Troy Aikman Research Paper

Troy Aikman Troy Aikman, from college football, to the NFL, to a commentator, to a man of charity. Most known for his career as a Dallas Cowboy, it all started somewhere, and although Troy Aikman had a rocky start as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, by the end of his career he had become one of the very best Cowboys quarterbacks of all time. Troy Aikman was offered a contract out of High School by the New York Mets to play baseball, but chose to pursue football instead, and went to the University of Oklahoma in 1984 to do that. However, his ankle was broken during one of the games, and he was unable to finish the season. Seeing that he was replaced by a freshman quarterback, who ended up being great. Troy then decided to transfer to UCLA.
He had to redshirt one year due to college transfer rules but went on to lead the bruins to a 20-4 record over two seasons. As a junior he earned the Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Aikman led the Bruins to a 10-2 record and the 1987 Aloha Bowl. As a senior, Aikman won the 1988 Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s top quarterback. He was a Consensus All- American, the UPI West Coast player of the Year, the Washington DC Club QB of the Year, a finalist for the 1988 AFCA “Coaches Choice” Player of the Year award, and he finished third for the 1988 Heisman Trophy. Aikman ended his collegiate career as the third rated passer in NCAA history. Aikman was the number 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, by the Dallas Cowboys. He became the first Dallas rookie quarterback to start a season opener since Roger Staubach in 1969. Although he showed promise, and threw for a rookie record 379 yards, the team still finished 1-15. In 1990, Troy completed 226 of 399 passes for 2,579 yards and 11 touchdowns. The team finished that year, 7-9. The following year he completed an NFC-best 65.3 percent of his passes and they improved to 11-5. In 1992, in just his 52nd game, Aikman reached the 10,000 yard passing mark, and his 302 completions were second most in history. That season also marked the end of the Dallas’ odyssey from worst to first. The Cowboys were 13-3 and scored a combined 116 points in three games including the 27th Super Bowl of 1992. Aikman’s 22 of 30 for 273 yards passing and four touchdowns earned him Super Bowl MVP honors. Over the next three seasons, the Cowboys enjoyed three consecutive 12-4 records and victories in 3 Super Bowls.
Made it to the play-offs every year, but one. Unfortunately, during his final two seasons, injuries began to take a toll on him. Troy had sustained 10 concussions over his career. Finally after the 2000 season, he announced his retirement from football.
Aikman retired as the Cowboys leading passer with over 32,000 yards. With 90 wins in the 1990s, Aikman became the winningest starting quarterback of any decade in NFL history. Aikman played for 12 seasons and 165 games. He won 3 Super bowls, 1992, 1993, and 1996. He went to 6 Pro Bowls for the NFL. In all his NFL seasons combined, he threw 165 touchdowns. He led 16 fourth quarter comebacks, and 221 game winning drives.
After his retirement, Aikman joined Fox’s NFC telecast as a commentator for the 2001 season. A year later, he was named to the networks lead announcing crew. He also hosts a weekly sports radio show. In 2004, he was inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor, which is a very prestigious honor that you get for being one of the best Dallas Cowboys of your era. In 2006, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on his first try. On December 9, 2008, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Troy’s biggest passion now is the Troy Aikman Foundation, which he is the chairman of. It’s a charity to benefit children that has recently focused on building play places for children’s
hospitals.
Troy Aikman started as a humble young man, who just wanted to play ball. He is now a man, who has fulfilled his childhood dreams, and is now trying to make others childhoods a little better.