IRVING, Texas - Unlike most Cowboys fans, John Gonzalez can claim he has played under the Texas Stadium lights - even if it was just a flag football game this past February.
The Fort Worth native returned to the stadium Wednesday night to watch his favorite team practice in person at the "Dallas Cowboys 2008 Silver and Blue Debut" - a free public workout two days before the team's preseason home game against the Houston Texans.
"Free practice - the one and only practice," said Gonzalez, a material handler for Bridgestone/Firestone. "Everybody in Oxnard gets to go out to training camp. I had to take the day off, bring the kiddos out here and hopefully get a couple autographs."
Gonzalez, his new nephew and three children joined an estimated 25,000 fans who braved the soggy weather. Presented by Miller Lite, the two-hour workout kicked off the franchise's season-long farewell to Texas Stadium. Next season, the Cowboys will move into their $1 billion new stadium in Arlington.
"I'm actually kind of disappointed a little bit," said Gonzalez, who has cheered for the Cowboys since the Roger Staubach era. "It's nice to have a new stadium to be able to play in something that's state of the art, but there's just nostalgia in this stadium I guess. It's a staple, and many good players have come through the stadium and played on this field."
Late-afternoon showers soaked the field while hundreds of fans patiently stood in line for a pre-practice autograph session featuring the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and former Cowboys players representing all decades in franchise history. Greats like Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Walt Garrison and Bob Lilly lined the west end zone at individual signing tables.
Finally, sunlight poked through the clouds just before players and coaches ran through a giant inflatable Cowboys helmet for warm-ups. The team held a relatively light shorts-and-helmets workout because of the late start time, but the field's condition wasn't greatly affected by the rain.
"I was worried about the rain," Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said, "but it never rains on Dallas Cowboys."
Cowboys' longtime play-by-play man Brad Sham interviewed Phillips, wide receiver Terrell Owens and quarterback Tony Romo during breaks on the giant video boards positioned in the end zones. The players signed autographs on the sidelines after practice and then caught a charter bus home. They'll hold a walk-through practice on Thursday.
"To see that many people show up, it helped our practice," Phillips said. "Even though it was loud, they concentrated well. We looked pretty sharp out there.
"We appreciated them coming out tonight, especially in the rain. A lot of them came out in bad weather and stayed through it."
Wednesday's workout was a rare treat considering the Cowboys hadn't held an open practice at Texas Stadium in 17 years.
Elliott, 32, brought his wife and three children to the event and posed for pictures on the mid-field star with his 11-year-old son Armentae. His family attended two games last year and plans to return for Texas Stadium's final year of existence.
The franchise won its first Super Bowl in the stadium's inaugural 1971 season. This year's team is a strong favorite to represent the NFC in Tampa next February.
Will Texas Stadium's long, storied history have championship bookends?
"Oh, we're going to the Super Bowl," said Elliott, grinning superstitiously. "Hopefully."
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