Ten-Gallon War

By 1960 pro football was flourishing across the country—except in Texas, where college football still ruled. When two young oil tycoons started their own pro franchises in Dallas that very same year—the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Texans of the newly formed AFL—a bitter feud was born.

Like gunslingers in the Wild West, these conniving Mad Men of the gridiron knew their hometown wasn't big enough for the both of them. The Cowboys and Texans filed lawsuits against each other, fought over players, undermined each other's promotions, and rooted like hell for the other guys to fail. The Texans' visionary owner, Lamar Hunt, focused on the fans, putting together a team of local legends and hiring attractive women to drive around town in red convertibles selling tickets. Meanwhile, the Cowboys, led by a young Tom Landry in his first year as head coach, concentrated on holding their own in the NFL. Ultimately, both teams won the battle, but only one got to stay in Dallas and become "America's Team."

In this highly entertaining narrative, rich in colorful characters and unforgettable stunts, Eisenberg recounts the story of the birth of pro football in Dallas—and the early moments when the game began to be part of this country's DNA.