It’s not often that an undrafted rookie offensive lineman has a larger contingent of fans at an NFL game than any of his teammates, but that happened for Cowboys tackle Shiyazh Pete against the Cardinals on Saturday in Arizona.
When Pete signed with the Cowboys after the draft, he became the first member of the Navajo Nation to sign an NFL contract. More than 140,000 members of the Navajo Nation live in Arizona, so when the Cowboys played a preseason game there, his people turned out in large numbers.
“The standing ovation was incredible,” Pete said. “I just want to take a moment to thank all the fans and the people who showed up to support me, and to celebrate my name and wear my jersey. I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw.”
Pete said he was overwhelmed by the number of fans who came out to support him personally, but not surprised to see how many Native American fans support the Cowboys and the NFL.
“Phoenix is home to a lot of Native American tribes, obviously we got to see that. It was incredible,” Pete said. “A lot of Native Americans support the Cowboys, and they really like football.”
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer chose Pete to break down the team in the locker room after the game, and told the whole team it was inspiring to see how much love Native American fans showed for Pete.
“I saw something tonight I’ve never seen before, in 25 years in the NFL: An entire section cheering for one man,” Schottenheimer said.
Pete said he didn’t have the words to convey what it 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.”
