Shiyazh Pete remains the longest of long shots to make the Dallas Cowboys roster.
The same can be said about the practice squad as well
The undrafted rookie free agent from Kentucky played just six snaps in the Cowboys 34-13 win against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday in the team’s second preseason in what is generally the time to shine for players making pushes for relevance.
Pete simply made history instead.
Never has a player with little significance on the outcome of a game made such a lasting and indelible impact on the sport, the locker room or his people.
Several thousand members of Navajo nation showed up to cheer and celebrate a third team guard, making an otherwise meaningless preseason game feel like the Super Bowl for Pete.
Pete went from a walk-on at New Mexico State before transferring to Kentucky the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first player from the Navajo Nation to sign with an NFL team.
It set the stage for a historic moment for Pete, his family and an entire community.
He got a standing ovation following a drive in the fourth quarter that led to a Cowboys touchdown that featured his only six plays in the game.
“The standing ovation was incredible,” Pete said. “Want to take the moment to thank all the fans, and the people who showed up to support me, and to celebrate my name and to wear my jersey. I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw. I saw a Salish nation flag as well, which was awesome… I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw. Phoenix is home to a lot of Navajo people, lot of Native Americans.”
“It’s definitely etched in the history books, I’ll tell you that. It was incredible. I’m trying to find the words of how special and impactful that really was. The fact that I am able to participate on the field and conduct my play to the best of my ability, fans support me for that, for who I am, it’s incredible.”
He signed autographs, he did a curtain call.
And he won the hearts of the football world and the nation
Not just the Navajo people.
“I saw something tonight I’ve never seen before, in 25 years in the NFL: An entire section cheering for one man,” Schottenheimer said.
Schottenheimer had him speak to the team and break it down after after the game.
That was really cool,” Schottenheimer said. “It was really awesome. We had him break it down and his comments were really cool – talking about the brotherhood. He talked about The Star and the importance the Star holds for him. These guys love him.”
More importantly, the Navajo nation loves Pete.
He didn’t have the words to convey what it meant to him their presence meant to him.
“It was surreal. It’s hard to find the words to describe it. English probably isn’t the language I’d describe it in,” Pete said.
Pete then said something in Navajo, and when a reporter asked him what it meant, he answered, “Folks back home, folks upstairs in our stadium, will know.”
“I saw hope, courage,” Pete said. “Hope and courage.”
What he said in the locker room hit home for all athletes and the football world.
Team’s talk about brotherhood and the bonding that happens in training camp and in the locker room.
Pete made it plain for everyone to see.
“Well, that was an incredible win. And I am very fortunate to be amongst you, and to play on the same field, wear the same, wear the same star, holden on our chest, and I’m proud of us. I’m proud of how far we’ve come,” Pete said to his teammates.
“This game, fate, brought us here as strangers, but this game, this star, this team, will make us brothers.”
That quote went viral and has shared by players, coaches and media members from coast to coast.
It had that kind of impact.
“I think it’s really amazing that our social media team, the media in general captured it because it was what this team and really the game of football is all about,” Schottenheimer said. “It’s a storyline where you have a guy who’s fighting his butt off trying to make the team, but when you give him an opportunity, deservedly so, to address the group, it was very raw. It was very authentic. And I’m thrilled for him.”
