The Dallas Cowboys opened The Star in Frisco six years ago, putting the team’s offices and practice facilities in a $1.5-billion sports and hospitality complex that includes a 12,000-seat stadium. In 1960, when the brand-new NFL team paid its players $5,000 a year, the team practiced in Oak Cliff. Burnett Field, which went by several other names over the years, was built in 1924. That means it was 36 years old by the time Tom Landry and the ’boys arrived. They worked out there because it was one of a few practice fields available, along with P.C. Cobb, the bygone Dallas ISD stadium where the Dallas Infomart now stands. Former Cowboys executive Gil Brandt told The Dallas Morning News in 2016 that Burnett Field was infested with rats. “Guys had to hang their jerseys on pipes so the rats didn’t eat them,” he told the newspaper. (More)
THE BACK STORY
Department stores: Jefferson Boulevard in Oak Cliff was a Dallas shopping destination for almost 50 years until suburban malls took hold of the retail market. (More)
Jesus’ birthday: Here’s a sweet piece, interviews with kids at NorthPark about what they like about Christmas, in 1974. (YouTube)
City sidewalks: Here’s what Downtown Dallas looked like at Christmastime in 1971. (YouTube)
The Polyphonic Spree, under a shower of confetti.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
The Polyphonic Spree did not throw a big celebration for its 20th anniversary. That was one of the many things canceled in 2020. The Dallas band has scheduled its next Christmas performance at the Majestic Theatre on Dec. 17, 2022. But we can still have a Polyphonic Spree Christmas any time with their 2012 NPR Tiny Desk Concert. (YouTube)
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified the age of Burnett Field. It was 36 years old in 1960.
