The Dallas Cowboys-New York Giants rivalry has provided classic matchups over the years, with the two teams meeting in prime time quite a bit over the last decade. The days of Tony Romo and Eli Manning dueling for divisional crowns are gone, replaced by Dak Prescott’s dominance over the matchup in his eight years within the rivalry.
However, back in 2009 when the Cowboys christened their new home, Manning was able to get the first win and the first laugh in AT&T Stadium and commemorated the moment forever. Let’s revisit the time Manning signed a wall following a win over the Cowboys.
The Time Eli Manning Signed a Wall in AT&T Stadium
The Giants were the Cowboys’ first regular-season opponent in the brand-new, state-of-the-art “Jerry World.” The Giants won that matchup 33-31. On his way out of the stadium, Manning took a Sharpie and wrote the Giants’ winning score, the date, and the words, “First Win in the New Stadium.”
It caused quite a stir amongst Cowboys Nation and served as another chapter in the historic rivalry. In the moment, it felt like a way for an opposing quarterback to rub it in the Cowboys’ face, but Manning advised he meant no disrespect when he did so.
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“A lot of different teams, in the opposing locker room, assistants have players sign an opposing wall,” Manning said. “I’ve done it at a lot of different places around the NFL and I thought they were starting a new tradition. So it will be interesting to see if anybody else has signed the wall, or if I’m the only one, or if they erased it.”
Manning was surprised by the attention his signature got and reiterated at the time that really meant no disrespect when doing so.
“Yeah, a little bit, I was surprised just because it is a tradition in a lot of other stadiums,” Manning said. “It just wasn’t explained very well. People made it seem like I just went right in their locker room, and right for everybody to see, was trying to do something disrespectful. It wasn’t like that by any means.”
Cowboys May Have Gotten Last Laugh Over Manning
No question that Manning had a great NFL career. Manning is a two-time Super Bowl champion, and one of the more respected quarterbacks of his time. However, when it came to the Cowboys, he did not have the most successful time.
Through 30 matchups against America’s Team, Manning only won 13 of them, finishing with a record of 13-17. He may have gotten the first laugh in the new stadium, but the Cowboys may have gotten the last laugh over Manning in his career.
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