Father's Day: Jerry Jones to Charlotte

Dear Charlotte,

One of the defining moments that highlighted my pride in you—not only as my only daughter but also as a dynamic professional person—was the day I watched you walk into the office of Dick Ebersol, the President of NBC Sports, and lay out your vision for how to turn a Thanksgiving Day football broadcast into an annual event that would enhance the lives of millions of people. You put the passion of your plan on his desk, right there in Rockefeller Center. It was a plan that asked for Dick and his network to dedicate millions of dollars worth of national television airtime for an unprecedented halftime entertainment project. And then Dick agreed on the spot.

At that moment, just weeks after your 29^th birthday, I saw you grow right before my eyes. Your confidence sold the deal. It may have been naiveté or blind faith on your part, but I always knew you were as tough as your father—just in a much kinder and gentler way, like your mother.

Since the inaugural show in 1997, the halftime performances you conceived and produced have helped raise more than $1.6 billion for the Salvation Army, and you’ve continued to dedicate yourself to changing the lives of others through your role as the first chairwoman of the Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board in the Army’s 130-year history.

In true Charlotte fashion not only did you meet expectations; you exceeded them at every opportunity. As a young girl, our family alarm clock was your feet hitting the floor every morning. And yet you were also the last one to bed, studying late into the night. You were bold enough as a sophomore to request a transfer from a small private school to Little Rock Central High, an institution with over 2,000 students that stands as a national monument to the end of segregation. You were brave enough to run for class president. You were driven and committed enough to your education to become valedictorian, to continue your studies at Stanford, and to challenge yourself to take a job straight out of college as the chief administrative aide to one of the most controversial congressmen in Washington. That toughens you up.

A few years later when you joined the Cowboys, it was your drive to positively impact our franchise in so many ways on and beyond the field that made such a difference. You helped bring the Super Bowl, the NBA All-Star Game, and the NCAA Final Four to Cowboys Stadium. You were the first woman to represent club ownership as leader of a major professional sports league foundation when Commissioner Roger Goodell named you chairwoman of the NFL Foundation. You’ve had a profound impact on the global recognition of the Dallas Cowboys and now you are shaping yet another legacy as a leader in health and safety for youth football.

Charlotte, through it all you have maintained a kind-hearted disposition and an innovative vision for the Dallas Cowboys and our entire community. However I know all of these accomplishments are only second to your most important role as a mother to your three children. I see the way your children look at you with so much love and admiration, and more than anything I share those same sentiments with them.

A great joy in my life has been the opportunity to grow and be influenced from the experience of working closely with you.  I am so proud of you, because you remind me of how wonderful it is to be a father every day of my life.

Love,
Dad