DALLAS COWBOYS - ROGER STAUBACH

To be a success in the NFL, quarterbacks need brains, a strong, accurate arm, mobility and a certain amount of courage. Roger Staubach - Hall of Fame passer for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979 - displayed another skill which enabled him to become one of the best to play the position. Patience.

In 1969 Roger Staubach joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie, became the starting quarterback in his third season in 1971, and for the next nine seasons he led the Dallas attack. The Cowboys played in six NFC Championship Games, won four of them, and also won Super Bowls VI and XII during Staubach's career.

Staubach grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, the son of a salesman. He saw football as his opportunity for college. After being appointed to the Naval Academy, Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 during his Junior year. At the time he was the fourth junior to win the Heisman Trophy. Navy coach Wayne Hardin called him “the greatest quarterback Navy ever had.”  Staubach was one of the hottest prospects in college football in 1963. A splendid NFL career beckoned but Staubach had to finish his required service of four years with the armed forces. Most teams were scared off by his Naval commitments and he was not selected until the 10th round of the 1964 Draft. After being picked by the Cowboys, Staubach was forced to wait five years before breaking into the NFL in 1969 as a 27-year-old,not-so-young rookie. "I never thought we would see this Heisman Trophy winner in a Cowboys' uniform," remarked head coach Tom Landry. Staubach kept up with the Cowboys' playbook and attended the team's training camps every year during his annual leave from the Navy (one year served in Vietnam). He threw his first competitive pass for Dallas in 1969, and although Staubach did not become a regular starter for Landry's side until 1971 he showed flashes of brilliance during his rookie year.

Stats -
Position: Quarterback 
Height: 6' 3" 
Weight: 202 lbs. 
Birthdate: February 5, 1942 
Birthplace: Cincinnati, OH 
College: Navy 
Team/Year: Dallas; 1969-1979 
MVP: Super Bowl VI 
Other: Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985