ljs Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 I've heard this a lot and seen it mentioned in threads. I did some reasearch and could only find the reference in Wikipedia, which we all know isn't always up to par. I also found some other places where it says the "theft' is just made up. I've always believed it to be true. Here is the Wikipedia info:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_to_the_Redskins When the NFL began considering Texas as the state to host a proposed expansion team, the move was strongly opposed by the Redskins owner, who had enjoyed a monopoly in the South for three decades. Potential owner Clint Murchison, who was trying to bring the NFL to Dallas, bought the rights to "Hail to the Redskins" from a disgruntled Breeskin and threatened to prevent Marshall from playing it at games. Marshall agreed to back Murchison's bid, Murchison gave him back the rights to the song, and the Dallas Cowboys were born.[1] Today, the Redskins maintain a strong following in the South, with its radio network reaching deep into the Carolinas. I just found an ESPN article on it http://espn.go.com/page2/wash/s/toomay/020314.html As the story goes, in 1958 Texas oilman Clint Murchison thought he was finally closing in on his dream of bringing pro football to Dallas. Two previous attempts to purchase teams had failed, but now word reached Murchison that Redskins owner George Preston Marshall was eager to sell his club because the team was doing poorly and Marshall needed money. Imagine! The 'Skins in Dallas! But that blasphemy was not to be. For just as the sale was about to be announced, Marshall demanded a change in terms. Murchison told him to go to hell and canceled the deal. Coincidently, around this time, Marshall also had a falling out with Barnee Breeskin, the Redskin band director who had written the music to the Redskins fight song. Breeskin, smelling an opportunity for revenge in the strained negotiations, approached Murchison lawyer Tom Webb and asked if he'd like to buy the rights to "Hail to the Redskins." Webb agreed, paying $2,500. He figured this would at least be good for an occasional joke on Marshall. Meanwhile, feeling abused by Marshall, Murchison decided that his best chance of owning a team was to start one himself. In that endeavor he got support from the chairman of the NFL expansion committee, George Halas. Halas agreed to put the proposition of a Dallas franchise before the NFL owners. Unanimous approval would be required for the proposition to pass. As the meeting approached, every owner but one was in favor of the proposal. The holdout? George Preston Marshall. Marshall knew that he had strong fan loyalty in the South and was afraid of losing it to Dallas. So he told the other owners he would not vote for a Dallas franchise. Besides, he told them, Murchison was "obnoxious." But then Marshall found out that Murchison owned the rights to his song. Oh, how Marshall loved that song. Although Breeskin had written the music, Marshall's wife had written the lyrics, so Marshall had made the song the centerpiece of his elaborate pregame and halftime shows. Back then, the Redskin band was a small army in buckskins and headdresses, snappy and well-drilled, featuring a chorus line of prancing Indian princesses. Many fans thought the band, the princesses and Marshall's halftime pageants were more entertaining than the team itself. When word of Murchison's "dirty trick" leaked out, one Washington columnist wrote that "Taking 'Hail to the Redskins' away from George Marshall would be like denying 'Dixie' to the South, 'Anchors Aweigh' to the Navy, or 'Blue Suede Shoes' to Elvis." So a deal was struck. For Marshall's approval of the Dallas franchise, Murchison returned the song. Thus, Murchison's Cowboys were free to be born. **** YOU Dallas :dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IONTOP Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Well known in the Redskins circle... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Old common knowledge, but very true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 I figure it's true, but funny how many pages I found from Dallas fans saying it's just an old wives tail. If you read the entire second article, it mentions more on one of the first game we played against Dallas and chickens. ugh, just absolutely hate them. So much that I just pulled some blue star off of a desk (don't know who) and threw that **** away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewbs Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Dallas blows if its true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewCliche21 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 A little late bro. That's how the entire rivalry started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzSkinsFan63 Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Well known and obviously the Skins should have came up with another fight song! