“Team players are people who give a darn about someone other than themselves,” Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach told attendees Thursday, Aug. 24, at Fleet Forum 2006, held at the Great American Trucking Show in Dallas. “Team players are people you can trust.”
Staubach knows about team-building both on and off the field. As quarterback, he led Dallas to 23 fourth-quarter come-from-behind victories. His gridiron honors include the Heisman Trophy, the Super Bowl MVP title and a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As founder of the Staubach Co., a successful real-estate business, he employs 1,400 people nationwide. As a family man, he and his wife of more than 40 years have five children and 11 grandchildren.
In his keynote speech, Staubach told the Fleet Forum the story of the Cowboys’ 1971 season. “The Redskins were a healthy 6 and 1, and we were an ugly 4 and 3. We had the talent, but the priorities weren’t there.” Cowboys were bad-mouthing one another in the press. The turning point came at a team meeting, when Staubach’s teammate Mike Ditka said, “Let’s get out there and fight together. We’ve got a shot.” He also threatened to deal personally with any player who didn’t support the team.
“We were all scared of Mike Ditka,” Staubach recalled. “He’s really mellowed since then.” Dallas went on to win its next 10 games, including the playoffs and the Super Bowl. “Our behavior became team behavior,” Staubach said.
In answer to a question about controversial Cowboys hire Terrell Owens, Staubach said, “I wouldn’t have hired him, with that resume. He doesn’t like quarterbacks, for one thing.
