Ford Extends Deal With Cowboys Through 2018

Two of the toughest teams in Texas are taking their partnership to a new level. Ford announced today at the Dallas Auto Show that it is extending its title sponsorship of the Dallas Cowboys through 2018 and expanding its presence at the new football stadium with more signage, vehicle and interactive displays and a Built Ford Tough integrated fan experience.


“The Dallas Cowboys, like Ford Trucks, are an institution in Texas.” said David Mondragon, Ford Southwest Market general manager. “We see tremendous potential to reach even more consumers by integrating Ford into the fan experience at Cowboys games and other events in the new stadium.”


“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Ford. Nothing says Texas like Ford trucks and the Dallas Cowboys.” said Jones.


The Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of building a new 2.3 million sq. ft., retractable roof stadium with seating capacity for more than 80,000 fans on any given Sunday and up to 100,000 for special events. When the stadium opens for the 2009 football season, Ford brand signage as well as vehicle and interactive displays will be fully integrated into the seating areas, concourses and parking areas. A Built Ford Tough end zone fan experience is also under development and could include branded seating and a special touchdown celebration. “Cowboys fans are the people we need to reach,” said Mondragon. “They are honest, hardworking Texans who share the core values of the typical Ford customer.”


Built Ford Tough Training Camp

Ford expands its relationship with the Dallas Cowboys to include title sponsorship of their pre-season training camp. The “Built Ford Tough Dallas Cowboys Training Camp” will be located in San Antonio this year. Texas Ford Dealers will be able to offer Cowboys fans the unique opportunity to interact with players and coaches through promotions and special access to the training camp as part of the sponsorship.


“Cowboys football is such an important part of the Texas culture and we feel that this is a fantastic opportunity for the Texas Ford Dealers to attract more consumers to their showrooms by offering them special access to something they love.” said Mondragon.

“We have seen first hand the enthusiasm and support from our fans at the Dallas Cowboys training camps in San Antonio and that was a huge part of the decision to bring training camp back to Texas,” said Jones.

Honoring Elite Texas Student-Athletes

In 2006 Ford established the “Built Ford Tough Texas High School Football Player of the Week” program to recognize the accomplishments of the best student-athletes in Texas. For 2007, Ford will partner with the Dallas Cowboys to pay tribute to Texas football players with the Built Ford Tough Dallas Cowboy High School Football Player of the Week award.

"Together with the Dallas Cowboys, we are excited to build a tradition of honoring the Texas high school football players who demonstrate the qualities of toughness, dependability and quality on the field, and who make their communities stronger,” said Mondragon.



The program will recognize one high school student-athlete in each of the state’s six athletic districts every week of the regular season of the 2007 Texas high school football schedule. Throughout the 2007 football season, Texas high school football will be watched by tens of thousands of fans across the state. Each player taking the field will have the opportunity to be nominated for the Dallas Cowboys Built Ford Tough Player of the Week, simply by excelling in three categories:

-Individual performance on the field, including significant statistics from that week’s game

-Contribution to the team’s success through their individual leadership abilities

-Performance off the field, including academic success and good community citizenship

The Dallas Cowboys Built Ford Tough Player of the Week program is administered by Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director magazine. Texas high school football coaches, athletic directors and fans will be invited to nominate players each week. Collectively, these nominations, as well as those submitted by the program advisory board, will be evaluated by a panel from Ford and Scholastic Coach & Athletic Director, who will vote on and decide the weekly honorees.

At the conclusion of the ten-week regular season, Ford, the Dallas Cowboys and the advisory board will select one student-athlete from the ten weekly winners to be the Built Ford Tough Dallas Cowboy High School Football Player of the Year in each district. Honorees will be recognized at a statewide event at Cowboy Stadium following the championship games.

Ongoing Support of the Texas Community

Ford and its dealers have strong ties to their local communities across the state. Some of the Texas organizations that have long-standing ties to Ford in addition to the Dallas Cowboys include, the Houston Texans, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, Star of Texas Fair and Rodeo, FFA Texas, American Quarter Horse Association, King Ranch, Salute to Education, Alameda Theatre and the San Antonio River Walk.


Ford Motor Company and Ford dealers annually provide millions of dollars for educational scholarships in Texas through the Ford Salute to Education program and FFA Texas scholarships. In 2006, Ford and Ford Dealers awarded 325 scholarships for FFA Texas. The Ford Salute to Education program is in its 14th year with $6.5 million in scholarships. Since 2001 our FFA program has given out over 3029 scholarships.

Ford Celebrates Leadership

Since its debut in 1948, Ford has sold more than 32 million F-Series trucks around the world. Today, there are more F-Series pickups on the road with 250,000 miles than any other brand. It has also been the best-selling truck in America for 30 consecutive years and the best-selling vehicle for 25 years in a row. In Texas in February, F-Series sales were up 8 percent with Super Duty sales up 28 percent.

The new Super Duty – which represents 40 percent of Ford’s annual F-Series volume – features the cleanest and quietest Power Stroke® Diesel engine ever, a new exterior and interior design, as well as such innovations as an industry-first Tailgate StepTM that allows easy access to the pickup bed.

The Ford F-150 half-ton pickup, like the Super Duty, is the capability leader in its segment with best-in-class payload and towing capacities. New for the 2007 model year, Ford has added to an unmatched lineup of more than 60 unique F-Series offerings with new F-150 FX2 Sport and Harley-Davidson SuperCrew models.

About Ford Motor Company

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With more than 280,000 employees and more than 100 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.fordvehicles.com.