JerryWorld or Jerry World or Jerry’s World (Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington)
Dallas Cowboys football team owner Jerry Jones had long planned that his team would move into a new stadium in Arlington in 2009. The proposed stadium and entertainment complex was quickly dubbed “Jerry World” (or “Jerry’s World”) by as early as 2001, perhaps a borrowing from the “Wally World” amusement park in the 1983 film National Lampoon’s Vacation.
Other nicknames for the new Cowboys Stadium have been “Death Star,” “Jerry Dome,” “Six Flags Over Jerry,” “Jones Mahal,” “Y’all Mahal,” “Boss Hog Bowl (Boss Hawg Bowl),” and “Cowboys Cathedral (Cathedral of Football).”
Wikipedia: Cowboys Stadium
Cowboys Stadium is the new retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys. It replaced the open-air Texas Stadium, which opened in 1971, as the Cowboys’ home. It was completed on May 29, 2009 and seats 80,000.
Construction and design
Cowboys Stadium was designed by the Dallas-based architectural firm HKS. Besides the Cowboys, the new stadium will be used by college football teams and other organizations for other sporting and non-sporting events. On March 10, 2008, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, joined by officials and coaches from Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas (Jones’ alma mater), announced that the two schools would renew their rivalry with annual games at the stadium, beginning October 3, 2009. In addition, the Cotton Bowl will be moved to the stadium once it opens.
Originally estimated to cost $650 million, the stadium’s current construction cost was $1.15 billion, making it one of the most expensive sports venues ever built. To aid Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones in paying the construction costs of the new stadium, Arlington voters approved the increase of the city’s sales tax by one-half of a percent, the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent, and car rental tax by 5 percent. The City of Arlington provided $325 million in funding, and Jones covered any cost overruns. Also, the NFL provided the Cowboys with an additional $150 million, as per their policy for giving teams a certain lump sum of money for stadium financing.
Although the stadium had yet to sell naming rights, many fans started referring to the project as “Jerry World” or “Six Flags Over Jerry” in reference to Jerry Jones and Six Flags Over Texas, which is near the new stadium. There was also a petition by some fans to have the stadium named after longtime Cowboys coach Tom Landry. On May 13, 2009, Jerry Jones announced the official name; the Cowboys Stadium.
A pair of nearly 300 ft (91 m)-tall arches spans the length of the stadium dome, anchored to the ground at each end. The new stadium also includes a retractable roof, glass doors allowing each end zone to be opened, and a center-hung video display board. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said the screen is the largest high-definition television screen in the world. The 160 foot by 72 foot, 11,520 square foot scoreboard replaces the 8,736 square foot screen that opened in 2009 at the renovated Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri as the world’s largest.
Wikipedia: Jerry Jones
Jerrel Wayne “Jerry” Jones (born October 13, 1942) is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise and the Dallas Desperados Arena Football League franchise.
After several unsuccessful business ventures (including passing up the opportunity to purchase the AFL’s San Diego Chargers in 1967 for the asking), he began an oil and gas exploration business in Oklahoma, Jones Oil and Land Lease, which became phenomenally successful. His company, a private family asset, currently does natural resource prospecting.
He is most famous for owning the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. He purchased the Cowboys in 1989 from Bum Bright for $150 million.
Wikipedia: National Lampoon’s Vacation
National Lampoon’s Vacation is a 1983 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Randy Quaid, and Anthony Michael Hall. The film features numerous others, such as comedic powerhouses John Candy and Imogene Coca, supermodel Christie Brinkley and future Ally McBeal regular Jane Krakowski, in smaller roles.
The screenplay was written by John Hughes, based on his short-story in National Lampoon magazine, “Vacation ‘58” (the screenplay changes the year to 1983). The original story is (reportedly) a fictionalized account of his own family’s ill-fated trip to Disneyland (changed to “Wally World” for the film) when Hughes was a boy. The success of the movie helped launch his screenwriting career.
Google Groups: dfw.singles
Newsgroups: dfw.singles
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Felton)
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2001 15:17:33 GMT
Local: Fri, Aug 10 2001 11:17 am
Subject: Jerry Jones Needs Your Money Now
According to the radio this morning, Jerry Jones has an estimated total cost of $1 billion for Jerry World. The previous number was $500 million. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I hereby pledge $1, to be paid from any lottery winnings that may come my way. I further pledge to think about buying a lottery ticket sometime in the near future. I hope this pledge of support is sufficient, as it is all I am willing to do at this time…
(Another good reason not to live in Arlington)
24 March 2003, Dallas (TX) Morning News:
The plans for Jerry World on the banks of the Trinity are impressive. All I’m saying is other owners have tried to get the sports-and-theme-park plan going ...
Google Groups: alt.sports.college.utexas
Newsgroups: alt.sports.college.utexas
From: “Michael Mosteller”
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2004 02:17:05 GMT
Local: Wed, Mar 10 2004 10:17 pm
Subject: Texas/OUsucks staying in Cotton Bowl
Per the DMN. New 5 year deal. Guess this will lead up to the opening of Jerry World. 4000 seats will be added to the endzones and bathrooms will be upgraded. Sounds good to me.
Dallas (TX) Morning News
The long road west to a stadium deal
Arlington mayor thought Cowboys plan was dying - then Jerry called
12:02 PM CDT on Saturday, October 23, 2004
By KATIE FAIRBANK / The Dallas Morning News
(...)
The initial design had the much-loved idea of a retractable roof that would open to the skies in good weather but close off brutal Texas heat or hail. The wonderland facility would seat more than 75,000 fans and expand with open end zones to hold 90,000. The complex would have everything from soccer fields to a hall of fame.
The Cowboys invited area mayors to Valley Ranch to whet their appetites and test the idea’s appeal. The team called the plan a “destination development.” The media nicknamed it “Jerry World.”
ESPN.com
Indy, Arizona had no chance
By Matt Mosley
ESPN.com
Updated: May 22, 2007, 9:01 PM ET
DALLAS—Indianapolis and Arizona never had a chance to land the 2011 Super Bowl. Jerry World—as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ $1 billion stadium is being referred to—will offer 100,000 seats and more than 200 luxury suites.
Arkansas Sports
Jerry’s World in Arlington Temporarily Loses a Partner
May 15, 2008
Posted at 2:42:59 PM by Jim Harris
While Jerry Jones’ stadium/temple continues to rise up from the Arlington, Texas, landscape over by Interstate 30 between Dallas and Fort Worth, Tom Hicks’ planned $500 million Glorypark development for the same neighborhood has been put on hold. The reason: according to the Dallas Morning News, it’s the uncertainty of the financial markets.
Dallas Morning News - Opinion Blog
Seven easy steps to writing an angry letter about Cowboys ticket prices
3:19 PM Thu, May 15, 2008
Michael Landauer
Now that the Dallas Cowboys have announced the rest of their ticket prices, I thought I might save our letter writers some time by giving them a a form to follow for their venomous letters on the subject:
1. Start by expressing your disbelief that the cheapest seats are $59. Be sure to put this in context with the rising prices of gas and food.
2. Be sure to refer to Jerry Jones personally, not “the Cowboys.”
3. Refer to the news stadium as Jerry World. No one’s ever thought of that before, and it’s sure to get a laugh.