IRVING, Texas - The seats have been unbolted, the turf excavated, the Gate 1 sign "Home of the Dallas Cowboys" removed letter by letter.

Now the most indelible image of Texas Stadium's graceful exit this spring: The removal of Tom Landry's bronze statue from the front entrance.

Workers on Friday carefully detached the nine-foot statue and placed it into a large wooden crate for storage. Eventually it will move up Interstate 30 to the Cowboys' new $1.1 billion stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The organization has not yet determined where Landry's bust will stand at the new stadium, but Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said it will have "as much accessibility to the fans 365 days a year, just as it was here at Texas Stadium."

"Tom Landry is an icon, and they make statues for icons," Dalrymple said. "His statue here has been one of the more significant and attractive fan attractions here. On game days, people are lined up two or three hours prior to the game to get their picture made by this statue. And we want it to be a significant attraction at the new stadium as well."

The Cowboys erected the statue in 2001 to honor their late first coach, who led the franchise to five NFC championships and two Super Bowls from 1960-88. Landry died in 2000 after battling leukemia. He's both a Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ring of Honor inductee.

The full body statue depicts Landry on the sideline, wearing his trademark fedora.

In January, auction-winning Cowboys fans picked up their memorabilia items at the stadium as workers began removing the field turf. Fans bid on more than 400 items, from quarterback Tony Romo's personal locker to restroom urinals. The most expensive item, a Cowboys golf cart, sold for more than $12,000.

The Cowboys are in the process of relocating to their new stadium in time for the 2009 season. All team employees will vacate Texas Stadium by March 31.

"I'm excited about the new stadium," said Bruce Hardy, vice president and general manager of Texas Stadium. "It's unbelievable. Jerry Jones and the Jones family has thought of everything for the fans. It's emotional seeing the last part of the history of Texas Stadium moved today."

Said Dalrymple: "It's like leaving the house you grew up in. This isn't just an office building where people come to work from nine to five every day. This building is attached to emotion, passion and a love of a sport that is almost like a religion in Texas."

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