The billionaire owners of the Cowboys and Mavericks each announced million-dollar donations Saturday to help Dallas ISD recover from last weekend’s tornado.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones announced Saturday that the team is donating $1 million to Dallas ISD to help rebuild the football field at Thomas Jefferson High School, nearly a week after the school was devastated by a tornado.
The donation comes days after Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he’d donate $100,000 to help Dallas ISD schools impacted by the storms. In a tweet Saturday afternoon, the Mavericks owner indicated he would match Jones’ donation.
Cuban confirmed to The Dallas Morning News that he’s donating $1 million to Dallas ISD for the district to use at its discretion.
Jones made his announcement Saturday morning before Thomas Jefferson High School’s homecoming game against Spruce High School at Loos Stadium in Addison, a game that had to be rescheduled because of Sunday’s storms. The money will also help replace equipment that was lost after a powerful EF-3 tornado struck the school on Walnut Hill Lane.
“We certainly have been dismayed by the damage and destruction that has happened in our community, but without a doubt, the foundation of sports ... is right here on this field, this Saturday morning,” Jones said. “It’s here with our amateur sports, and it’s here with our youth.”
Jones made his appearance with Cowboys Executive Vice President Charlotte Jones Anderson, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and former Cowboy Charles Haley.
Haley, a five-time Super Bowl champion and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, delivered a speech to the team before the game. Players shuffled into a crowded locker room, passing by posters that said “TJ Strong," and listened to the retired football star discuss the impact adversity has had on his life.
Haley told the Thomas Jefferson Patriots that adversity can defeat them if they let it, but hardship can also strengthen them.
“TJ is a building. It’s just a building. TJ is right here,” Haley said, tapping on his chest. “TJ is right here. You carry TJ with you everywhere you go. And the standard you set is the same standard you set with the building there or without the building.”
The school was one of three Dallas ISD campuses damaged badly enough to displace students for the remainder of the year. The school’s 1,880 students were moved nine miles west to what was once Thomas Edison Middle School.
Cary Middle School’s 560 students and Walnut Hill Elementary’s 400 students were also displaced for the remainder of the year because of the storms.
Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa stood on the field during Jones’ presentation, wearing a Cowboys jersey. Like many people in the city, he was watching the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday when the storms rolled through Dallas but said the district scrambled into action when multiple schools were impacted.
He said the district appreciates the support from the Jones family, and was happy to give the students a sense of normalcy with Saturday’s homecoming game.
“It’s just a way to get them back in some kind of routine and see that people really love them," Hinojosa said before the game. “This is something the kids will never forget. They’ll never forget Sunday night, when their school was gone. But they’ll also never forget Saturday morning, a week later, because of the Cowboys and the Jones family and what they’ve done to help lift their spirits.”
In addition to the Cowboys’ donation for Thomas Jefferson High School, the team partnered with The Salvation Army to assist others affected by the tornadoes. Fans can donate $10 to the organization’s relief efforts by texting COWBOYS to 20222.
