Long before she won a national championship at North Carolina, Sylvia Hatchell was a sports fan, a football fan – and a Cowboys fan.
Growing up in Gastonia, N.C., Hatchell's family usually received Cowboys broadcasts while people just north saw the Washington Redskins. Hatchell made the call to be a Cowboys fan at age 7.
"I was drawn to them because they were first class," said Hatchell, who has 749 career wins. "I knew all their players, their offenses and defenses."
She wore a No. 12 Roger Staubach jersey in neighborhood football games.
In college, a full-length poster of Staubach hung beside her bed. A college boyfriend once gave her an autographed Staubach photo. The picture, one of her prized possessions, outlasted the boyfriend.
The attraction to Staubach was because "he was a leader and winner and treated people the way he wanted to be treated." Hatchell, from a Southern Baptist background, also respected Tom Landry and his strong faith.
She remained a strong fan through the Danny White era. When Landry was fired and the team sold, the interest became a little more casual, she admits.
