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ARLINGTON, Texas -- Mexico's passion for the Dallas Cowboys goes back to the beginning of the 1970s. Back then, the loyalty for the team was developed via radio and television.

Former general manager and Hall of Famer Tex Schramm developed the biggest radio broadcasting network in the United States, which included 16 Spanish-language stations in seven states and Mexico.

"The CID company bought the broadcasting rights at a cheap lower rate to air the Cowboys' games, and then rented broadcast time to the radio stations in Mexico," Fernando Von Rossum, the legendary Mexican football writer, recalled. "It was how Dallas and the NFL started their massive introduction to the Mexican territory."

Von Rossum said that by the end of the 1970s, marketing for the Cowboys was so big that the leading television networks were also interested in airing games.

"Every weekend, we aired a doubleheader and one of the games, never missing, was a Cowboys game; and their rival [team] didn't matter," he said. "It was a big business for the television networks and for all of us that were involved."

Von Rossum worked for more than 30 years with Televisa and TV Azteca, and is currently a commentator for Fox Sports en Español.

According to Von Rossum, the popularity of the Cowboys grew out of the presence of legendary players such as Bob Lilly, Tony Dorsett and Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach, among others, led by coach Tom Landry.

"I noticed the high following the team had in Mexico since I played, simply because of the letters I received," Staubach once said. "Even when I retired, I wrote a book ["Time Enough To Win"] and I received many offers to have it translated in Spanish and more copies were sold in Mexico."

From 1966 to 1985, the Cowboys put together 20 winning seasons, 18 postseason appearances, 13 divisional titles and five Super Bowl appearances, winning two titles.

"Also, the popularity grew because they had Mexican players or players of Mexican origin, like kickers such as Efren Herrera, Danny Villanueva, Rafael Septien and Luis Zendejas," Von Rossum said.

The team won three championships in the 1990s under owner Jerry Jones, who acquired the Cowboys in 1989.

"New idols like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin started to arrive," Von Rossum said. "There were others, such as Tony Casillas, a key defensive player in the three championships."

Today, the organization has its Silver Network, which broadcasts preseason and regular-season games live and in Spanish. The Silver Network signal reaches 27 affiliated radio stations in Texas, three in New Mexico and one each in Louisiana and Kansas, as well as in four Mexican cities.

"Every season, we broadcast the games live," said Victor Villalba, the Cowboys' Spanish play-by-play announcer. "Regardless of the bad streaks, ratings are always good in Mexico."