IRVING, Texas - As a team, the Dallas Cowboys have experienced more losses this year than they would ever have hoped for: Eight.
But this week, the Cowboys experienced their biggest loss of all, and it had nothing to do with a game or player.
John Chang, the Cowboys' director of broadcasting for nearly nine seasons, passed away at noon Thursday at Parkland Hospital in Dallas after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage late Tuesday afternoon while working here at Valley Ranch.
"John will be remembered as a wonderful person who touched all of our lives with his kindness, his professionalism, and his genuine love for people," said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. "He was, and will always remain, a cherished member of the Dallas Cowboys family."
Chang, who was to be married on Feb. 8, 2003, was truly a valued member of the Cowboys broadcasting department. Hired March 4, 1991, as a senior editor/videographer in the club's television department, Chang was promoted to the position of Director of Television for the Cowboys prior to the 1993 season. In 2001, he became the team's Director of Broadcasting.
More than any of the titles he held, Chang will be remembered more for the person he was and the way he carried himself.
"The thing that strikes me is that I think that the production that the Cowboys do in their shows is as good as any TV show that you could have in the Metroplex or anywhere else," said head coach Dave Campo, who worked with Chang for several years, including on his weekly TV show which Chang produced. "Yet, he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet. He was able to get things done without having to have a heavy hand or any of those kinds of things. He's just a wonderful guy and it's just a shame. They say the good die young. He's one of the good ones in my opinion. It's a shame."
Chang and his staff often worked closely with the players, conducting interviews during the week, as well as before and after games.
"He's always been very cordial, laid-back … didn't say much," running back Emmitt Smith said. "I never saw him say a whole lot. He's one of those kinds of guys who just was a good guy. He was very patient in terms of working with people and working with me. It's just a tragedy to see what has happened."
Cowboys safety Darren Woodson has also worked closely with Chang in years past and said his tragic death affects the entire organization.
"Every organization is different, but it's really like a family atmosphere around here," said Woodson. "You know everyone's first name. You see everybody all the time. John is one of those guys who was part of the family. When a family member goes down, we all have to show our support.
"It puts things in perspective. I look at the game and how upset we were and all these articles about things. And then you see what happened to John and think all of this stuff doesn't matter. That stuff is just simple, compared to this."
Under Chang's direction, Cowboys broadcasting grew into the NFL's largest and most comprehensive in-house television production department. Chang and his staff annually produced the club's preseason games, two weekly in-season television shows, 16 regular season post-game shows and a series of annual one-hour television specials. The Cowboys programming is syndicated in more than 25 markets throughout the five-state SilverStar Network area. It was Chang's vision to expand into the Hispanic community, ultimately bringing the Spanish radio broadcast in-house. This season, the Cowboys have their own Spanish section on their website, DallasCowboys.com, plus host a daily news report in Spanish as well.
Chang oversaw the production of all three of the Cowboys Super Bowl Specials in the weeks leading up to the club's World Championships in 1992, 1993 and 1995. His development of the "Making of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Calendar" TV special became a popular property and now is annually aired nationally by ESPN.
In 2002, he served as the coordinating producer for all Dallas Desperados game broadcasts in the Arena Football League team's inaugural season.
John Da-Jen Chang is survived by his mother, Judy Lai; as well as sister Ku-Lang Chang; brother Da-Yung, his wife Sandra, and their three children Zachery, Dylan and Bianca; John's twin brother Peter, his wife Jenny, and their two children Katie and Stephen; and brother William Lai. John's father Hsi-Liang Chang passed away in 1997.
A memorial service was held at 2 p.m. Friday, December 13th, 2002 at The Fellowship Church, in Grapevine, Texas. On Monday, December 23rd, 2002 at 10 a.m., a memorial and burial service was held in John's hometown of Miami, Florida at the Caballero Woodlawn South Funeral Home.
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