Troy Aikman, quarterback of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys dynasty, three-time Super Bowl winner, member of the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame.
Troy Kenneth Aikman was born on November 21, 1966, in a suburb of Los Angeles. His earlier childhood was spent in the California town of Cerritos, later the Aikman family moved to Oklahoma. Troy graduated from high school in the town of Henrietta. There he was not only a successful high school varsity quarterback and baseball player, but also won the speed typing championship. In 1984, the baseball New York Mets offered Aikman a contract, but he chose to attend university and pursue a career in football.
In 1984, Troy became the first rookie since 1945 to enter a game as the Oklahoma Sooners' starting quarterback. He took over the position permanently his sophomore year, but the season was short. As early as the fourth game, against the Miami Hurricanes, Aikman suffered a broken leg. Oklahoma went undefeated the rest of the season and eventually won the national championship. Jamelle Holieway took over the starting quarterback spot, and Troy made the decision to transfer to the UCLA program. He had to miss one season after that due to NCAA rules, but in the last two he did everything he could to make college football history.
In 1987, Aikman led the UCLA Bruins to a 10-2 record and was named Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. In 1988, the team won the Cotton Bowl and Troy won the Davey O'Brien Award, the NCAA's top quarterback award. In contention for the Heisman Trophy, he finished third. Dallas reporters began actively promoting the idea long before the draft that he should be the Cowboys' future franchise quarterback.
Aikman was selected by Dallas at No. 1 overall in the 1989 draft. It wasn't long before Jerry Jones became the team's new owner, firing legendary head coach Tom Landry and selecting quarterback Steve Walsh in the summer supplemental draft. Walsh, a former star of the Miami program, played under Jimmy Johnson during his college career, who became the Cowboys' new coach. During the season, the two quarterbacks battled for a starting spot, Aikman took the upper hand and Walsh was traded to the Saints. In Troy's first three years in the league, Dallas gradually went from an underdog to a playoff participant, but the team was hampered by injuries to its quarterback at the most important times. It wasn't until 1992 that the Cowboys' machine, by then augmented by Emmitt Smith, kicked into full gear. The team reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 1979, where they destroyed Buffalo 52-17. Aikman was named the game's MVP, racking up 273 yards with four touchdowns. Dallas repeated the success in 1993, although Troy was nearly left out of the game after suffering a concussion in the conference finals. In Super Bowl XXVIII, the Bills were beaten again, with Emmitt Smith the main protagonist and the quarterback limited to 207 yards and an interception. Aikman won his third career championship ring in 1995, leading the team to victory over Pittsburgh. After that triumph, Cowboys' Golden Age quickly came to an end. In the second half of Troy's career, the team never made it further than the divisional round of the playoffs, and twice finished fourth in the division altogether.
His last season was the 2000 season, during which Aikman suffered his tenth concussion. He later said that the real reason for his departure was constant back pain. Be that as it may, he left the league as a Dallas legend. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and a couple more years later he was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. His No. 8 is retired from the UCLA program.
Since the end of his playing career, Troy has been one of Fox Channel's best-known commentators. He has worked on six Super Bowls and was nominated for an Emmy in 2004. In addition, he hosts his own show on a Dallas radio station, serves as a spokesperson for a construction company, and runs a charitable foundation and sports agency. Along with another former Dallas quarterback Roger Staubach, Troy briefly owned a NASCAR racing series team.