As United Way of Metropolitan Dallas marks its 100-year anniversary Saturday with an array of memorable events at Fair Park and the Cotton Bowl — a food and wine festival, a VIP dinner for business and civic leaders, a can’t-miss concert starring Janet Jackson and Blake Shelton — another notable element comes into focus:
Seven D-FW professional sports franchises — the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Stars, Wings, FC Dallas and Dallas Trinity FC — have championed the yearlong centennial celebration as part of their strong partnerships with the community service organization — a rarely seen alignment of so many teams in one region behind a single cause.
“Only in Dallas does this kind of partnership happen,” Jennifer Sampson, CEO and president of United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, told The Dallas Morning News. “It would be rare to find another city where 100% of the professional sports franchises are this invested. I think Dallas stands alone … We’re setting the standard for what civic engagement through sports should look like nationwide here in Dallas. And it’s inspiring — it’s unifying.”
Talk with Sampson, a veteran of nearly 25 years with the social change organization, and hear her enthusiasm, hear her rattle off a long list of philanthropic efforts by the teams over the years — be it high-ranking executives, athletes like Troy Aikman and Rolando Blackman or even mascots taking part — which goes far beyond just signing checks.
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Over the past year, the Centennial Volunteer Series alone included a bevy of events — all supercharged by the involvement of Dallas-area sports teams.
Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman posed with Jennifer Sampson after it was announced that Aikman will lead the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas 2017-18 fundraising campaign.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
The Stars and FC Dallas came out to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science for a STEM fest; Cowboys chief brand officer Charlotte Jones took part in Reading Day; Dallas Trinity FC played a large role in “Stock the Schools”; the Rangers were integral in a summer meals program; the Wings took part in a tree planting event; and the Mavericks were at the Dallas Zoo for a community program called “Jungle Bells.”
What’s more, the Dallas-area pro teams are honorary host committee members and sponsors of the centennial event anniversary.
“There are very few cities in the world as philanthropic as Dallas,” FC Dallas President Dan Hunt told The News. “I know so many of these families associated with these teams, and where their value systems are on helping out others. This is a great sports town. It loves major events. There’s been a lot of success over the years from that, and it’s a way for all of us to give back.”
For a century, United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has sought to create access to education, income and health for all North Texans. Among their myriad programs are Dollars for College, which expands access to affordable college savings accounts for low- and moderate-income families; North Texas Healthcare Collaborative, which provides short-term financial assistance to those who lost employer-sponsored health care coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic; and Character Playbook, which encourages students to build values with the involvement of NFL players.
Sports, in particular, and philanthropy are “inextricably linked,” Sampson said, adding, “They’re not just connected, they’re inseparable.”
United Way’s relationship with the NFL dates back decades. Growing up, Hunt recalls his father, the late Lamar Hunt — founder of the American Football League and the Kansas City Chiefs — always expressing strong support for the United Way. They would have conversations about the importance of giving back, being supportive of an organization engaging in strong community service — conversations that the younger Hunt said left a mark on him.
Those of a certain age remember early United Way commercials featuring Roger Staubach and other luminaries during NFL broadcasts.
“I remember watching the NFL in the ’70s and United Way was synonymous with it,” Dallas Stars CEO Brad Alberts, a member of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas board of directors, told The News. “Its history is amazing.”
Alberts called Sampson “world class” and “as driven as any nonprofit leader I’ve ever been around.” That seven pro teams work deeply with United Way, he said, speaks to Sampson’s organized vision and ability to attract the franchises to her clear mission.
The Dallas Cowboys and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas celebrate Reading Day during the Cowboys’ regular season 44-22 win over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Oct. 19, 2025. (James D. Smith/Dallas Cowboys)
United Way of Metropolitan Dalla / ©James D. Smith/Dallas Cowboys
LaDondra Wilson, the Wings’ vice president of social responsibility and executive director of the Dallas Wings Community Foundation, said their pillars are women and girls, social justice, youth sports, health and wellness and education, making their collaboration with United Way essential.
And Greg Bibb, CEO of the Wings, added that with their move from playing games in Arlington to Dallas in the coming years, they are doubling down on community impact efforts in the city of Dallas, making the centennial celebration the perfect opportunity to focus energy here.
“I’ve had an opportunity to work in a handful of markets in my career, and all of them have been great for different reasons,” Bibb told The News. “But there’s never been a market where I’ve experienced the collaboration and the partnership amongst the teams for one another and then collectively supporting other things.”
D-FW sports teams will have their fingerprints on Saturday’s celebration as well. Among the distinguished guests expected to take part: Dirk Nowitzki, Charles Haley, Darren Woodson, Blackman and Marty Turco.
The D-FW pro sports teams have an “enormous megaphone that helps us get the word out about the important work we’re doing to create access and opportunity for more people to thrive here at home,” Sampson said. “And we couldn’t do it alone — like, we could not. We couldn’t have the reach that we do when we partner with these organizations. Only in Dallas does this type of partnership happen.”
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