IRVING – Greg Luttrell wanted to surprise his sons, Ethan and Grant, on Wednesday by taking them to the open practice at Texas Stadium to kick off the Cowboys' final season there.

"I don't think we'll get to go to the new stadium," Luttrell said, "and I wanted to make sure they would have a chance to see Texas Stadium for the first time."

The Luttrells were among the 25,000 or so fans who attended the two-hour workout.

Coach Wade Phillips had promised it would be a "normal" practice, but that wasn't the case. It's not normal to see Terrell Owens throw some of his signature t-shirts – the ones with "iCowboy" on the front – into the stands. It's not normal to see two fans run onto the field before being corralled by security. And it's not normal to see Owens, Tony Romo and Phillips interviewed during the session for the in-stadium monitors.

Two days before the home preseason opener, it's clear neither the Cowboys nor their fans are expecting this to be a normal season.

"I thought it was awesome," Romo said. "It just shows the support they have for us and the excitement level there is for the upcoming season."

An hour and a half before practice, several former players, including Hall of Famers Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Mel Renfro and Bob Lilly, signed autographs for the fans, some of whom began to show up in the parking lot at 6:30 a.m. for a 7 p.m. practice.

"I can remember coming down here and yelling and screaming, 'It's nothing but a party. This is our house,'" Dorsett said. "We were going to do this and do that while we were following Tom Landry down the tunnel. But I had some sad feelings from the standpoint that this may be the last time that I ever walk down this tunnel."

The current Cowboys did not wear shoulder pads, but went through a regular workout that drew oohs and aahs, especially when Romo and Owens hooked up on a deep pass.

After practice, players glad-handed the fans as they went up the stadium tunnel.

Somewhere in the crowd, the Luttrells were smiling

"I've never been here before," said Ethan, 12, "so I want to get everything I can out of it."