This year marks the centenary of the American football team’s first World Cup match.
But this week it is also a time of celebration for the young women who played a part in that historic event.
As part of a BBC Two documentary, “The Story of the Cowboys”, BBC Sport’s Jane Standley examines how these girls, now adults, helped change America’s football culture.
They also help to inspire the future generations of female players.
“It is very difficult to be a cowgirl,” says Katie Schmid.
“I am an engineer by trade.
I was a cow girl.
“If you do a good job, you can earn the respect of the whole football family.” “
Katie is a former cowgirl who now plays for the US team, the Dallas Cowboys. “
If you do a good job, you can earn the respect of the whole football family.”
Katie is a former cowgirl who now plays for the US team, the Dallas Cowboys.
“Cowboys games have been so popular for many years that people don’t even realise there are two different teams,” she says.
“There was always the idea of, ‘Oh, this is a little thing’, but when I was in my teens and 20s, I thought it would be fun to do it and get on with it. “
They are both a lot of fun to be with.”
“There was always the idea of, ‘Oh, this is a little thing’, but when I was in my teens and 20s, I thought it would be fun to do it and get on with it.
“But it really is a great experience, you are always thinking about yourself and what you are doing, and the team around you. “
“And it really helps that you are surrounded by all your mates.” “
In the US, there is a strong connection between cowboys games and the sport of football. “
And it really helps that you are surrounded by all your mates.”
In the US, there is a strong connection between cowboys games and the sport of football.
The Cowboys are one of only two professional teams to be awarded the prestigious Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
Their players have included legendary players like Roger Staubach, Dick Butkus, and Roger Clemens.
But what is it about the game that makes it so special?
For decades, the cowboys have been a big part of American culture.
“The first time I saw a cow in a game, it was as if I had seen the heavens open,” says American football legend Mike Vrabel.
“We have the cowboy in our culture, and we have a very strong connection to it, and it’s a big reason why cowboys are such a big thing,” says former cowboy, and US footballer, Jackie Gleason. “
A cow is a kind of symbol of American pride, of a lot that we are all about, the strength, the endurance, the loyalty, and just the love for this country.”
“We have the cowboy in our culture, and we have a very strong connection to it, and it’s a big reason why cowboys are such a big thing,” says former cowboy, and US footballer, Jackie Gleason.
“When I saw the cow, I knew there was something special there.
I said, ‘It’s a cow.
Jackie Gleasons daughter, Ashley, was born in the early 1960s and is now a Dallas Cowboys player. “
I’m a cowboy.”
Jackie Gleasons daughter, Ashley, was born in the early 1960s and is now a Dallas Cowboys player.
She grew up playing with cowboys, watching them on TV, and then joining the team when she was 12.
“My parents told me, ‘If you want to be in a cow team, then you’re going to have to do the training,’ ” she says, adding: “I didn’t want to do cow training, so I joined my first team.”
Ashley’s career was not a happy one.
She broke her leg playing rugby in high school, and after that she spent six months in the military and returned to Dallas to work.
“Then, when I came back to Dallas, there was a very large military presence,” she remembers.
“So, when you got back home, you got to stay in your room, you didn’t have any contact with anyone else.
“From the time I was 14 until I was 18, I played in a couple of football teams.” “
“It was the biggest thing for me to do,” says Ashley, who played for a number of different teams in her early 20s. “
From the time I was 14 until I was 18, I played in a couple of football teams.”
“It was the biggest thing for me to do,” says Ashley, who played for a number of different teams in her early 20s.
“For me, it just made me want to prove to myself that I could do this.”
Now a senior, Ashley is now the team’s head coach, and says it is important for young girls to see themselves in a team, rather than the player on the field.
“What a great feeling to see your own mother and grandmother in the stands and knowing they are here,” she explains.
“To me, that’s a lot more meaningful than just the football field.”
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