Keith's performance at the 1993 Monday Night Football game immediately made headlines on Tuesday, the day his death was announced.
DALLAS — Country music star Toby Keith passed away Monday after a battle with stomach cancer.
Keith, 62, had 20 No. 1 hits during his career and was widely known off-stage as a University of Oklahoma icon and avid supporter of the University. But he also seemed to have a soft spot for the Dallas Cowboys.
A former semi-pro football player himself, Keith performed at the team's halftime show on Thanksgiving in 2003, but that wasn't his first time with the Cowboys.
In 1993, when Keith released his debut album and the Cowboys were at the height of their '90s dominance, Keith recorded a performance at the opening of a Monday Night Football game at Texas Stadium.
The song was an arrangement of Keith's hit single “Should've Been a Cowboy”.
He should have been a Cowboy, he sang. Dallas Cowboys.
This is a clip of the broadcast that quickly went viral on X after Keith's death was announced early Tuesday morning.
To make the whole piece even better, they opened with Jimmie Johnson's iconic “What about them cowboys?!” Locker room celebration.
The lyrics that Keith refined for this one-minute song may have been a little jumbled…but in some ways they worked perfectly (almost).
There may have been an OT with an interesting name. (Mark Stepnoski, who actually played center)
Throwing downfield blocks and watching Emmitt's flames.
Look up at the Texas stars from the roof
Dreams in my eyes, prayers in my heart
should have been a cowboy
Should have learned to play with pride
wear my silver star
Marching down the field with a TD drive
steal a girl's heart
Like Lodge and Troy
play on an american team
oh.should have been a cowboy
Here's the original song for comparison:
