The implosion of Texas Stadium - April 11, 2010
Posted by Significant_Smell284@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 121 comments
Posted by Significant_Smell284@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 121 comments
GuairdeanBeatha@reddit
Locally, we referred to it as “The Halfastrodome”. It was supposed to have a retractable roof, and would have been the first to do so, but the plan was cancelled when the engineers realized it would be too heavy.
OiGuvnuh@reddit
How local? Like, you and one other guy? Because I’ve never in my entire life heard that nonsensical word before.
neeroberts@reddit
I was there. We had a huge crew videotaping the event from all angles. Pretty impressive history in the making
RepulsiveInterview44@reddit
Isn’t that where the Adeline’s wanted to build a casino if the gambling initiative had passed?
DimensionSimple7426@reddit
Makes sense why it’s empty still
Bo_Nerman69@reddit
It will be nothing like the implosion of this season.
Obsidianrunner@reddit
Still a huge hole just sitting there in Irving.
Tremulant887@reddit
They tried to blast the astrodome and people got pissed.
drbleeds@reddit
Lived in Houston growing up, born in 85 so went there in the heydays where you start by watching some baseball then walk over the big bridge to Six Flags Astroworld.
Getting rid of Astroworld was egregious enough, taking out The Dome would be outright heresy… Hope to visit again one of these days. Maybe take the kiddos while I breathe in some nostalgia while the kids complain about how lame it is..haha
Select_Insurance2000@reddit
Was at the first baseball game there. Astros vs Yankees preseason game. Mickey Mantle hit the first HR....dead center field. Astros won on a single by Nellie Fox.
twofaze@reddit
I miss the original scoreboard of the Astrodome. Instead of destroying it to add more seating Houston and Bud Adams should have come to an agreement on a new stadium right where Reliant/NRG stadium is today. Upgrade the Astrodome to be baseball only. Oilers still the NFL team in Houston. In an alternate timeline.
Jenniehoff90@reddit
I grew up in Houston too, born in 90, and have the best memories from Astroworld! 🤩 Parking and then crossing the bridge to Six Flags is a core memory for me.
iCanD0thisAllDay@reddit
I appreciate that I was able to go there at least once being from Dallas. Wrestlemania X-7 in 2001.
twofaze@reddit
It is the first dome stadium in the world so it has historical value. On another note, nothing will beat the Georgia Dome imploding right when the MARTA bus blocks the camera shot.
Then_Supermarket18@reddit
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/irving-next-step-construction-casino-resort-sands-corporation/
SgtBadManners@reddit
I thought there was still some rubble there but I haven’t actively looked in a few years, maybe it’s just the hole I’m seeing.
NotNotACop28@reddit
Wait is this where that bridge to nowhere is now?? I drive by it every day and wonder why it’s there
Only_Faithlessness37@reddit
They do cdl training in that open spot now
rumdrums@reddit
What I came to say. Pretty maddening that they still haven't managed to do anything w/ this area. Situated between three major highways you think developing it would have been a no-brainer.
Decapitat3d@reddit
You could totally put the Mavs there and it would be great! Then we don't have to demolish a unique building like city hall. Fuck the Adelsons!
davidhern22@reddit
What do u mean fuck the adelsons ? They tried to get plans to move there . Irving folks threw a fit
Onuus@reddit
They’re literally part of the reason we’re entering into wwiii right now.
Top contributor to Donald trump, and to Israel and the greater Israel project.
Get your head out of the sand, it may cost us all of ours.
earthworm_fan@reddit
Just parroting the trendy shit on reddit without knowing why
Mindless-Committee@reddit
You’ve piqued my interest: Adelson’s?
I’ve not heard.
Deep-Moose8313@reddit
the site was used to store construction materials when they built that dart line next to the spur that connects northwest highway to 183 and 114
hamlet_d@reddit
yeah it's a shame.
I honestly hate that iconic building get demolished for "progress" and then no progress is actually made.
Texas Stadium was iconic and I'm not even a Cowboys fan. Jerry just wanted Jerryworld, which is generic football stadium #213.
Betterholdfast@reddit
There’s new construction going on right there at the moment right next to that previously useless (?) footbridge that wasn’t connected to anything.
Mr_CleanCaps@reddit
The best answer would be a garden/nature reserve area
Whitey138@reddit
And why is that area still sitting completely empty? They built a big bridge to nowhere and new roads that nobody uses.
armadilloantics@reddit
The Dr Pepper plant is right across the street from it
AggieDem@reddit
Interest rates are back up and a lot of banks have too much bad real estate loans on the books already due to the collapse in office space tenancy.
Combine that with current immigration policy leading to construction industry labor shortages, and the Iran war probably resulting in rising materials and logistic costs.
The open-question of AI's impact on business hiring means HQ's are not rushing to go on hiring sprees anytime soon.
We're probably going to need another recession to get rates to zero and a Iran peace agreement to get costs down before a developer will be willing to risk it.
noncongruent@reddit
Any project to develop that area is going to cost multiple billions of dollars. Banks don't like to finance anything like that unless the development is guaranteed to be successful because banks don't like getting stuck with foreclosed properties that don't make money. So, whatever happens there won't happen until everything else in the economy lines up for it to happen. The bridge they built replaced two bridges that were torn down for the 114 reconstruction. Having that bridge dramatically increases the usefulness of the two plots of land since they can now be developed as a single project.
Evening-Crazy-3528@reddit
My information is several years old, but it is accurate.
The City of Irving is/was in no hurry to sell that land, because (at the time I learned this info) the state of Texas was renting it to use as a staging area/temporary storage for the State Highway 183 expansion. The State was paying more in rent than the City would have gotten from selling it.
They (the city) also recognizes the value of the site with its proximity to three major freeways, as well as being between the two main airports. Their vision is to sell it to a large corporation to use as a Main Headquarters Campus.
Of course, that vision may have changed in the last 6-7 years since I was told this.
Cowsmoke@reddit
That bridge to nowhere has always been wild to me
lost_in_trepidation@reddit
It was just to make the skyline look better.
zatarregaza@reddit
Is this supposed to be a metaphor for the state of the Cowboys organization?
Then_Supermarket18@reddit
What about the implosion of the Texas Skatium?
gopherslim75@reddit
Symbolic of the franchise since then.
CharlieTeller@reddit
I swear early digital looks so bad. This video looks like its from 1985.
Also wild they never developed this area.
DavidTheBlue@reddit
And after the implosion the cloud of cement dust drifted across the DFW area.
tx4468@reddit
This is from 2010? Why does it look like VHS quality.
AccidentLow1565@reddit
My high school graduation was held there.
Fun_Departure_3013@reddit
Looks like the twin towers on 9/11
Acrobatic_Box9087@reddit
That's kind of symbolic for the way the Cowboys' game has gone in recent decades. They used to kick ass in Texas stadium.
Hell, they accomplished more when they were playing in the Cotton Bowl than they have at AT&T stadium.
Jerry Jones makes me want to blow beets.
Fretwizard125@reddit
Came down just like WTC
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First-Bat-7440@reddit
They got the same company that did the twin towers to do this job.
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TheRuralJuror118@reddit
Why did they do this? Why couldn’t it be used for events?
noncongruent@reddit
The stadium was designed to have a closable roof and be air-conditioned/heated for year-round usage. However, the engineers screwed up the roof design and couldn't actually complete the part that opened and closed. This was after it was basically complete, so it wasn't really possible to go back and fix it. So, it became an open stadium and the plan to heat and cool it went out the window.
There were also problems with the field, it wasn't designed to handle significant rain and snow, so drainage was an issue. Since it was designed for indoor use it was set up with artificial turf, though toward the end of its life it switched to natural grass. Ultimately, the exposure to weather and just general age made it uneconomical to maintain, plus there just aren't that many touring events that it could attract given the much nicer new stadium a dozen miles away that was fully enclosed and air conditioned.
JokersGlascowSmile@reddit
I remember this made me very sad. Love or hate the Cowboys, the stadium was iconic and meant a lot to many. People were cheering when it was imploded and didn’t seem the right tone.
