Roger Staubach

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Full Name: Roger Thomas Staubach Primary Position: QB Height/Weight: 6' 2"/198 College: New Mexico Military Institute, United States Naval Academy Birthdate: February 5, 1942 High School: Purcell (Cincinnati, OH) Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio Pro Experience: 11 years Hall of Fame

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[edit] Biography

[edit] Biography

Roger Thomas Staubach (born February 5, 1942) is a businessman and former American professional football player. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and graduated from a Catholic parochial school, Purcell High School (now called Purcell Marian High School). After his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1965, Staubach spent four years as an officer in the United States Navy, including a tour of duty in Vietnam as a naval supply officer.

[edit] College career

After one year at New Mexico Military Institute, Staubach played quarterback for the United States Naval Academy. As a sophomore, he got an opportunity to start in the second half of a game against Cornell University. With the Midshipmen trailing in the first half, coach Wayne Hardin decided to put Staubach into the game to see if he could spark the team's offense. Staubach went on to lead the team to 6 second half touchdown drives, throwing for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running for 88 yards and another score. A few weeks later, Staubach started again in the famed Army/Navy game, which featured president John F. Kennedy (himself a former Naval officer), who just 37 days earlier had negotiated the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis, performing the coin toss. Staubach led the team to a 34-14 upset over Army, throwing for 2 touchdowns and running for 1.

For the rest of his college career, Staubach would make a name for himself with his superb scrambling skills and his ability to salvage broken plays. He would often change direction multiple times and avoid numerous tacklers while running around in the backfield looking for an open receiver or scrambling for extra rushing yards..

In his junior season of 1963, he won the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award, while leading the Midshipmen to a 9-1 record and a final ranking of #2 in the nation. In his 3 seasons at Navy, he completed 292 of 463 passes, with only 19 interceptions, and gained a school record 4,253 yards of total offense. The Naval academy retired Staubach's jersey number (#12) during his graduation ceremony after his senior season.

In 1981, Staubach was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame.

[edit] Naval Career and Vietnam Service

He was a 10th round draft pick in 1964 by the Dallas Cowboys, but due to his military commitment, did not begin playing until 1969 as a 27 year old rookie.

After graduating from the Naval Academy, Staubach could have requested an assignment in the States, but he chose to volunteer for a 1-year tour of duty in Vietnam, where he served as a supply officer until 1967. He spent the rest of his Naval career in the United States, playing football on various Naval service teams to prepare for his future career in the NFL.

In 1969, Staubach resigned his commission, just in time to join the Cowboys training camp

[edit] NFL career

Staubach served as a backup to quarterback Craig Morton in his first 2 NFL seasons. In his second year, he started in several games, but Morton eventually won the permanent starting spot and went on to lead the team to Super Bowl V, where they lost to the Baltimore Colts 16-13

In 1971, Staubach assumed the full-time quarterbacking duties for the Cowboys and led them to their first Super Bowl victory, 24-3 over the Miami Dolphins. He was named Most valuable player of Super Bowl VI on January 16, 1972, completing 12 out of 19 passes for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns, and rushing for 18 yards. In 1972, he missed most of the season with a separated shoulder, but he relieved Morton in a divisional playoff against the San Francisco 49ers and threw two touchdown passes in the last 90 seconds to win the game 30-28. With that performance, he won back his regular job and did not relinquish it again during his career.

Staubach played with the Cowboys until 1979 under Tom Landry. Staubach was a 6-time Pro-Bowler(1971, 1976-1979), and led the Cowboys to another NFL championship win in the 1977 season. He threw for 183 yards and a touchdown, with no interceptions, in Dallas' 27-10 victory in Super Bowl XII. Staubach also lead the Cowboys to Super Bowl appearances in Super Bowl X and Super Bowl XIII, where they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers both times. His offensive teammates included standout receivers Drew Pearson and Golden Richards, tight ends Billy Joe Dupree and Jackie Smith, running backs Robert Newhouse, Calvin Hill, and Tony Dorsett, and Hall of Fame offensive lineman Rayfield Wright.

Staubach was one of the most exciting NFL players of the 1970's. Known as "Roger The Dodger" for his scrambling abilities, and also as "Captain Comeback" for his many fourth quarter heroics, Staubach had a penchant for leading scoring drives which would lead the Cowboys to improbable victories. He led his team to twenty-three come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter, with 17 of these coming in the last two minutes.

Perhaps his most famous moment was the "Hail Mary Pass" in the 1975 playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings. With seconds on the clock and the Cowboys trailing 14-10, Staubach launched a 50-yard bomb to wide receiver Drew Pearson, who caught the pass and strode into the end zone for a 17-14 victory. After the game, Staubach quipped he prayed a "Hail Mary" before throwing the pass. The moment has been emblazoned in football folklore ever since, and the "Hail Mary pass" has entered the realm of football nomenclature.

Staubach recorded the highest passer rating in the NFL in 4 different seasons (1971, 1973, 1978, 1979), and led the league with 23 touchdown passes in 1973. He was an All-NFC choice five times and selected to play in six Pro Bowls. In his final NFL season of 1979, Staubach set career highs in completions(267), passing yards(3,586), and touchdown passes(27), with just 11 interceptions.

Overall, he finished his 11 NFL seasons with 1,685 completions for 22,700 yards and 153 touchdowns, with 109 interceptions. He also gained 2,264 rushing yards and scored 20 touchdowns on 410 carries.

[edit] Retirement

Staubach retired from football in 1979, as the highest rated passer of all time (83.4) (at the time), and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1977 he capitalized on his football fame and started a commercial real estate business which has been his primary endeavor since retirement from football as CEO of The Staubach Company. Staubach currently jointly owns Hall of Fame Racing, a NASCAR Nextel Cup team, with fellow former Cowboy Troy Aikman, which began racing for the 2006 season.

[edit] External links

• Pro Football Hall of Fame: Member profile
• Monday Morning CEO: Roger Staubach's blog
• About.com Roger Staubach Football Legend page
• The Staubach Company
• Hall of Fame Racing
• Career Stats

[edit] Scouting Report

[edit] Statistics

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[edit] See Also

[edit] Awards

• Won the Heisman Trophy Winner in 1963
• Won the Bert Bell MVP Trophy (Maxwell Club) in 1971
• Won the Super Bowl MVP in 1971

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