April 11, 2010- one of the saddest and most painful days of my life....  I never thought they would actually ‘blow up’ Texas Stadium.  I honestly thought it was a joke when I heard it on the radio.  Blow up Texas Stadium?  Are you kidding me?  That would be like the Galleria not having a tree at Christmas, tearing down Reunion Tower, or, God forbid, they remove the Coors Lite billboard along 35.... those are all Dallas landmarks.  But it was true and at that moment, I knew there was no other place in the world that I wanted to be that morning.

Beverly Flower Gallagher (DCC ’73-76) met me at IHOP on Beltline at 5:30 am.  How we actually got into the parking area and met up with the other DCCs is a long, funny story best told over chips, salsa, and margaritas.  In a throng of 20,000, it’s amazing any of us found each other.  In our group was Michele Taylor Sharp (DCC ’88-90), Shannon Hall Salter (DCC ’87-90), Elizabeth Gay Pike (DCC ’89), Dina Brown Donley (DCC ’87 & 89), Michelle Musick Jones (DCC ’89), Beverly, and myself.  Also in the crowd somewhere were Pam Seal (DCC ’75), Gigi Pittman Grant (DCC ’93-95), and Suzanne Rouse Saxon (DCC ’91-94). 

The actual event was surreal- fireworks going off to strange, happy sounding music (the theme from Dallas would’ve been better), Chris Berman from ESPN hosting, fans cheering (which we all thought was weird), and Texas Stadium herself, looking eerily quiet and desolate.  Many comparisons were made- that of an Irish wake, watching your childhood home burn down, and as the actual implosion was occuring, like having a huge bandaid slowly being pulled off- hair by hair.  To say we were emotional was an understatement.  From the initial pow of dynamite to final caving in of God’s view of his team, we cried, hugged, and we did one final DCC prayer circle. 

After the implosion was final, we walked up closer to see the devastation.  It really felt like someone had ripped our hearts out and left them in a big, dusty pile.  The skyline of Dallas has forever changed.

We stayed for a little while and snapped tons of photos- thank you to the other gals in the group for sending me these pictures... of course, my camera went belly up that day (I think it could feel my stress).  We then migrated back to IHOP for some much needed comfort food- bring on the pancakes!  Since several decades were represented, we shared stories and Dina shared some great pictures that had recently been unearthed in her attic.  We all had a good chuckle, shared a big hug, and talked about how special what we just witnessed was and how thankful we were to be together.

If you didn’t get a chance to see the implosion, here’s a link:

http://www.star-telegram.com/videos/#vmix_media_id=12628988

Here are some Texas Stadium memories from our sisters:

Tina Miller Kalina

Texas Stadium is where I met my closest girlfriends who became family. I cannot pinpoint a "favorite memory" of Texas Stadium, as it was an honor to be in that stadium each and every time. From walking Roger Staubach down the 50 yard line during his induction to the Ring of Honor to "ok ladies, one more time" to seeing my very own daughter perform a Junior Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader routine during pregame - WOW! I am LUCKY to have lived out a childhood dream. I will miss the place that changed my life! I could write so much more about Texas Stadium, but what goes on at Texas Stadium stays... well...now in our fondest memories!!!!!

DCC 1984 & 1988 - 1989

Cheryl Gates

With the new Cowboys Stadium, it brings new opportunities to new people, but for those of us that were part of the legacy at Texas Stadium, it will be remembered in our hearts and memories forever.

DCC 1996 - 1999

Ronda Cates Moren

Six years of unforgettable Sundays...from contagious laughter with the best of friends to the unbearable Texas heat that would radiate through my Cowboy boots. These moments seem frozen in time as I can recall them all with clarity and a smile that only the women that shared these memories would understand. I'm honored to have been a part of history.

1990 - 1992 & 1996 - 1997 & 1999

Shelly Boston Bramhall

From my first game in 1989, to my last in 1997, little did I know that I would literally have a lifetime of memories. I met my husband my rookie year on a USO Tour and finished my final game during my 5th season, pregnant with our second child. The laughter of great "slip and slide" rehearsals during the rain and the tears of pure joy of winning the NFC Championship on the road to Superbowl XXX...each thought is picture perfect and nothing can take them away.

DCC 1989 - 1990 & 1994 -1996

Brooke Wicker Alexander

Practices: Whether in the heat of the summer or the rainy days of the "slip and slide"- I loved standing on the field where so many traditions and dreams had been made... As a native Texan, I've grown up with the Cowboys and to stand on and share the same field with Tom Landry, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, and all of the other Cowboy legends, was awe inspiring. I pinched myself every time.

Games: Standing for the national anthem. There was something surreal about being in the DCC uniform with poms, in formation, and listening to the national anthem. The crowd would remove their hats, put their hands over their hearts, and we would all sing. Then, they'd let the balloons go up through the roof so God would know his team was about to play.

I also remember little things: The smell of the turf, burgers cooking in the breezeways, the fans who got there early to watch our pregame performance, Leon Lett on Thanksgiving Day, standing in the "sun corner" trying to shade myself with my pom - passing the girls in the end zone who were entering the "sun corner" and giving them a little giggle, the pep rally before the game that sent the Cowboys to their first Super Bowl in 14 seasons - Super Bowl 27, and I will never forget opening night of my rookie season (1992) when we played the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football - it was so loud in Texas Stadium that night that my ears literally rang for 3 days afterwards....

DCC 1992-1996

Kourtney Mitchell Ketterhagen

In August 1981, my sister Kai and I flew to Dallas for the first time, filled with anticipation about moving from the Midwest to a state we had never even visited. My mother chatted happily, pregnant with our soon-to-be-born baby sister. I don't remember anything she said, as my eyes searched for the tiniest glimpse of the white dome. I spotted it directly in front of us and my gaze remained fixed as we drew closer and closer. I couldn't believe my luck--we were on a highway that would take us right by the stadium! As I gazed out of the right backseat window, the hair on my arms raised and a little voice inside my 14 year-old head said, "Someday". I stared out of the back window until the white dome disappeared into the landscape.

My "Someday" came in 1989. When we stood in the tunnel for the first home game and Murphy Martin began our announcement, I blinked feverishly to choke back the tears. When the national anthem played, I couldn't hold them back. Truth is, I cried during every national anthem for the next three years. There are no words that can describe what it was like to cheer for the Dallas Cowboys in Texas Stadium. The magic and the memories will live inside of me forever.

DCC 1989-1992

Melissa Valdez Fitzgerald

My greatest memory of being a DCC was the feeling I had before my first game. I absolutely could not wait to set foot on the field in my DCC uniform at the legendary Texas Stadium and become part of the tradition of the Dallas Cowboys. While I think the new stadium is amazing and absolutely incredible, there was something about stepping onto that field at Texas Stadium...the same magical turf of celebrated members of the Cowboys like Roger Staubach, Tom Landry, Tony Dorsett, and many others. To be a part of the magic that was Texas Stadium is a memory I will always cherish.

DCC 1994-1996 & 2000-2001

Thank you to my DCC sisters- I don’t know if I would have made it through without you....