EarlDooku@reddit
They did this so that they could build.........?
timholt2007@reddit
Pretty much sums up the Dallas Cowboys
bsastry@reddit
Cowboy Hater!
JZ7NVY@reddit
That "Farewell" logo is just a little too fancy for this occasion. Of course, I'm a Falcons fan salty that they didn't truly get to see the Georgia Dome go
TX727@reddit
Went to some amazing HS football games there!
Impossible_Claim1546@reddit
Does anyone remember the John Tyler vs Plano East championship? Some of the most wild football I’ve ever seen.
TX727@reddit
Remember it? Yeah, every fucking year around HS playoff time when ESPN runs that damn story! Hate that game and hate being reminded of it every year. Yes, I graduated from PESH, lol.
Impossible_Claim1546@reddit
Oops sorry! I was from Tyler, but didn't go to JT. I think the town lived off that win for a while. I hadn't thought about it in ages.
TX727@reddit
I'd still be living off of it if I was there, lol. That was my first introduction in sports of being so excited we were about to win, and then have a last second collapse and you get punched in the gut.
But it did help some with dealing w/ some of the pro teams we have around here, lol.
Lshear@reddit
Me too! My high school played our playoff games there (Euless Trinity) in the mid 80s
TX727@reddit
Yeah, I think for me the biggest I saw back in the early 80's was Odessa coming here to play Plano in a game. Place was packed. I think I also say Highland Park vs Plano back then to. That was a huge rivalry growing up.
pquince1@reddit
Went to Highland Park. I remember playing Plano and getting our asses handed to us by Odessa Permian.
GingaNinja98@reddit
I went and saw this in person with my dad and little sister. We parked the night before and camped out in the back of our Ford Expedition, because the implosion was just after dawn. Great memory
YouDownWithTPP@reddit
I was there watching that morning. Sophomore in college. None of my other buddies wanted to wake up that early, too hungover, so I went by myself. Will never forget those sounds, so cool to see it again. Thanks for uploading.
TXGerman67@reddit
You can always count on a car alarm to go off.
Unknowingly-Joined@reddit
Not unlike the Cowboys themselves in any given season.
sassyboy12345@reddit
I remember this. I lived in Irving then not too far from it.
Chance_Atmosphere_60@reddit
Bad stadium. Great football. Now it's the opposite.
Riots42@reddit
I was there! It was like 5 or 6 in the morning and we got there a couple hours before it had the vibe of a fireworks show tailgate party it was a unique experience.
juliarod89@reddit
I remember watching from across the highway. They gave us Kraft Mac and cheese explosion edition lol
Significant_Smell284@reddit (OP)
Kraft sponsored the event. They held an essay contest; the winner of the contest would get to trigger the implosion. The winner of the contest was 11-year-old Casey Rogers of Terrell, Texas.
wagon-run@reddit
I saw Aikman vs Young in that stadium. The building wasn’t great but the football sure as hell was.
ceciladam9091@reddit
I took my dad to what turned out to be the "pork chop" game
ArmWarm8743@reddit
I was there at “the last tailgate” that morning. 😢
Mindless-Committee@reddit
Felt a blast all the way to Oak Lawn. I was on the phone with a friend in Northwest Dallas. He heard and felt it about four seconds later.
pquince1@reddit
So many good memories there. High school playoffs, Genesis, Elton John, George Michael, Garth Brooks. Sad to see it go.
BeRealzzz@reddit
Nuked the only stadium the Cowboys won a Super Bowl in.
fuelvolts@reddit
Well....technically they never won a Super Bowl in that stadium.
Sowf_Paw@reddit
Kind of depressing local sports fact, none of the area teams have won (like the final win of the series and immediate celebration) their championship on their home field but other city's teams have.
Of course the Super Bowl is always a neutral site, so all five Cowboy's Super Bowls were won in other cities.
The Stars won the 1999 Stanley Cup in Buffalo, the Mavericks won the 2011 NBA Finals in Miami and the Rangers won the 2023 World Series in Arizona.
