Michael Irvin Says Dallas Cowboys Losing Grip on ‘America’s Team’ Nickname

‘I’ve never ever worried about that old, America’s Team moniker, but now I am,’ said Irvin.

Michael Irvin and his wife attend the film premiere of "The Longest Yard" in Hollywood, Calif., on May 19, 2005. Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

The label of “America’s Team” has been thrown around in regards to lots of NFL franchises from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the Green Bay Packers to the Kansas City Chiefs. But the moniker has always been most associated with the Dallas Cowboys, and its origin actually began with the Cowboys in 1978.

Sports broadcaster John Facenda of NFL Films was voicing a Dallas Cowboys highlight film when he said the following: “They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, ‘America’s Team.’”