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Sports
Football
Dallas Cowboys
The
Dallas Cowboys franchise is the most successful in the history of
the National Football League. In their 40 years of existence, the
Cowboys have 27 winning seasons (and 2 500 seasons), made the
playoffs 26 times, won 18 division championships, and participated
in eight of the 34 Super Bowls, winning 5 of them. Between 1966 and
1985, the Cowboys had 20 consecutive winning seasons. In the Super
Bowl years (since 1966), the Dallas Cowboys have the best record of
any football team as shown in the Summary of Franchise Records.
Simply put, the road to the Super Bowl leads through Dallas. Some
love the Cowboys, others don't. One thing is for sure--everyone has
an opinion about the Cowboys.
The
Cowboys have the nickname "America's Team. "Every year another team
reaches up and tries to claim this nickname. The Green Bay Packers
are the latest, claiming they had the name first. Well, give Green
Bay that nickname. Looking at the record of the Cowboys, perhaps
Dallas should have Green Bay's other nickname, TITLETOWN.
Planned Venue for the Dallas
Cowboys
One
of the great assets Arlington has is accessibility to the entire
metroplex. There will be 14 approaches from major highways into the
new stadium in Arlington, compared with three at Texas Stadium.
From
a regional standpoint the new stadium will be one of the most
accessible venues ever planned. The Arlington Entertainment
District is the beneficiary of $270 million in improvements to the
area highways that will directly benefit the new stadium. This
infrastructure investment will provide new and improved access to
the venue from three exits off of I-30 and upgrade the interchange
at Hwy 360 and Division.
Plaza Area and Open End Zones
The
stadium design incorporates two open end zones with glass
retractable doors measuring 120 feet high and 180 feet wide, making
them the tallest glass retractable doors in the world. These doors
open in 18 minutes. The plazas outside these doors, one in each end
zone - along with the three party decks in each end zone - create
over 420,000 square feet of entertainment space, or approximately 10
acres. This space gives the stadium great flexibility with its
capacity. These areas will be great spaces for people to gather
before, during and after events to socialize and experience a unique
interactive experience.
The
field is actually 50 feet below ground level, so fans entering on
the plaza level will have a panoramic view over the field. The end
zone area will have the flexibility to convert from standing-room
only to seating, based on specific event needs. Media boards and
large-screen monitors add entertainment to the area, and create a
festival atmosphere.
Suites
The
new stadium will have 200 suites in eight different locations on
five separate levels. The suite sections have been decentralized
and positioned at different areas throughout the stadium, rather
than having all suites on one level. With the new stadium, there
are suites on the field-level sidelines and field-level end zones,
and suites on higher levels for a different vantage point. Just 20
rows up from the field will be the Hall of Fame suites. These will
be the lowest suites in the NFL in relation to the field. All of
the suites will also have access to club areas. The building will
have eight different clubs spread throughout the various levels.
When
the
Houston Oilers departed for the Music City in 1997, most thought
the NFL would never return. However, Bob McNair a wealthy oilman
wanted to bring the NFL back to Houston, and when his efforts to
bring the NHL to Houston failed in 1997, he stepped up his efforts
for bringing back pro-football.
McNair and his business partner Chuck Watson put together a plan
with the officials from the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (HLS&R)
say they will push for the building of a retractable roof stadium
that the Rodeo will share with an NFL team, as opposed to renovating
the Astrodome. However, despite the organized efforts the NFL
wanted to expand to Los Angeles. However, the politicians in LA
could not agree on what plan to go with, and the NFL who was so
impressed with Houston's plan started to consider putting the 32nd
team in Houston. In March of 1999 the NFL gave the city of LA a
6-month deadline to get their plans together. When the Los Angeles
officials failed to get an organized plan together, the NFL decided
to award Bob McNair and Houston the 32nd team that would begin play
in 2002.
