For 15 seasons, Bill Bates was living a dream as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He carried that out for five more years as an assistant coach.

Experiencing twenty years with America's Team, it's safe to say that Bates has accumulated quite a few memories of Texas Stadium, which will house the Cowboys for only one more year before the team moves to its new $1.1 billion stadium in nearby Arlington.

"Oh yes, lots of memories of this place," Bates said just before a preseason game against Houston last month. "I remember a lot of things. There's always the first game I ever played to the last game I ever played. It was a preseason game and I was trying to make it as a free agent. I had dreamed about playing for the Cowboys since I was in high school. "My high school uniform was the Dallas Cowboys uniform. So when I was in high school, I had a star on my helmet. I try to tell kids that dreams do come true."

But Bates highlighted a few more memories from his playing days at Texas Stadium that will always stand out:

• The time the fans sang Happy Birthday to Joe Theismann when we beat the Redskins on "Monday Night Football" in 1985."

• "Laying out there on the 20-yard line asleep because I got knocked out returning a punt in 1984. I had to go into the training room and I told the doctors that I was OK, but that they needed to go into the stands and tell my girlfriend that I was OK. They said, 'Bill, she's not your girlfriend, she's your wife.' I said, 'OK, maybe I'm not OK.' And I missed the rest of the year."

• "Of course, the Leon Lett game on Thanksgiving against the Dolphins in the snow. You always think about that."

• "My first playoff game was against the Rams in 1983. We come out before the game and there is like 20,000 people there because there was ice on the seats because it was so cold and rainy. And then we got the snot beat out of us. Sometimes the memories are the negative things that happen, more than the great things."

• "One game I remember intercepting a pass and running out of bounds right near the sideline. I rolled over and my wife Denise was sitting right there. So I just got up and gave her the ball. So that kind of memory will always stick out in my mind."

While some of Bates' memories at Texas Stadium involve cold-weather games, he said one aspect of playing here he hasn't forgotten, or missed, is the heat. And that's one reason why Bates is now the founder of his company Temperature Management Systems (TMS), a product which provides air-conditioned shoulder pads for players.

Several teams from high schools, colleges and the pros, including the Cowboys, have adopted the system, which pumps cold air into the players' shoulder pads on the sidelines.

Bates, who calls himself the president of his company, said his product is being used by more than 35 teams around the nation, including the University of Florida and some NFL teams - Miami, Houston, NY Jets, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Green Bay and Dallas.

Bates said playing in many hot games at Texas Stadium is one reason why he's in this business today.

"I don't miss the heat at all," he said. "Maybe there is a reason why I've got air-cooled shoulder pads. I know how bad it is. Getting IV's at halftime. The air condition is going to be nice for the players."