#FirstCowboys In November 1966, Tommy Loy got a call from a gentleman who complimented him as being the best trumpet player in Dallas and invited him to the Cotton Bowl at 10am the next day, Thanksgiving, before the game versus the Cleveland Browns.

The Cotton Bowl was packed with a record crowd of 80,259 fans. This was also the first nationally televised game in color. Loy had been unable to get tickets so he was thrilled to be at the game not thinking he would win the competition. #CowboysNation

#DallasCowboys He auditioned first, followed by a high school band. The man in charge said "Mr. Murchison" — referring to Cowboys' founder and original owner Clint Murchison Jr. — "will let you know."

Five minutes before kickoff, the man said, 'Mr. Murchison has decided to go with the trumpet solo,'" And for all the years that followed, the Loy family sat in covered seats under the press box at the Cotton Bowl and then on the 25-yard line at Texas Stadium.

Loy’s biggest game was Super Bowl V. Singer Anita Bryant was supposed to perform the national anthem, but she got sick. The late Tex Schramm, then the Cowboys' President/GM, told network officials: "I have a guy who can play the anthem for you”

Tommy was also once the answer to a New York Times crossword puzzle clue, "Cowboys trumpeter."

The rest is history. For 22 years, Tommy would take the field for all home games and play the National Anthem the way it should be played.

Upset over the firing of Tom Landry, Loy resigned from the Cowboys in 1989. Landry passed away in 2000 and a memorial was held (invitation only) at the Meyerson Symphony Center. Tommy performed his trumpet solo of the National Anthem, probably without a dry eye in the house.

Loy passed in 2002. During the 2013 season, the Cowboys organization did something special. For a home game, Loy’s daughters were invited to sit on a platform as jazz musician Freddie Jones played the National Anthem in honor of Tommy Loy.

Then, each sister was given a Cowboys Jersey with the number 22 for the 22 years Tommy Loy played the Anthem.