Arena Football -
Bossier City Battlewings
Local Football
Stephen F. Austin University
High School
Carthage
Tatum
Beckville
Baseball
Texas Rangers
 The
Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in
Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division
of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1994 to the
present, the Rangers have played in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The "Rangers" name originates from the famous law enforcement
agency of the same name.
An expansion franchise, the club was founded in
Washington, D.C. in 1961 and was called the Washington Senators (not
to be confused with the Washington Senators that left D.C. after
1960 to become the Minnesota Twins). The team then moved to
Arlington in 1972 and became the Rangers. The Rangers are one of
four teams to have never played in a World Series, having never won
a league championship.
Home of the Rangers –
The Ballpark at Arlington
On April 1, 1994, a new era for the Texas Rangers
began with the opening of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The
beautiful baseball-only facility serves as the centerpiece of a
270-acre complex which solidifies Arlington, Texas as an
entertainment giant in the Southwest.
Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, completed in just
23 months, is a state-of-the-art building with the utmost in
customer convenience. Yet, the 49,115 seat open-air ballpark was
designed and built with tradition and intimacy in mind, containing
features such as a granite and brick facade, exposed structural
steel, an asymmetrical playing field, and a home run porch in right
field. Texas architecture is featured throughout, from the outer
facade to the Lone Stars in the concourses and on the seat aisles.
This unique complex also includes a baseball
museum, a children's learning center, and a four-story office
building within the ballpark and a youth baseball park, a 12-acre
lake, and parks and recreation space on the perimeter. Total cost
of the project was approximately 191 million dollars.
Houston Astros
 The
Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston,
Texas. The team is in the Central Division of the National League
Subsequent to the Giants and Dodgers leaving for
California, an abortive attempt was made to start a third major
league. It was to be called the Continental League. Though the
league never got off the ground, it nonetheless established the
demand for major league baseball in other markets.
The driving force behind the effort to obtain a
franchise for Houston was oilman Craig F. Cullinan, Jr. and Marco A.
Perez who had been involved with the Continental League and who was
chairman of the Houston Sports Association executive committee, a
syndicate of local businessmen dedicated to bringing a pro baseball
team to southeastern Texas. Cullinan's group consisted of George
Kirksey, Judge Roy Hofheinz, Robert E. "Bob" Smith, and Kenneth S.
"Bud" Adams. On October 17, 1960, Houston was awarded a franchise in
the ten-team National League. The team was to be named the Houston
Colt .45s with Craig F. Cullinan, Jr. the team's first president.
In addition to the Houston Colt .45s, the New York
Mets would also join the NL in 1962, a year after the 1961 expansion
of the American League, which resulted in new AL teams in Los
Angeles (Los Angeles Angels) and Washington, D.C. (a new Washington
Senators franchise to replace the team that had left D.C. to become
the Minnesota Twins the same year).
Home of the Astros –
Minute Maid Park
In addition to hosting all Houston Astros baseball
games the ballpark at Union Station has also hosted a variety of
other events pictured above in recent years. "Inside Union Station"
you can host your event in the Union Station Lobby, on the rooftop
or in the depot. "Inside the Park" you can host events on the club
level, 9 Amigos and even on the field.
Panola
College
Since 1948 Panola College has won numerous
conference, state and national championships. Women's sports include
basketball and volleyball, while men's sports feature basketball and
baseball. Panola College has a winning tradition and many former
students have gone on to successful professional careers.
Panola College offers opportunities to participate
in volleyball, basketball, golf, badminton, karate, and
racquetball. Racquetball and basketball in particular attract
people aged 50+ every single day.
Basketball
Dallas
Mavericks
 The Dallas Mavericks (also
known as the Mavs) are an NBA basketball team based in Dallas,
Texas. The team is owned by Mark Cuban. Terdema Ussery is president
and CEO.
