A rare moment in a longtime rivalry — some Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys fans weren’t actually divided over the weekend. That’s all because of a 6-foot-9, 309-pound trailblazing rookie from the Navajo Nation — the first athlete from his tribe to reach the National Football League.
Coming off Saturday’s win, the Cowboys are undefeated with a 2-0 preseason record — a first since 2007. But the bigger game highlight was arguably when towering No. 75 Shiyazh Pete with his long braid of black hair took the field.
Five or so minutes were left in the fourth quarter.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, suddenly came unglued.
The rowdy crowd floored Pete with a standing ovation — while waving seemingly countless flags featuring the rainbow-coated seal of the Navajo Nation. Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones joined the tribe’s president, Buu Nygren, in rooting for Pete before the coin toss.
“Yá’át’ééh Navajo Nation, go Cowboys,” said Jones in a selfie video recorded by Nygren from the sidelines about midfield. The president followed-up by saying: “That’s right, go Cowboys!”
Pete only appeared in six plays during the final Dallas touchdown drive, helping secure the 34-13 victory against the Cards. But that brief moment under the bright lights meant so much more.
Game night was also the birthday of Pete’s dad.
Back in the locker room, Pete told KJZZ and the Navajo Times in a joint interview that playing in front of his father was “a good gift to him.” Many of Pete’s other avid fans traveled from northern Arizona and New Mexico — hundreds of miles away — just to catch him play these few snaps.
“Well, I am indebted to you for the support you showed today,” added Pete, the 23-year-old offensive lineman who has been testing out being a third-string guard, “towards my name, towards this organization. It’s impactful and astounding.”
![Dallas Cowboys rookie Shiyazh Pete, who is Navajo, walks off the field at State Farm Stadium following a preseason win [34-13] against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22, 2026.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8513606/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2048x1365+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F24%2F4f%2F6037d713452191a47abc14f7635e%2Fshiyazh-pete-sidelines-20260822.jpg)
Following the game, Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer shared his high hopes for Pete, who is currently fighting to make the 53-man roster. Their last preseason bout is against the New Orleans Saints on Friday.
“Maybe one of the hardest workers I’ve been around — maximized all his opportunities. Everyone loves him because he’s like the way he is today,” said Schottenheimer during a press conference. “And you know, he’s doing a good job for us.”
He also admitted that kind of support shown on Saturday night was a first.
“I saw something tonight I’d never seen before — 25 years in the NFL — an entire section cheering for one man,” said Schottenheimer before letting Pete lead a rousing locker room speech in front of his teammates.
“That was an incredible win and I am very fortunate to be amongst you,” said Pete, adding: “Fate brought us here as strangers — but this game, this star, this team, will make us brothers.”
“Cowboys on three: 1, 2, 3, Cowboys!”
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