Some of Fort Worth ISD’s youngest students could grow up to be Olympians.
At least that’s what the Dallas Cowboys believe.
“Some (North Texas students) are going to be playing in college next year … some could play in the Olympics,” said Danny McCray, Cowboys youth football development manager and former player. “You could have Olympians at your school.”
And just in time for flag football’s Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. While Fort Worth ISD already offers high school flag football programs — as do many districts across North Texas — the Cowboys and Fort Worth ISD are focused on reaching students even earlier.
That’s the aim behind a new partnership between the district and North Texas’ professional football team, which recently brought NFL Flag-In-School training to every elementary campus in the district. The Dallas Cowboys Youth Football Development team hosted a training session on Trimble Tech High School’s football field March 24.
The session taught physical education teachers to use the NFL’s standards-based curriculum and equipment to bring flag football into their daily instruction, promoting physical activity and skill development among students.
Every elementary school received a kit, which came with footballs, flag belts, certificates, teaching materials in English and Spanish and basic nutrition tips — all aligned to national, and state, standards developed by SHAPE America.
The idea is to create a sustainable pathway from elementary school to middle and high school participation, Fort Worth ISD athletic director Lisa Langston and Cowboys’ staff told the Fort Worth Report.
“When a district like Fort Worth comes in and makes a real commitment to flag, it lets them start building a pipeline,” Whitney Faulkner, Cowboys public and community relations programs manager, said. “We really focus it at the elementary level because it brings flag football into PE classes — into a curriculum that’s state approved.”
While some students in North Texas districts have already earned college opportunities through flag football, McCray said, Fort Worth ISD hopes this expansion will set the foundation for similar success.
“You’re getting these kids interested in flag football on a grassroots level,” Faulkner said. “Then they want to play at middle school, then they want to play at high school, so it’s creating a pipeline to play for the flag programs at the high school level.”
Fort Worth ISD is already ahead of the curve.
The district launched its girls flag football pilot league in 2022 with support from the Dallas Cowboys, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Foundation and other NFL partners.
Now entering its fourth year, the league features 16 teams representing 15 schools and more than 300 student-athletes.
While the sport is not yet sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League, Fort Worth ISD and other districts — including Dallas, Crowley and Arlington — formed varsity-level leagues with hopes of gaining official recognition. More than 2,000 girls across Texas are expected to compete in Cowboys-supported regional leagues this spring.
Organizers hope the effort will instill values that extend far beyond sports.
“Our kids love the experience,” Langston said. “The skills that you learn in sports are transferable — I mean, that’s the whole point. When they find out they can do something difficult, like a left-handed layup with a nondominant hand, they think, ‘Hey, I’m capable.’”
While also preparing students for the future.
“And so much with sports is intangibles,” she said. “Things that employers look for: people that know how to work together and accomplish a goal that’s about we as opposed to me.”
The Cowboys began a similar effort two years ago in Dallas ISD, completing a three-year endeavor to bring the curriculum to all elementary campuses in just two years after receiving additional funding from the Texas Lottery.
“They were having great success with it,” Faulkner said. “When you look at the number of kids — even one school could mean 500 students impacted. Multiply that by the 83 elementary schools here in Fort Worth ISD, and that’s nearly 200,000 kids across the region.”
Cowboys trainers worked directly with Fort Worth ISD teachers during the event, running them through the same drills and activities students will eventually see in class.
“It just gives the PE teachers another tool, another resource to get their kids up and active,” Faulkner said. “We love video games, but this is just a different mindset.”
And if a few Olympians emerge along the way?
That’s just part of the plan.
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
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