According to Forbes Magazine, the Mavericks are
the third most valuable basketball franchise in the United States,
valued at approximately $463 million, surpassed only by the New York
Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 1979, businessman Don Carter and partner Norm
Sonju requested the right to bring an NBA franchise to Dallas,
Texas. The last professional basketball team in Dallas had been the
Dallas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association, which
moved to San Antonio in 1973 to become the San Antonio Spurs.
At the 1980 NBA All-Star Game, league owners voted
to admit the new team, with the team's name coming from the
1957-1962 TV western Maverick. James Garner, who played the namesake
character, was a member of the ownership group. There was some
controversy at the time since the University of Texas at Arlington
also uses the Mavericks nickname. They joined the Midwest Division
of the Western Conference, where they would stay until the league
went to six divisions for the 2004-05 season. Dick Motta, who had
guided the Washington Bullets to the NBA Championship in 1977-78,
was hired as the team's first head coach. He had a well-earned
reputation of being a stern disciplinarian, but was also a great
teacher of the game.
Home of the Dallas Mavericks –
American Airlines Center
American Airlines Center's seating bowl features a
one-of-a-kind retractable seating system. This unique, patented
design reduces the conversion time between hockey and basketball
floor configurations. The result is great sightlines for basketball
and hockey fans on the north and south ends.
Another unique feature of the seating bowl is the
roof structure. The 150,000 square foot roof is supported only at
its four corners. In order to resist the forces generated by the
weight of the roof, columns are tied together at the corners by a
series of steel rods embedded in the floor of the upper concourse.
Each of American Airlines Center's concourses are
highly finished with terrazzo floors, windows, crown molding and
painted walls. Avoiding the typical "racetrack" configuration, the
venue has five concourses full of wide, open space. The building's
four lobbies are points of references each with its own theme. The
American Airlines Lobby looks over the public plaza and has
spectacular views of the downtown skyline, the North Lobby looks
toward the Design District, the East Lobby looks to the Crescent
complex, and the West Lobby view stretches over Stemmons Freeway to
the Trinity River.
The owners of the project strongly supported the
inclusion of Public Art in American Airlines Center. The ownership
group matched the City of Dallas' commitment to provide an estimated
$3 million for public art. The artwork was integrated as part of
the building rather than applying works after the building was
completed.
Houston Rockets
 The
Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based
in Houston, Texas. They play in the National Basketball Association
(NBA).
The Rockets, along with the Seattle SuperSonics,
entered the NBA in 1967 as an expansion team based in San Diego.
They selected Pat Riley with their first draft pick in 1967. They
went on to produce a then-NBA record 67-loss season.
In 1968 the Rockets won the coin toss versus the
Baltimore Bullets, giving them the first overall pick in the 1968
NBA Draft. They selected Elvin "the Big E" Hayes from the University
of Houston. Hayes led the team to the franchise's first ever playoff
appearance in 1969. The Rockets lost in the Western divisional
semi-final to the Atlanta Hawks two games to four in a best-of-seven
series.
The 1970 NBA Draft brought Calvin Murphy and Rudy
Tomjanovich to the Rockets - both significant to the franchise
during and after their playing careers were over.
Coached by Jack McMahon and Alex Hannum, the
Rockets tallied a 119-209 record over their tenure in San Diego.
In 1971, real estate broker Wayne Duddleston and
banker Billy Goldberg bought the franchise for $5.6 million and
relocated the team from San Diego. The Rockets originally had been
named for San Diego slogan, "A City in Motion," but with the move to
Houston their name took on even greater relevance. Houston is home
to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and Mission Control, which
received national attention during Project Apollo. Houston's major
league baseball team, the Astros, were similarly named, and their
stadium was the Astrodome, all with a futuristic theme. Furthermore,
Houston's WNBA team would be named the Houston Comets, in part
tribute and association with the Rockets. They would go on to win
four straight championships.
Youth Leagues -
Dixie League Baseball & Softball
Soccer
Little Dribblers' Basketball
Jr. Football League |
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