For years, the unspoken bond between El Paso and the Dallas Cowboys has been forged in loyalty, geography and a whole lot of grit.
On Sep. 13, that connection came alive when franchise legends Tony Tolbert and Jim Jeffcoat arrived in El Paso for a special fan event at Serve El Paso to celebrate the Cowboys’ regular-season opener.
For local supporters, hosting players who anchored some of the franchise’s greatest championship defenses was more than just a meet and greet; it was a physical reminder of an era that has spanned decades.
For Tolbert, stepping back into the Sun City carries a deep personal weight.
Long before winning three Super Bowl rings in Dallas, Tolbert built up his foundational years right here in El Paso, playing as an outside linebacker for the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) Miners from 1986-88, before getting drafted to Jerry Jones’ team.
“It’s been a blessing,” Tolbert said after returning and seeing the turnout from local fans. “I still have a lot of roots here. This is one of the places that I’ve formed my formative years… so I’m completely blessed.”
The visit also stirred up old memories for those who shared those college experiences together.
Blanca Oviedo, a former UTEP classmate who attended biology classes with Tolbert, reconnected with her old friend at the event.
“We still would email, but it’s great. I just want[ed] to see him,” Oviedo said, noting that Tolbert’s return to El Paso after years away in Kansas, feels like a full-circle moment for the community that remembers his collegiate days.
For teammate Jim Jeffcoat, witnessing the passion of the borderland fan base is a testament to the legacy of those 1990s championship squads.
“The support of Cowboys fans and the former players, it’s really good to see that,” Jeffcoat said. “It’s good to be here, and Tony [Tolbert] being from El Paso, playing at UTEP and everything…that makes me feel good about it [being in El Paso].”
Reflecting on what it meant to capture back-to-back Super Bowl titles during that era, Jeffcoat recalled.
“Anytime you get [an] opportunity to win a Super Bowl, it’s really good. I mean, it’s exciting, and getting the opportunity winning back-to-back Super Bowl[s]. It’s a great feeling,” Jeffcoat said.
For Tolbert, joining that storied locker room felt like catching lightning in a bottle.
“I came along [at] the right time,” Tolbert said. “I was a rookie, and some of the pieces were there, and I happened to be a part of the start of it. But there was a lot of talent that was drafted and we all came together faster than most people expected, and it was a huge, huge blessing to be a part of that run.”
For El Pasoans, supporting the Cowboys is embedded into the cultural fabric of the community, bridging generations of families.
Lifelong fan Jesus Torres brought his son to the event, eager to share a piece of the franchise’s history with the next generation. Growing up on the 1990s championship teams alongside his own father, Torres said meeting two legends was a memory he will never forget.
“It means [the] world to me because I was able to share it [this moment] with my son, who recently just started loving football as much as I do,” Torres said.
That deep generational connection was shared by fans like Ketra Anderson.
Having been born into a household where supporting the Cowboys was a way of life passed down by her father, Anderson was so overwhelmed with emotion that she immediately called him during the event so he could talk to the players directly.
Recognizing the effort the icons made to connect with the borderland, Anderson praised the former Cowboys.
“They’re amazing. They’re wonderful… a lot of sacrifice they probably had to make to get here [El Paso],” Anderson said.
The deep-rooted connection between El Paso and the Dallas Cowboys extends far beyond modern fan events and local watch parties.
Most notably, the borderland famously hosted the franchise during a series of high-profile preseason scrimmages in the late 1990s.
In August 1996, driven by an initiative spearheaded by local American Red Cross volunteers to raise funds for charity, the Sun Bowl achieved its first-ever sellout with a crowd of 51,118 fans that packed the stadium, and the mountain by the Sun Bowl, to watch the Super Bowl champion Cowboys face the Houston Oilers in a preseason matchup.
The overwhelming success of that event, which sold 40,000 tickets in just four days, proved the immense appetite for the team in West Texas and led to a subsequent Cowboys return scrimmages in El Paso over the following years.
Decades after those milestones, summer exhibitions and the championship runs anchored by stars like Tony Tolbert and Jim Jeffcoat, the bond between El Paso and America’s Team remains unbroken.
Events like the regular-season kickoff at Serve El Paso demonstrate that geography does little to diminish loyalty, bridging generations of borderland fans who continue to pass down their passion for the franchise.
Adrian Gonzalez Jr. is a staff reporter for The Prospector and may be reached at [email protected]