The Dallas Cowboys have legions of fans, of all ages, in the U.S. and around the world.
Evonne Morgan stands out.
She’s been a Dallas Cowboys fan forever. Literally.
Morgan was 45-years-old when the Dallas Cowboys came into existence in 1960 and she’s been cheering for them ever since.
Over the past 55 seasons, Morgan’s watched the team win 10 NFC titles and five Lombardi Trophies.
The Cowboys have had a lot of great players over that five and a half decade span, but only one player stands out as Morgan’s favorite: Troy Aikman.
With Morgan’s 100th birthday coming up on June 30, Morgan’s granddaughter, Alicia Carter-Johnson, decided to put together a Hail Mary of a plan: She wanted to set up a surprise visit between Aikman and Morgan.
The plan was hatched in March when Carter-Johnson sent out a message on Facebook asking if anyone had any connections to Aikman. Eventually, someone who knew Aikman saw Carter-Johnson’s message and the rest is history.
On Saturday, Aikman showed up at the assisted-living facility where Morgan lives.
And, according to a story by Texas Monthly, Aikman’s visit was actually the second time he and Morgan had met. In the mid-90s, Aikman randomly showed up at her house after he got lost looking for another house in Morgan’s neighborhood. (Editor: more on this below)
Morgan was a youngster in her ’80’s then.
TEXAS MONTHLY: Fan hopes for 100th Birthday visit from Troy Aikman
In the mid-nineties, when Evonne Morgan was in her late seventies, she got a knock on her door while she was doing the dishes. On the other side was Troy Aikman.
Aikman had the wrong house—he was trying to attend a party at a friend’s place across the street—but Morgan has spent much of the past twenty years telling the story to her family and friends.
“She called my grandfather out of the kitchen, and Troy Aikman very kindly talked to the two of them and shook their hands for a good fifteen minutes,” her granddaughter, Alicia Carter Johnson, says. “My grandmother even walked him across the street to his party when they were done talking. I’m sure she was absolutely bursting with pride to be able to escort him across the street.”
Morgan isn’t exactly a lifelong Cowboys fan—the team didn’t come into existence until 1960, when she was 45 years old—but she’s cheered for the team for the Dallas Cowboys’ entire life.
With her hundredth birthday approaching in June, granddaughter Johnson is seeking an opportunity to help her grandmother celebrate the centennial with a visit from her all-time favorite ’Boy.
“She has long admired Troy Aikman and thinks he is very handsome and talented,” Johnson explains. “I would love to do something special for her and surprise her for her birthday.”
One hundred is a heck of an age to turn, and Morgan—who starts every morning with the crossword puzzle, and whose hobbies including “showing people how to use Tai Chi to cure their own allergies or wake up ‘tired eyes’,” according to her granddaughter—has lived them well, with a life that has included living in Dallas as a teenager, wiring aircraft wings in a military factory in San Diego during World War II, modeling for the Dallas clothing shop owned by Alice Lon (Lawrence Welk’s “Champagne Lady”), and arguing about religion with tour guides on a tour of Soviet Russia. And, of course, rarely missing a Dallas Cowboys game on TV.
Morgan lives in Monticello West, an assisted living facility in Uptown Dallas, and Johnson took to Facebook, looking for any tenuous connection she might have to Aikman, in the hope that she could get him to spare another few minutes to see one of his most, er, experienced fans.
“My grandmother is one of those people who is truly remarkable for all the reasons that matter most: she’s a loyal, loving, and giving friend, relative, and neighbor,” Johnson says. “That’s why I want to so much to do something for her for a change. It would really be something special if Troy could surprise her with even a five-minute visit. And if he has any allergies, this would really be a win-win.”
Here’s hoping he’s got the time this June to say hello.
Courtesy: Texas Monthly magazine | Dan Solomon
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