A North Dallas High School student will never forget Sunday night's Cowboys game against the New Orleans Saints after he was allowed to lead the team onto the field alongside head coach Jason Garrett.
"Being escorted down here, it's like VIP status! It's just crazy! I never knew this would happen to me," said 17-year-old Luis Chaparro.
Chaparro, who is a senior at North Dallas High School, said about a year ago his principal nominated him to represent North Texas for Hispanic Heritage Month at a Cowboys game.
Chaparro's parents emigrated from Mexico City 20 years ago and he said his family never really paid attention to football until his older brother started to play.
Chaparro himself started playing just three years ago and is now the kicker for his high school varsity team.
Last week he appeared on NBC's Today Show, where he made a field goal and was told he would get to lead the Cowboys onto the field before their Sunday Night Football game, and attend the game, along with his teammates, as a guest of Michael Irvin.
Chaparro's parents were in constant awe of their son as they watched him on the field before kickoff.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"It's amazing for them because they came as immigrants to the United States almost 20 years ago. I was born here. And for them to see one of their children on live TV, on national TV, it's just something to be really proud of," Chaparro said.
And sure enough, minutes before the game started, with 80,000 cheering fans, Chaparro held the large Hispanic Heritage flag with a tight grip and ran out onto the field alongside Jason Garrett, with the Cowboys players right behind him.
"Jason Garrett came up to me and shook my hand. It was just amazing! He's really tall! I couldn't believe it," he gushed afterward.
Walking into the outstretched arms of his beaming parents, Chaparro said he never forgot why he was there in the first place.
"Being in that tunnel, holding that flag — it just symbolized more than just being there. It symbolized everybody, my whole people being there."
