Cowboys break ground on new facility

The Cowboys made it official on Friday afternoon as owner Jerry Jones, along with family members and city officials from Frisco, broke ground on a new practice facility that is scheduled to open in the fall of 2016.

Jones, who was joined by several family members and local government officials that included Frisco mayor Maher Maso, grabbed shovels and dug out some dirt on land covering 20 acres that will hold the Cowboys’ corporate headquarters, practice facilities, indoor football stadium, medical and retail shops.

“Frisco flu, boy we’ve got it,” Jerry Jones said.

“This project speaks for itself,” Maso said. “It’s everything Frisco. There are a lot of words to describe it.”

The city and the Cowboys, along with private investors, are combining on the financing. Jones wouldn’t disclose how much the new project will cost but noted the price has gone up two-and-half to three times more.

“We do know it’s got to be first class,” he said.

The Cowboys are contractually obligated to hold at least a one week’s worth of training camp practices at their new facility.

Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ executive vice president, said the team hasn’t renewed its contract with Oxnard, California officials for the 2015 season. However, once that’s done, the plan is to have camp for at least two weeks in California and then move it to Frisco for the final two-and-a-half weeks starting in 2016.

“One thing we’ve learned when all these sports pages -- and all this media gets a hold of it -- right in the same paragraph -- almost when you say you haven’t won a Super Bowl in 16 years -- they have to put over and say, ‘But boy do they know how to put a project that equals one and one is three.’,” Jerry Jones said while smiling and admitting he's got the new math figured out. “They know how to do that and Frisco has that, and they will benefit from that and candidly you are.”