He Shut Up And Played

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Boca Raton, Florida

In a sea of Dallas Cowboy jerseys, on a hot, sticky day in Canton, Ohio, Emmitt Smith wiped a tear from his eye. He was there, among 19,000 others at Fawcett Stadium, to see Troy Aikman inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The emotion was overwhelming. "We've been through so much together," said the running back who will undoubtedly join him as a Hall of Famer. "Troy's uniqueness was that he knew what it took to win."

It's been 10 years since a Cowboy was elected to the Hall of Fame, but the selectors picked an honorable one. Troy, whom I've known since his rookie year, is the heir apparent to Roger Staubach, in poise, class and heart. If he had music to accompany him, it would be a Sousa march. In his stoic, steady way, Troy had 32,900 passing yards and 165 touchdowns in 12 seasons, but he stood for so much more. He saw his role as one of moving the team down the field, regardless of his numbers. He saw his role as passing to Michael Irvin or Jay Novacek, or handing off to Emmitt Smith. His job was to win.

This day in Canton started with a parade down Cleveland Avenue – the third largest parade, I'm told, after the Rose and Macy's. It ended with a wild, all- you-could-eat-and-drink party at the Glenmoor Country Club, complete with hundreds of former Cowboys, friends and coaches. In between, Troy was inducted on a sun-baked afternoon, where he thanked 13 of his former players, many of his coaches, his beautiful family and the man who presented him, Norv Turner.

Whether bruised or banged, Troy Aikman shut up and played.

"For as long as I can remember," said Troy, now the lead analyst at Fox, "all I wanted to do was play professional sports. I was able to live that dream, I know very few get the chance. Norv would often remind me, when I'd lost or been sacked a million times, 'This is the job you always wanted'. To win three World Championships and be selected to the Hall of Fame, I am humbled."

Norv Turner only coached Troy for three years, starting in 1991, but it came at a time when Troy needed the big brother he'd never had. Aikman struggled his first year under Jimmy Johnson, winning only one game, then Norv came along as the offensive coordinator, and proved to be the mentor Troy had been missing. "I knew he'd show emotion in Canton," said Norv, now the offensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers. "Everyone thinks Troy is unemotional, just made of steel and wires, but he's not. He's a very caring, passionate man."

Aikman owes much of his success to the women in his life, starting with his mother Charlyn, who sacrificed so much for her son and his two sisters, Terri and Tami. Troy's wife Rhonda and their three daughters, Rachel, Jordan and Alex, have been a consistent joy. Troy often credits them with keeping him both sane and happy. He wasn't close to his father, but Troy did learn from Ken Aikman the value of hard work, that anything could be accomplished by never quitting.

"Troy was special," said former coach Jimmy Johnson. "He never let his ego get in the way of winning. Super Bowls were more important to him than statistics."

Aikman endured many career injuries, more than you could possibly imagine. His attitude was always, "Hey, just shut up and play," but it's worth recounting what this legend has been through. Troy had his right shoulder separated, his left collarbone fractured, his right knee sprained, a degenerative back condition, a strained right calf, a sprained left knee, and at least 10 concussions that we know about. I was at the 1994 NFC Championship, when Troy took a knee to the helmet and was knocked unconscious. In the locker room, the team doctor said to him, with smelling salts under his nose, "Where are you now?" and Troy replied, "I'm in Henryetta," which was his high school team in Oklahoma.

This passion to win came from someone who was sure he'd play professional baseball. He always loved catcher Johnny Bench – also from Oklahoma – and pitcher Roger Clemens, for both their tenacity and talent. Henryetta has a population of only 5000, but Troy knew there was much to learn. He began going to football camps in his native Cerritos, California, and when his family moved to Oklahoma, he started going to camps at Oklahoma University. To this day, Troy teaches at Jay Novacek's camp, proving you're never too old to either teach or learn.

Some people deserve the happiness they have, and Aikman is one of them. At his party in Canton, Troy talked about his new racing venture with Roger Staubach. After 12 bruising seasons in the NFL, six Pro Bowls and three Super Bowls, he's been ready for another challenge. Aikman and Staubach announced a new deal with Chevrolet for a NASCAR entry driven solely by Tony Raines, who'd shared the seat last year with Terry Labonte. Aikman and Staubach have a goal of finishing in the top 25 this year, and, no surprise, they're in excellent hands. Hall of Fame Racing (the official name) gets its technical support from Joe Gibbs Racing. Isn't it great how Cowboys and Redskins can come together in a common cause?

The only way for Troy to handle all of these commitments, from his family to Fox to his foundation, has been with the help of a Hawker 800XP, courtesy of Gold Jets, his aircraft management company. "I need easy transportation," he said, "and with the Hawker, I have a business tool that helps me manage my time. I use it between 30 and 50 hours a month. It gets me home to see Rhonda and the girls at a reasonable time."

Aikman's lesson is a great one. When his family moved from California to Oklahoma, they went from a neighborhood to a farm, from Troy carrying his bat across his bike to hauling hay on a 170-acre ranch. Aikman didn't play on the varsity as a freshman. But by his sophomore year, he led the Fighting Hens – yes, he still laughs at the name – as the best quarterback in the state. He went on to become one of the best who ever played.