FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Cowboys hosted the eighth annual Cowboys U high school football camp at the Ford Center in Frisco on Thursday. Texas Lottery presented the camp and nearly 200 deserving student-athletes representing 52 North Texas high schools from 12 different school districts, had the opportunity to be coached by Cowboy players in round robin 7-on-7 games. Cowboy players traded in their helmets for a whistle. The entire team roster of players and coaches mentored the youth of the DFW metroplex by providing on-the-field football instruction and essential off-the-field life lessons.
The student athletes included in the camp were selected by their respective high school football coaches and athletic directors. The hand picked players had the learning experience of a lifetime. The students absorbed not only mental tips on persevering through hardships, but also physical tips from pro Cowboy players to enhance their individual skills.
To start the event, the student-athletes were divided into eight teams, each led by a pair of Cowboys serving as the “Head Coach.” The remaining players on the Cowboys’ roster, were distributed among the teams as “assistant coaches” to help formulate a strategy for each team. Here is a list of the teams and their individual coach duos:
Red: Zack Martin and Xavier Woods
Yellow: Tyron Smith and Jeff Heath
Orange: Jason Witten and DeMarcus Lawrence
Blue: Tavon Austin and Tyrone Crawford
Black: Amari Cooper and Chris Jones
Silver: Dak Prescott and Jaylon Smith
Green: Travis Frederick and Byron Jones
Purple: Ezekiel Elliott and Sean Lee
Dak and Jaylon’s Silver Team beat Travis and Byron’s Green Team 7-0 in the championship round concluding the event. Each Team’s “Head Coach” then handed out MVP awards to star performers and a video rolled of Cowboy players discussing their favorite high school memories, advice to the young athletes, and high school coaches that made an impact on their lives.
“It is important to give back, “ Prescott remarked following the event. “We have so much wisdom and experience. Once you make it to this level, it is important to give back… to be able to come and actually have that man-to-man experience with these kids, hopefully they take something from it… Being able to connect with the kids, teach them something and see them go out there and do it, is one of the most gratifying things.”
In addition to the camp, Jason Garrett Starfish Charities challenged the student-athletes who participated in the event to identify a problem in their community as part of the Make A Difference Change. Students submitted applications with their unique ideas for change to potentially earn scholarship funds, which Garrett distributed during the camp. Each student who took part in Cowboys U was provided with a camp jersey, athletic shorts, socks, an cinch sack provided by Nike, and a Dallas Cowboys cap presented by New Era.
Jason Garrett concluded the event by saying, “ We are so privileged to play and coach football in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys. We are all living out our dreams and to have the opportunity to impact some kids who are also playing football; teaching them this great game that we have, as a medium to hopefully teach them life skills, I think it is a valuable opportunity that we have. I am so proud of our players and our coaches every year that we do this…they have such a great attitude. I think they think back and see themselves as these kids. Five years ago, ten years ago and I think they remember sitting in these kinds of chairs and maybe the impact someone had on their lives. They take it very seriously. It’s very competitive, there is a lot of juice out there, and it is a great day for everybody. “
