful the rest of the NFL becomes even more successful. They are the team fans either love or hate and rarely is there a middle ground. With very competitive rivals in the NFC East who include the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins, the Cowboys are frequently in the eyes of many NFL teams as the team to beat especially within the division.

The blue star is one of the most famous symbols in American sports and when the Cowboys are winning, that blue star shines even brighter.

The cardinal name derived from the uniforms they were presented with worn faded uniforms that looked like a cardinal red from jerseys from the University of Chicago. In 1920 Chicago, like the gangsters of the day there was a loser leaves town game between the cardinals and another football team the Tigers. The Cardinals won the game 6-0. That was one of the few highlights in the Cardinals history. Another highlight was in 1929 when Ernie Nevers scored all the Cardinals teams 40 points against the Chicago Bears. That record still stands to this very day.

While the teams over the years haven’t produced banners of championships, there have been a 8 Hall of Fame players on the Cardinals. One of the all-time great nicknames was Dick “Night Train” Lane who was a corner back and elected to the Football Hall of Fame in 1974 and made seven Pro Bowls. The Cardinals have retired five players numbers which include Larry Wilson 8, Pat Tillman 40, Stan Mauldin 77, J.V. Cain, and Marshall Goldberg 99.

The Arizona Cardinals are the only team to play in a college stadium at Sun-Devil Stadium in Tempe. AZ and Univeristy of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ. The Cardinals have never made a Super Bowl appearance and is only one of four teams who have not including the New Orleans Saints (founded 1966), Houston Texans (founded 2002), and Jacksonville Jaguars (founded 1995).

With a losing tradition more then a winning one, the Cardinals still have support from the fan community in hopes one day the loyalty will be rewarded with a successful season, a playoff win, or even a Super Bowl victory. It has been a grim fifty plus years with very little signs that the team will having winning seasons in the future. In sports, winning can’t last forever, so neither can losing. That is what keeps the fan coming back and cheering for their team year in and year out, the promise of better days to lay ahead.