Most of it was written over the last 30 years, beginning before my son was born and culminating in recent years as I listened to what my son knew about the Dallas Cowboys and professional football. Despite sporting radically different personalities, the two agreed to co-own the Cowboys via their partnership, with each owning half of the 90% of total ownership. He was furious. Just one story in the folklore is how one night, Clint Sr. drove to Wichita Falls, near the Oklahoma border, fueled by a rumor hed heard about a wildcat well ready to start pumping black gold. Cheerful and Optimistic. These included the establishment of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys franchise, real estate development, construction, home building, restaurants and financing the offshore pirate radio station called Radio Nord. Murchison is also recognized as the father of the modern football stadium. She writes about luxury properties, food and lifestyle in Dallas. The Cowboys played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas since their inception in 1960. His mother died when he was two and he was mainly raised by an aunt. There he teamed up with boyhood friend Richardson, who was nibbling at the edges of a scary new enterprise oil leases. Tom didnt like the idea of off-the-field jobs, let alone TV product endorsements. Recalling his wit and sense of humor, Mr. She said he died of complications caused by pneumonia. [12], Murchison's luxury suite often played host to famous guests including Willie Nelson, Clint Eastwood, Jerry Jeff Walker, Norman Lear, Burt Reynolds, Henry Kissinger and Lyndon Johnson. In 1966, when the still-young Dallas Cowboys franchise ended six years of agony with their first winning season, the team's owner and founder, Clint Murchison Jr., son of a billionaire oilman, was feeling ambitious. These young kids seem to be having so much fun. it suddenly became clear to me how much time has passed. [14] In February 1985, he had to file for personal bankruptcy protection after three creditors, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, the Kona-Post Corporation and Citicorp, filed a petition to force him into bankruptcy. He was also the father of Dallas Cowboys owner Clint Murchison, Jr.. The company they acquired was Tecon, which over the years would remove the overhanging shale that threatened to close the Panama Canal and would build the tunnel under Havana Harbor, the St. Lawrence Seaway and other multibillion-dollar projects around the world.. Photo Courtesy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram Collection, Special Collections, The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries, Arlington, Texas. Bright said Mr. Murchison once read an uncomplimentary news article about the Dallas Cowboys and himself. [11] Texas Stadium was the first dedicated football stadium to offer luxury suites. Texas Stadium and its hole in the roof would not have existed had it not been for the Cowboys founder, Clint Murchison Jr. His father, Clint Murchison Sr., was one of the most iconic names in the history of Texas oil, the world that gave rise to J.R. Ewing. I thought you didnt like Landry and Schramm. Carter doesnt take his eyes off the screen, which is filled with oversized behinds, shaking like wet dogs. In todays dollars, thats north of $87 million. A motivating factor in the NFL's decision to award a license for Dallas was the establishment of the American Football League (AFL) by Lamar Hunt, another Dallas area businessman. Unable to strike a bargain with the City of Dallas, he elected to build a new stadium in Irving, Texas. Its 70 acres now eat up multiple blocks, housing museums and a school for the performing arts, in addition to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Opera and the Tony Award-winning Dallas Theater Center. Carter frowns at me. His philosophy was simplistic enough, once telling his sons, "Money is like . John was nothing like his father, whereas Clint was everything like his dad a gambler, a risk-taker extraordinaire. In that respect, Clint Sr. and Jr. resembled a more modern billionaire: current Cowboys owner Jerral Wayne Jerry Jones. And those who saved their cash were going to be the losers., The Boss, Clinton Williams Murchison Sr., was fond of saying he liked to do business through a formula expressed through the homespun homily financin by finaglin. Clint Sr. soon thrust himself into a pantheon of Texas wheeler-dealers that enumerated such fellow giants as Sid Richardson, H.L. The Packers went instead and we became the team that couldnt win the big game. Because the risk-taking pair won far more than they lost, they stayed afloat. The rest of the financing was provided by Murchison and no taxpayer money was used. Clint Jr. did, too. Brings new meaning to the phrase Sunday Funday. He retained the management rights to the stadium. He graduated from Samuell High School in Pleasant Grove in 1970 and from Southern Methodist University in 1974. 1 looked at Carters shirt where the outline of a cowboy on a bucking horse was stitched over his heart. It would, he believed, give the Cowboys and their fervent fan base a spiffy new home that would pay an added dividend: it would serve as a catalyst in rebuilding a damaged Dallas and healing a wounded populace who bristled at the nickname city of hate.. Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app. Clint Sr. was born in 1895 in Athens, a small hamlet in East Texas. Clinton Williams Murchison, Sr. (April 11, 1895 - 20 June 1969), was a noted Texas-based oil magnate and political operative. Top subscription boxes right to your door, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates, Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon. I weigh 142 pounds.'' It represented an alliance of the founders sons, older brother John and younger brother Clint. [7] On the eve of the Dallas Cowboys' first Super Bowl he wrote to coach Tom Landry, Dear Tom: I have taught you all I can. Carving out their own reality, the 2020 Cowboys continued their reign of having the Leagues highest attendance, with Jones luring 197,313 fans to Arlington. Despite Mr. Murchison's financial problems and failing health, friends and business acquaintances said he remained a cheerful and optimistic man. After high school, he enrolled at Trinity University, then in Waxahachie, where he was expelled three weeks later for shooting craps. Dont worry, Dan, he said, sternly. Until John Murchison died and Clint got sick and had to sell to Bum Bright. Catch up on the day's news you need to know. I finished out my career with the Giants playing for the Mara family-I cant stand the Maras-so Ill pull for them to win games and lose money. Hole in the Roof takes you on a deep dive into the personality and passions of Clint Jr., while extending a more than passing hello to everyone else who was part of his world. Dont give up. He seems to be able to listen to my question and understand the rap lyrics. The primary suite has its own wing, which amounts to more than 2,000 square feet. Lawyers involved in the case called it one of the largest personal bankruptcy cases in United States history.[2]. The Murchison wealth was left to Clint Jr. and his younger brother, John. Flanker Max Magee played drunk and caught two TD passes-one of them using only one hand and the side of his head. Mary Grace Granados, Special Contributor. Its a lot different now. Don Meredith was quarterback, and Danny Reeves was the halfback to Perkins at fullback. Even the staid Cullens found. Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club thats right for you for free. Oil that is, black gold, Texas tea.. Their inherited interests included the Daisy Manufacturing Company (manufacturing a BB gun); Field and Stream magazine; Heddon Rod & Reel; Henry Holt and Company (later known as Holt, Rinehart, and Winston); Delhi Oil; Kirby Petroleum and a marine construction company known as Tecon Corporation. Just how long I realized during halftime of Super Bowl XXVII. And yet, his wealth continued to grow. Clint Jr. did, too. I joined the team for the 1964 season, coming to Dallas and the NFL out of Big Ten Basketball at Michigan State. St.Martin's Press, New York, 1989. As a loyal Dallas Cowboys fan, he can recite the stats on everybody from Troy Aikman towell, youll have to ask him. Sitting there watching Tom and Michael. Ms. Wolfe's book adds a lot of detail and backstory to the Murchison dynasty. In a 1936 article, The News reported that the home cost $150,000 to build. He made trades for draft choices and built a team thatll last for years, Carter says. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The franchise was worth $600,000 when the Murchisons bought it, and the Super Bowl was an afterthought of a game designed to pave the way for the NFL-AFL merger that would keep down player salaries. Moldea's book further alleges that Murchison maintained a working relationship with former U.S. Senate power broker Bobby Baker (known as "Lyndon Jr." for his close affiliation with the . Carter, I ask, do you like Jimmy Johnson? This next part is important, because it underscores the model Clint Jr. followed with the Cowboys: Once Clint Sr. established or acquired a company, he left its operations to others, in the same way that Clint Jr. appointed Tex Schramm to be his president and general manager and Tom Landry his head coach. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Its like that. We went 4 and 10, and it was the Cowboys last losing season for the next 20 years. Except for one play and they called that one back. He has turned on MTV and is watching the Naughty By Nature video Hip-Hop Hooray. Like many . Marshall would get his number changed and unlisted. I guess thats good. Under Murchisons ownership the Dallas Cowboys delivered 20 consecutive winning seasons, 17 years of playoff appearances, five trips to the Super Bowl and two Lombardi trophies. Great reading on another of the Texas legends-father and sons. He fought a rare nerve disease and died in 1987 at age 63. Son of legendary Texas oil man Clint Murchison Sr., he enlisted in the Marine Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor, earned an electrical engineering degree from Duke University and a master's in mathematics from MIT. Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video! He paid a record $140 million for the Cowboys in 1989 and made the team the most valuable sports franchise in the world. 1. Murchison fought a rare nerve disease called olivopontocerebellar atrophy[4] and was in a wheelchair in his final years. She has written for dozens of newspapers and magazines, including "The New York Times" and "Town & Country.". This an excellent expose on the legendary rise and then fall of a true TEXAS Dynasty. Clinton Williams Murchison Jr. was a businessman and founder of the Dallas Cowboys football team. John was more conservative than daring, more measured than maniacal. You better have a story I havent heard or Im going to my room.
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