OXNARD, Calif – A sea of blue and white surrounds the practice fields at the River Ridge complex in the afternoon most days this time of year.
Thousands of pieces of Cowboys memorabilia are put front and center by the team’s fans – who descend on training camp from across the country – with hopes of it soon bearing a player’s autograph or simply earning a wave from one of the stars.
But few items here tell a story of dedication, and diehard fanhood, like those belonging to Michael Perez.
At first glance, his jerseys may blend in with the others – after all, the Cowboys’ classic look hasn’t changed much through the years, and you can put most anything on the back of a jersey.
But they’re far from ordinary.
Perez, just 23, is a memorabilia collector from the northern California city of Foresthill. Through the collector community, he got to know some folks at the Cowboys warehouse in Irving, Texas. He buys game-worn jerseys and equipment from the warehouse and transforms them into unique, original items.
Take for example his No. 85 jersey, which once was worn by Kevin Ogletree, a wide receiver who put up pedestrian numbers with Dallas in four seasons from 2009-2012 but did snag four touchdowns in his final year with the team. Perez had it made for his first training camp this year.
He said he paid about $200 for the game-worn jersey, another $30 for a new patch that reads “America’s Team,” and $30 more to have the jersey re-altered to don the new label. Based on his Instagram account (@cwbyznation, naturally), he got the jersey signed by the likes of Dak Prescott and Jerry Jones.
Then there’s his “We Want Six” jersey, which was once a practice jersey and now includes the official patches from each of the Cowboys’ five Super Bowl wins.
“I was born in 1994, so I didn’t get to witness the glory days everyone talks about,” Perez said. “It’s been a long time coming.”
His collection he brought to Oxnard also included a couple NSFW patches throwing shade at the Cowboys’ division rivals.
But most impressive, possibly, is Perez’s helmet – an exact replica of the one worn by Ezekiel Elliott. He studied countless pictures to learn the specs of Zeke's helmet.
“It looks like I took it off the sideline, I know,” Perez said.
It has Elliott’s name plate, the decal paying homage to the officers killed in the 2016 ambush downtown, and even the “dragon iridium” SHOC visor Zeke has worn in years past.
The star running back has switched over to an “ice blue” visor this year, so that’s next on Perez’s list.
At home, Perez says he has an impressive display of Cowboys items, including pieces from the old Texas Stadium and even some items owned by Cowboys legends like Bob Lilly.
Even if you caught Perez outside the training camp walls, it wouldn't be hard to tell where his allegiance lies. His left arm is covered in Cowboys-centric ink, boasting the aforementioned five Super Bowls. He says he's got plenty of room for more, should the Cowboys add more Lombardi Trophies to their collection.
So, how does a Californian become so dedicated to the Cowboys?
“I grew up in it in the Latino community,” Perez said. “I was raised a Cowboys fan.”
And that’s why training camp in Oxnard is a dream come true for Perez and so many others on the Golden Coast. The California love is real.
“I think it’s awesome,” Perez said. “I think [the Cowboys] recognize how much of a fanbase they have here.”
The Cowboys are, in a sense, the third NFL team in Los Angeles – which didn’t actually have two teams until the Chargers moved there in 2017.
The official southern California Cowboys fan club has more than 8,000 members on Facebook and they turn out in droves at games around California.
“We take over every [California] team,” Perez said. “We went to the [San Francisco 49ers] game, we took it over. We went to see the Cowboys play the Rams, it was our house.”
