IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys built a monstrous 80-foot high indoor practice facility in 2003 to provide a place for the team to work out during inclement weather.

But the air-supported "bubble" was no safe haven Saturday, when it collapsed during a severe thunderstorm near the conclusion of the afternoon rookie minicamp. Twelve people were injured, including special teams coach Joe DeCamillis and assistant scout Rich Behm. No players were injured.

According to the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, the tent-like building succumbed to winds upward of 64 miles per hour.

"I feel like I was in a fight," secondary coach Dave Campo said. "When it came down, I didn't have much time to react. What scared me the most was that my son was in the building. Practice was going well. That was a helluva ending."

It was the second day of a three-day rookie minicamp. Roughly 70 people were inside, including 27 players, coaches, staff, family members and media.

Cowboys spokesman Rich Dalrymple said the team will not practice on Sunday, but will still conduct meetings at the complex.

Most of the people involved are just happy to be alive after a frightening and surreal experience amidst the shocking crumbling of an 88,000-square foot facility, which has a fabric covering supported by steel beams.

"It was really loud, the rain, which is normal for a bubble," said a player, who asked to remain anonymous because the players were instructed not to comment. "When the lights really started shaking and the walls beating is when we knew it was getting bad, and then it started to collapse. We just started taking off running. One wall fell toward the middle. We didn't have anything fall on us. Before we left the structure, we were leaning up against the wall thinking it was a tornado."

The players went from survival mode to rescue mode as, after they got out, many went back in to help find teammates and support personnel who were trapped under the beams.

"We started tugging the vinyl stuff looking for people who were underneath it with scissors and knives," the player said. "We were kind of nervous. Some of the spots could possibly have someone dead. Luckily, no one had severe injuries."

The National Weather Service did not receive any reports of tornadic activity, meteorologist Greg Patrick said.

According to AccuWeather.com meteorologists, this damage is the result of a microburst, or winds that quickly descend from thunderstorms in a sudden, violent push out from a location at over 60 mph.

Although wind speeds near the practice facility were observed to be 64 mph, winds in excess of 80 mph were possible with this storm as it moved over the practice facility.

The Cowboys built the facility at the request of then-coach Bill Parcells. The Cowboys spent more than $4 million on the project.

It was the first time the Cowboys have had a problem with the indoor bubble. The New York Giants practice bubble has collapsed three times, the most recent in December 2007.