In 1960, the National Football League awarded Dallas, Texas an expansion team, known as the Dallas Rangers. On March 13, 1960, the NFL held its first draft where an expansion team selected its players. The Rangers selected three players from each of the league’s 12 existing teams and were awarded the draft rights to two players — Don Meredith and Don Perkins — both of whom would later find themselves inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor. 

On March 19, 1960, six days after the draft, the NFL made history by changing the name of the team from the Dallas Rangers to the Dallas Cowboys. Anyone who knows anything about Texas knows you can’t call yourself a true cowboy, or even Dallas Cowboy, without owning a great pair of boots. Wanting to associate the team with an established winner, then-Cowboys General Manager Tex Schramm contacted Lucchese Boot Company in April of 1961 about making custom boots for the team. 

On June 19, 1961, Cosimo Lucchese traveled to Dallas to measure players, coaches, and team executives.  In all, sixty-six pairs of boots were made and a relationship between two future Texas legends began. The Dallas Cowboys won their first game in team history during the 1961 season and began a path that would eventually lead them to becoming “America’s Team” and to five Super Bowl Championships. Today, the Dallas Cowboys are considered by many as the most valuable sports franchise in the United States.

From Dallas Cowboys players, to team executives, to being the Official Boot of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, the relationship between the Dallas Cowboys and Lucchese Boot Company continues today. Whether you’re a real cowboy or just dream of being one, the boot of choice remains Lucchese.