How Dolly Parton turned a Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show into one of the NFL’s most talked-about performances

Dolly Parton died Tuesday at age 80, and the tributes pouring in from the sports world are a reminder of just how far her reach extended beyond country music. Among all her moments in stadiums and arenas, one stands above the rest. On Thanksgiving Day 2023, Parton walked out at AT&T Stadium in a bedazzled Cowboys cheerleader outfit, stood in front of 90,000-plus fans, and performed one of the most memorable halftime shows in the NFL's holiday tradition -- at 77 years old.What happened at Dolly Parton's Cowboys Thanksgiving halftime show in 2023?The Cowboys had wanted Dolly Parton for their Thanksgiving halftime slot for years. They finally got her commitment earlier in 2023 when she co-hosted the 58th Academy of Country Music Awards at The Star in Frisco. From that point, anticipation kept building. A commemorative T-shirt tied to the performance sold out in under an hour -- with no promotion.The performance itself ran six minutes. Parton opened with "Jolene," moved into "9 to 5," and closed with Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions," both pulled from her *Rockstar* album. She delivered all of it in a crop-topped version of the Cowboys cheerleader uniform — sequins and all.There was one moment that nearly didn't happen. Parton stood in front of a large silver star-shaped platform with a hole at its center. The plan, apparently, was for her to rise through it dramatically. It never happened -- the platform appeared to malfunction. Parton kept going without missing a beat, and the crowd never noticed anything was wrong.She later explained her mindset going in: "I thought, 'Well at my age, if I can pull it off, it's going to be good. And if I don't, I can just pass it off as an old woman doing a stupid ass thing,'" she told USA Today. "I've always said my desire to do something is greater than my fear of it."That quote tells you everything about why the performance worked. Parton wasn't trying to compete with the production value of a Super Bowl show. She walked out with her personality, her catalog, and zero hesitation -- and that was enough.What was Dolly Parton's connection to Tennessee sports?The Cowboys moment was the most nationally visible, but Parton's sports identity was rooted in Tennessee. Days before Thanksgiving 2023, Peyton Manning led her onto the field at Neyland Stadium, where she performed "Rocky Top" during Tennessee's home game against Georgia.That same year, she partnered with both ESPN and the University of Tennessee. The network agreed to feature her music during "Monday Night Football" games, while she collaborated with UT to produce an exclusive Vols-themed edition of her *Rockstar* album that included a live version of "Rocky Top.""My East Tennessee roots run deep, and I am so proud to be partnering with the Vols," she said at the time. It was not a publicity move. She had been tied to Tennessee athletics for decades -- the school's marching band performed a full tribute to her at Neyland Stadium in 2015, and she surprised them with a video message played on the board.In 2020, the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame named her Tennessean of the Year. On Tuesday, the organization called her a Tennessee icon in its statement marking her passing.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.