"When I came out of Mom, I was like (crying) Cowboys....as a baby, as soon as I came out, for some reason...Cowboys!," said Marvin Ben Israel of Los Angeles.
They are among the most die-hard fans in the sports world. Every summer, they converge on Oxnard not for a championship, not for the playoffs, not even for a game. Many of them travel thousands of miles just to see their beloved Dallas Cowboys practice.
"I'm the original Cowboys fan, back in the 60's 70's, 80's," said Israel. He's one of the thousands of fans who've come to see their team during the last few weeks.
The Cowboys have returned to the River Ridge Training Fields in Oxnard for their summer training camp for the 19th time. Fans come from all over the country just for a chance to watch the team work out, and run drills. They can actually line the sidelines feet away from the players as they practice.
"I'm actually from New England. My wife is the true die-hard Cowboys fan who won me over. I was a Patriots fan," said Sean McNeil, from from El Paso, Texas.
Is he a true convert? "Let's just say that the dog now has his Patriots blanket," laughed his wife Gloria.
Mark Holmes is from Virginia. He says if you are a real Cowboys fan, even though you are seeing practices, the trip is worth it.
"I am a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, and have been since I was a little kid," said Holmes. "Watching my Dad go through the ups and downs of the Cowboys, I didn't know what football was, but I knew I wanted to be like my Dad. And, don't call me a bandwagon one, because I was a fan before the Cowboys won their first Super Bowl."
Gilbert Mejia grew up in the Bay Area, with parents who were 49’ers fans. He admits the Cowboys image hooked him "They used to dress me up, in 49'ers gear, when I was a little kid, and i didn't like the colors," said Mejia. "My grandfather is from Texas, and he inundated me with Cowboys hats, and pictures, and that's how I became a Cowboys fan."
There’s no question about the loyalties of Josh and Jada Fenal. The LA couple is decked out in Cowboys gear. But, they also have two small babies strapped to their chests, dressed as little Dallas Cowboys.
"These are identical twin boys, Jeremiah and Josiah," said Jada Fenal. "They're three months old."
But, when they get older, could they turn out to be Rams, or Chargers, or Raiders fans? "They definitely have no choice," said Josh Fenal. "They were born to be Cowboys." In fact, one of the little boys has a T-Shirt on which says "Born To Be A Cowboy."
Most fans here are optimistic about the team’s chances this year. The Cowboys have had strong 12 win, five loss there seasons in a row. But, they keep stalling in the playoffs. Every fan thinks they have a fix to the problem, and advice for team owner Jerry Jones.
This marks the 45th season for the team in Ventura County. From the 1960’s through the 1980’s, it was at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Then, it returned in 2001, shifting to Oxnard.
One of the reasons the team trains here is the summer weather is milder than in Oxnard than it is in Texas. There’s also a strong team fan base in Southern California. For decades, when LA didn’t have a pro football team, fans at least had the Cowboys who would come here during the summer.
It's a fan friendly experience, with fans walking along the sidelines, and sitting in bleachers. There's a concession area, and a huge team store, which sells everything from Cowboys jersey to license plate frames. It's set up every year specifically for the team's camp.
Robert Stone of Camarillo is a Cowboys fan. His friend, Chris Hanna, from Los Angeles is most definitely not, He likes the Raiders. How are they friends? "We just made it work somehow, right?," joked Hanna.
The Cowboys play an exhibition game with the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas Saturday. They’ll return to Oxnard for their final two public workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
You have to pay for parking, but attending the 11 a.m. workouts is free. Later in the week, the team heads home to Texas to wrap up its summer camp.
