DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – AT&T Stadium is home of the Dallas Cowboys. And now blending into a perfect melody of Cowboys folk-lore… is Freddie Jones.
Freddy Jones (credit: Keith Russell/CBS 11 Sports)
“Count how many guys have been here; opportunity is not that far away from you,” said Jones.
No one knows better about snatching an opportunity than Jones. “On any given Sunday when I play, a million plus people can be watching me. What more would I want?”
The official trumpet player of the Dallas Cowboys, Jones performs the National Anthem at every home game. Freddy could sing it if he had to. But why would he want to when he’s been blessed to play it so well. Contractually committed to the Cowboys, he’s on year #7….having never missed a game. He never could he have imagined this when he first tried out.
“I didn’t think I would get the gig first of all. I was in there laughing. Thinking I’m the only brother here.”
But once Jones started hitting those notes, the only color that mattered was the blue on his trumpet and from there he began a relentless pursuit of perfection. “I took it very seriously and that week I practiced 500 times. I can pick it up and play at any time (National Anthem) I practiced that.”
He’s striving for the same consistency as some of his role models like Miles Davis and Tom Brown. Consistency without variations to the song as Americans salute the flag. Freddy promises “For me to make a mistake, ain’t gonna happen if I can help it.”
When asked “does it hit you that this is now part of the legacy of the Dallas Cowboys? Jones responds “No, it hasn’t hit me yet. I don’t know when the end is. I’m trying to do it the best I can every day.”