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 24, 2008 Author Share Posted September 24, 2008 A little late sisThat's how the entire rivalry started. fixed that for ya...and not late, just bringing it up for **** Dallas week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bih Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 :dallasuck :wewantd: **** Dallas :wewantd: :dallasuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemac9 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Yeah, Marshall was one of the worst racist public figures and as much as I ****ing hate Dallass, its hilarious how they pulled this on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMeast Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I think I have heard this before ... Dallas, haven't they always been a classy bunch? :dallasuck HTTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IbleedBnG83 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Great post...very interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsSyco4Life Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I,m sorry, I had an opinion, butt I lost it.................................... :notworthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnewbs Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 LOL hellllll yeah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mordac Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I'm glad this all happened because I have enjoyed this rivalry my entire life. So even tho it brought the stinking Cowboys into existence its still a good thing. but I do have a couple of observations. 1. paying the owner of the song $2500 for it is not stealing. 2. giving up a monopoly on the entire southern US in exchange for a fight song is probably the stupidest financial decision I've ever heard of. 3. It sounds like Mr. Marshall was a level-headed, savvy, intelligent guy who didn't have any problems getting along with his employees and peers. NOT! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fieldy Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 This story is the reason the words were changed from "fight for old dixie". Originally, the Skins were the southernmost team in the country so the Skins were fighting to represent all of "dixie" instead of just DC. I've read the wikipedia entry before, but I also read it and heard it elsewhere from some pretty reliable sources...i'd wager that it was true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinthePRF Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I'm glad this all happened because I have enjoyed this rivalry my entire life. So even tho it brought the stinking Cowboys into existence its still a good thing.but I do have a couple of observations. 1. paying the owner of the song $2500 for it is not stealing. 2. giving up a monopoly on the entire southern US in exchange for a fight song is probably the stupidest financial decision I've ever heard of. 3. It sounds like Mr. Marshall was a level-headed, savvy, intelligent guy who didn't have any problems getting along with his employees and peers. NOT! This story is told every year, yet somehow always half of the story gets told. Marshall did not give in to Murchinson's demands solely because of the fight song. Marshall's hand was also forced by Congress as they were about to declare the Redskins radio network at that time an illegal monopoly. Why did Congress decide to do this? The Congressman over the committee oversight was bribed with $70K by Murchinson through a lobbyist. The lobbyist gave up the story years later, of course Murchinson and anyone involved in the Congressional committee denied it. But at the same time the lobbyist was never accused of slander either, with Murchinson being the slick legal mind he was(see Redskins fight song), he seemed to let the lobbyist slide. The truth hurts, the Cowboys were born from infamy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 This story is told every year, yet somehow always half of the story gets told. Marshall did not give in to Murchinson's demands solely because of the fight song. Marshall's hand was also forced by Congress as they were about to declare the Redskins radio network at that time an illegal monopoly. Why did Congress decide to do this? The Congressman over the committee oversight was bribed with $70K by Murchinson through a lobbyist. The lobbyist gave up the story years later, of course Murchinson and anyone involved in the Congressional committee denied it. But at the same time the lobbyist was never accused of slander either, with Murchinson being the slick legal mind he was(see Redskins fight song), he seemed to let the lobbyist slide. The truth hurts, the Cowboys were born from infamy. very interesting, I've never heard that before. Where did you get that info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ljs Posted September 25, 2008 Author Share Posted September 25, 2008 1. paying the owner of the song $2500 for it is not stealing. ! ok, so stealing may not be the best word, but I look at it as such. It's blackmail. It was a dirty low down trick and thus...**** DALLAS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cphil006 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Go SKINS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 Funny that majority didn't rule back then. It says that all the owners voted for Dallass except GPM. Nowadays you need only 3/4ths or 24/32 to pass anything. Funny that the other owners just didn't say, screw you George, we're putting a team in Dallass, unless they were afraid of legal ramifications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ned Flanders Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 ok, so stealing may not be the best word, but I look at it as such. It's blackmail. It was a dirty low down trick and thus...**** DALLAS **** DALLAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:dallasuck:wewantd::wewantd::wewantd::allhail::dj::wave: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlinginSammy HOF '63 Posted September 25, 2008 Share Posted September 25, 2008 I think George Allen fed the rivalry from our side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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