S2 Ep 2: The First Woman in the Dallas Cowboys Locker Room | Marjorie Herrera Lewis | Bench to Bold

Send us Fan MailMarjorie Herrera Lewis is a trailblazing sports journalist who became the first female beat writer to cover the Dallas Cowboys, and she brought her incredible energy and stories to Bench to Bold. From growing up in a sports-obsessed family in Santa Fe to accidentally almost becoming the next J.Lo (seriously!), Marjorie's journey is pure gold. She dives deep into her groundbreaking work covering the Cowboys during the Tom Landry era, her friendship with tennis legend Martina Navratilova, and how a random conversation at her allergy doctor's office led to her award-winning novel "When the Men Were Gone." Now she's launching the Global Pro Flag Football League as commissioner, because apparently breaking one glass ceiling wasn't enough. Plus, she reveals her latest obsession: bowling (and she's really good at it). This episode is packed with laughs, real talk, and the kind of stories that remind you why live sports hit different.GUEST BIO:Marjorie Herrera Lewis is the author of "When the Men Were Gone," a powerful novel based on the true story of a woman who coached football in Texas during World War II. The book was selected by Sports Illustrated as one of the best sports books of 2018 and has been optioned for film. At age 60, she made history again by coaching defensive backs at Texas Wesleyan University, making her the only female college football coach at any level that year. During her journalism career, she covered the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, Wimbledon, and the Davis Cup. She's now the commissioner of the Global Pro Flag Football League set to launch in spring 2026. Marjorie co-hosts "Journey Through Sports and Life," a weekly television show streaming on DBTV.EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:01:22 --- Sports DNA Deep Dive Marjorie talks about her sports-obsessed parents and how athletics shaped her life from day one03:00 --- College Dreams & Career Moves From Arizona State broadcast journalism to making the bold decision to move to Dallas at 12 years old05:11 --- Breaking Barriers The story of how she became the first female Dallas Cowboys beat writer and what that moment felt like06:51 --- Tom Landry's Leadership How Coach Landry held a 15-minute team meeting about respecting the first woman in their locker room07:32 --- Hall of Fame Era Being there during the transition from Tom Landry to Jimmy Johnson and covering future Hall of Famers09:16 --- Coach Landry's Personal Side The surprising phone call from Tom Landry when Marjorie's daughter was born09:45 --- When the Men Were Gone How a random comment at her allergy doctor led to discovering an incredible World War II story13:28 --- Flag Ball Revolution Why Marjorie prefers "flag ball" over "flag football" and her vision for the sport's future17:28 --- Summit Bowl Dreams The championship game vision for the Women's Flag Ball League21:11 --- Life's Mission Discovered How sports became her life's work and why she never expected to be a league commissioner22:29 --- The J.Lo Connection The incredible story of how neck surgery cost her a shot at the career Jennifer Lopez built25:02 --- Bowling Obsession From tennis to pickleball to her current fanatical love affair with bowling28:03 --- Tennis World Access Stories from covering Wimbledon and her friendship with Martina Navratilova32:14 --- Women's Flag Ball League Where to find updates and how to get involved in the movement34:24 --- Live Sports Magic Why sports create emotional connections that movies and Broadway shows can't matchLearn more about Marjorie:Official Website: https://marjorieherreralewis.com/Twitter: https://x.com/WhenMenGoneWatch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BenchtoBoldFollow Bench to Bold on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benchtobold