Roger Staubach

Roger Staubach Speaker Biography

To be a success in the NFL, quarterbacks need brains, a strong, accurate arm, mobility and a certain amount of courage. Roger Staubach--Hall of Fame passer for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979--displayed another skill that enabled him to become one of the best to play the position. Patience.

In 1969 Roger Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie, became the starting quarterback in his third season in 1971, and for the next nine seasons he led the Dallas attack. The Cowboys played in six NFC Championship Games, won four of them, and also won Super Bowls VI and XII during Staubach's career.

Staubach grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of a salesman. He saw football as his opportunity for college. After being appointed to the Naval Academy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 during his junior year. Navy coach Wayne Hardin called him “the greatest quarterback Navy ever had.” Staubach was one of the hottest prospects in college football in 1963. A splendid NFL career beckoned but Staubach had to finish his required service of four years with the armed forces. Most teams were scared off by his Naval commitments and he was not selected until the 10th round of the 1964 Draft. After being picked by the Cowboys, Staubach was forced to wait five years before breaking into the NFL in 1969 as a 27-year-old, not-so-young rookie. "I never thought we would see this Heisman Trophy winner in a Cowboys' uniform," remarked head coach Tom Landry.

Staubach kept up with the Cowboys' playbook and attended the team's training camps every year during his annual leave from the Navy (one year served in Vietnam). He threw his first competitive pass for Dallas in 1969, and although Staubach did not become a regular starter for Landry's side until 1971, he showed flashes of brilliance during his rookie year.

Roger managed to do more than just survive his initiation into the NFL as he fired one touchdown pass and scrambled for 140 yards. His first scoring toss as a professional went to Lance Rentzel, who made the touchdown. It was the start of a career that saw Staubach become the most exciting quarterback of the seventies and made him largely responsible for the Cowboys becoming known as "America's Team." Roger led Dallas to four Super Bowls in games VI, X, XII and XIII., losing only X and XIII to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The two Super Bowl losses marked one of the few occasions when Staubach was unable to launch one of his famed last-minute comebacks.

During his career, Staubach developed a reputation for pulling out victories when defeat looked inevitable. His refusal to give up lost causes meant he led the Cowboys to 23 come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter. Seventeen of those comebacks came in the final two minutes of games. This led to his being nicknamed "Captain Comeback." "Roger never knew when the game was over," said Dallas tight end Billy Joe Dupree. Many sports fans and professional reporters consider Staubach one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, along with Johnny Unitas and Joe Montana. Making Staubach particularly dangerous was his ability to scramble out of trouble. His 410 career rushes netted him 2,264 yards and 20 touchdowns. He led the NFL in passing four times, was named to six Pro Bowls, and was named All-NFC four times. He was named the most valuable player of Super Bowl VI and provided the offensive spark in a defense-dominated victory in Super Bowl XII.

Staubach won further NFL passing titles in 1973, 1978 and 1979, but was never voted to an All-Pro team. As well as being one of the game's outstanding passers, Staubach was also an outstanding scrambler, gaining 2,264 yards on the ground during his 11-year career. While others appreciated Staubach's neat footwork, Tom Landry was not so impressed. "Coach Landry wasn't happy with my scrambling," the quarterback revealed. "It caused a running feud between us. "But I put up with his play calling and he put up with my scrambling.”

Leadership remains one of the most outstanding qualities for which Staubach is remembered. "I coached the College All-Star game for 10 years," said Otto Graham, himself a great passer with the Cleveland Browns. "Of all the quarterbacks in that game, Roger was the best I ever had. He was a great leader--that's the most important thing for a quarterback."

In 1970, while still playing football for the Dallas Cowboys, Roger launched his real estate career. As a diversified commercial real estate company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Staubach Company helped pioneer the concept of tenant representation. Again Staubach marked himself and his endeavors by becoming one of the leading players in North Texas commercial real estate, expanding his company's business to include finance, design and construction, property and portfolio management and other services.

Of Roger Staubach's professional career with the Dallas Cowboys, not much needs to be said other than that he proved himself to be one of the finest quarterbacks in history in terms of both performance and team leadership. He was voted MVP in Super Bowl VI and voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985, the first year he became eligible for this honor. "He had an air about him," said the late Sid Luckman, a Hall of Fame quarterback with the Chicago Bears. "You knew someone special was on the field." When Staubach retired after the 1979 season he was the highest ranked passer of all time as he completed 1,685 passes for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns in what basically amounted to eight years as a starter.

Staubach was also known for the way he conducted himself off the field. “His was the type of image you wanted in the game for young people,” Landry once said. Part of that is Staubach’s vibrant religious faith. Another aspect is his family life: He married a girl from his hometown and is the proud father of five.

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