Share
Jones family intimately involved in stadium details
To bring the Dallas Cowboys to Arlington, mayor had to sell the idea to Jerry Jones -- and voters
Where the $1.15 billion for Cowboys Stadium came from
Westbound traffic will have the most challenges leaving Cowboys Stadium
The views, from the cheap seats to the big suites
Seating arrangements are based on event type
Architectural firm spent nearly a decade on stadium project
Some strong-legged punter will eventually get a kick out of the stadium
Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
For Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, the $1.15 billion stadium in Arlington represents more than four years of work and a new home for America’s Team. It’s his legacy.
Jones sat down with staff writer Andrea Ahles to discuss the most expensive stadium in the NFL.What was it like to build the Cowboys stadium?On a personal basis, I thought I knew how that was going to work. And that it was not only going to be challenging, but it was going to be a great experience. Once in a lifetime. I knew we had the resources and I knew we had the clout to get this stadium built. I did not know that we were going to be facing the economic times that we’re facing. . . . And that has made it even more challenging. For the Cowboys to be able to have the stature to be able to pull this off and to be able to basically continue the project without having to compromise because of what we believe to be a short-term economic thing — because the stadium is a long-term proposition. . . . It has to do with the great tradition and the stature of our franchise.Are you concerned about opening a stadium that embodies the "Everything is bigger in Texas" image during an economic recession?If you look at the fact that we initially began our planning of this stadium years before the recession and we made decisions and had commitments that were made years before the recession, [it] is not and shouldn’t be looked at as insensitive to the times that we’re in. . . . Where we have invested the money in this stadium for the long term will create more people that can come to the Cowboys than could have ever come normally because of the size of the stadium. . . . More people will have the experience of what the Cowboys are, our mystique, what we’re about. The Cowboys have been about Dallas in the sense that it represents the idea of Texas, and it represents the idea of larger than life and this image that we want for the stadium, which is one of the future. And if you’re in these times right now, if you can’t hang your hat on the future, then it is a double bitter pill to swallow. The future is what we all are looking forward to. . . . I wouldn’t take back having started this stadium four years ago. If I was sitting here today and say, 'Why don’t you wait a little while to start this?’ or 'Why don’t you say this a little different?’ I wouldn’t do that. Because I think we have a chance to be a part of an economic revival. . . . This stadium and what we’re about and the NFL is about I think can be a part of that kind of confidence in the future.Are you worried that you will have empty premium seats on game days because of the high prices, much like the New York Yankees have experienced in their new stadium?We are at about 85 percent of our capacity relative to our premium seats. OK? We will not sell or have people in that seat if it’s not sold. OK? . . . We don’t know how that’s going to be when we open up, but that represents today about 15 percent of your seats. I would think that as people get to actually come and see the stadium, we would think that those seats will be sold between now and opening day.
@Nyx.CommentBody@