Meanwhile, the Giants won the 2010 World Series in Arlington, the Dodgers won the 2020 World Series in Arlington, the Devils won the 2000 Stanley Cup in Dallas, the Heat won the 2006 NBA Finals in Dallas, and the Packers won Super Bowl XLV in Arlington.
BeRealzzz@reddit
Well shit fire. Ya got me.
eltoddro@reddit
No one ever won a Super Bowl in that stadium.
LXNDSHARK@reddit
Was the sick beat on purpose?
notbad4human@reddit
I was there filming! My first job after moving to Dallas.
btroberts011@reddit
I camped out all night on the side of the road with some high school friends and then we watched it at 6am or whatever it was and to this day I'll never forget how incredible it was watching and feeling it.
EmergenSeaBarber@reddit
Dang, a theater just ended by me. RIP SVF theater + your stadium
Danilo-11@reddit
Now do the astrodome
Walter_Padick@reddit
get that H-town nonsense outta here/jk
Danilo-11@reddit
We need help :(
Walter_Padick@reddit
Fair enough pardner
Far_Buffalo_8301@reddit
Reminds me of New York
dasfoster@reddit
It becomes a magical story if you reverse it 😁
iamzim93@reddit
i saw it from atop a scissor lift
WaffleHouseFancy@reddit
Every so often I randomly remember they had a nationwide competition for a kid to press the detonate button for this. 😂
JubBird@reddit
Watched it from the University of Dallas campus. The dust from the explosion enveloped us- we had to run to our cars.
DorianTurk@reddit
Still can’t believe Jerry insisted on selling it out just for this.
custermustache@reddit
My fondest memories of that stadium are the boy scout jamborees that they did there for years.
elscorcho42@reddit
saw Pink Floyd there ‘94. It was far out, man
Mike_Tee_@reddit
They blew up Texas Stadium, but somehow the Cowboys still kept the same collapse tradition alive.
royalooozooo@reddit
I remember watching this instead of buying bitcoin
Striking_Reindeer_2k@reddit
Jerry world should have gone to fair park.
The increased business would be great for the area.
Cotton Bowl is tired and outdated.
InterestingAd3769@reddit
The new one is an eyesore
Jash09@reddit
Watched that from our apartment in Las Colinas. It was awesome.
Dennma@reddit
Butthead voice
"Whoa. Cool"
mylinuxguy@reddit
That was an Iconic Stadium. I with they would have left it standing and converted into some sort of mixed use space.
4ofheartz@reddit
Now do Dallas City Hall building!
Tall-Type-2144@reddit
So many concerts so many memories so many beers no so many chicks......1980 - 1987 was a good year
Swagovich@reddit
It’s such an eyesore now
SkyScreech@reddit
And now they are twice as far from Dallas over in Arlington. Such a shame
I wish we had a downtown area Stadium like so many other cities do
expectations_low12@reddit
Chills. My dad took me to games for years starting when I was little. Season tickets with great seats right in front of where the DCC stood and cheered and they always waved. So many great memories. So much great football. My dad passed away last year. So grateful for those memories. 💙🏈🤍
robyculous_v2@reddit
I was in Afghanistan for this. 😭
happy_dad857@reddit
I grew up in that stadium. Man. Every Thanksgiving I was there. Had box seats, seats right on the 50, and even got to go down on the field when it snowed after the game. Great memories.
warmjanuary@reddit
I never went as a kid and I was born in 91.
Walter_Padick@reddit
I used to love football, goddamn shame how mid the gane has become
ericwphoto@reddit
I grew up watching the Cowboys play on TV, to my young eyes this place was a palace. Went to watch them play here once, what a disappointment/dump. Toured the new stadium though, which is awesome.
Paradox1989@reddit
I was there with my 2 youngest kids. My mom had friends working in the old Central van lines yard that was next to the stadium and got us tickets to their shindig.
Lshear@reddit
I remember this, I heard it all the way in Garland
Separate_Flamingo_93@reddit
Was this the day Jerry bought the team?
stykface@reddit
I was there and watched it live.
madscientist08@reddit
RIP. I miss winning seasons.
BikesAndWine@reddit
And then the earthquakes started.