New Book Project. . .and Help Wanted

I'm excited to announce I've started working on a new book to be released in 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, the publisher of two of my previous books -- That First Season (2009) and The Great Match Race (2006). My new subject is the rollicking pro football war that took place in Dallas, Texas, from 1960 to 1962, when two teams -- the Cowboys of the National Football League and the Texans of the American Football League -- played there and fought bitterly for the loyalty of the city's fans.

It's funny how ideas are hatched. I included a chapter on the subject when I wrote my football memoir Cotton Bowl Days more than a decade ago, and I had more or less forgotten about it, but then the people at NFL Films, whom I respect enormously, contacted me last summer about being interviewed for their AFL documentary, Full Color Football. They had read Cotton Bowl Days and wanted me to serve as an expert on the Dallas war. Meanwhile, I was on the prowl for a new book idea. Several weeks after I taped the NFL Films interview late last summer, the light bulb came on. The "Battle of Dallas" had everything going for it, from fueding oil-rich Texans (team owners Lamar Hunt and Clint Murchison) to football legends such as Cowboys coach Tom Landry. It was set in pro football's coming-of-age era, a fascinating time, and had the plot line of an old western -- the town wasn't big enough for both teams, and in the end, one would have to go. It was a perfect subject for me, a Dallas native raised in those years. My publisher quickly agreed.

I've started researching and writing, and I'm looking for people who have memories of those years either as a fan of the Texans, a fan of the Cowboys, a fan of both, or just as a Dallas resident observing the scene. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me via the contact page on this website. You will hear back from me. I'm looking to write about the fans as well as the owners, coaches, and players, since the fans were so integral to the story. I obviously can't promise anyone they'll end up in the book, but I want to compile as many stories, opinions, and perspectives from those days as I can, and some will make it. Thanks in advance for any help!