Former UK player gets warm welcome from Navajo Nation during Dallas Cowboys game
DALLAS —
A former University of Kentucky football player recently made history by becoming the first Navajo Nation player to sign with an NFL team, and on Saturday, Shiyazh Pete got a reminder that an entire community is behind him.
The former Kentucky player took the field for the Cowboys Saturday night as they faced the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason matchup, a game they would go on to win 34-13.
But while Pete was busy on the field, a special group of fans was making sure he knew exactly who was cheering him on.
A full section of Navajo Nation members showed up to the game to fill the stands in support of Pete.
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Pete signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent following the 2026 NFL Draft, making him the first Navajo Nation member to pen a deal with an NFL team.
The heartwarming moment also caught the attention of Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, who said it was something he had never experienced during his 25-year career in the NFL.
Schottenheimer invited Pete to speak to his teammates in the locker room after the game.
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“Fate has brought us here as strangers,” he told his teammates. “But this game, this star, this team will make us brothers.”
With his debut now behind him, Pete’s focus shifts back to the reality of the NFL preseason.
The rookie offensive lineman will now continue competing through training camp in hopes of securing a permanent spot on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster.