Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman has harnessed the drive and dedication that formed the foundation of his Hall of Fame football career with the Dallas Cowboys in numerous successful business ventures since retiring from the game following the 2000 season. Through broadcasting, real estate, auto racing and The Troy Aikman Foundation, Aikman has quickly discovered numerous ways to keep himself occupied in “retirement”.

After leaving the playing field, Aikman joined the NFL on FOX full-time as a game analyst on the network’s No. 2 NFL team in 2001. He quickly displayed the accuracy and work ethic that marked his playing career and moved up to Fox’s No. 1 broadcast crew prior to the 2002 season. Teamed with Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, the duo has impressed both critics and fans with the consistently entertaining and informative brand of coverage they provide. Highly skilled at succinctly illustrating action on the field, Aikman’s contemporary analysis offers keen insight into the skill and pressure associated with playing in today’s NFL. Aikman has twice been an Emmy nominee for his broadcasting efforts.

Away from the spotlight of network television, Aikman has also prospered in business. In March of 2006, he became a principal owner in Direct Development, a commercial retail real estate development company.  Direct Development has completed projects totaling more than 2 million square feet and intends to increase that to 7 million over the next 2 years.  The company already has 2.5 million square feet of shopping space under construction, and another 2.5 million square feet committed by 2010.  Direct Development’s recent growth has already made it one of the most active retail developers in the state of Texas.

Keeping his competitive juices flowing in the world of sports, Aikman teamed with another former Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback, Roger Staubach, to create Hall of Fame Racing in 2004.  After securing a multi-million dollar sponsorship deal with Texas Instruments, Hall of Fame Racing debuted the No. 96 DLP Technology car at the Daytona 500 in February, 2006.

During Aikman’s 12-year playing career, he set 45 Cowboys’ passing records, including the club’s career record for completions (2,898), passing yards (32,942), touchdowns (165) and completion percentage (61.3).  While leading one of sports’ most famous franchises, the Cowboys won six NFC East titles (1992-96 & 1998) and advanced to four NFC Championship Games (1992-1995).  Aikman is one of only four quarterbacks to guide his team to victory in three Super Bowls (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX).

The Cowboys honor those who made outstanding contributions to the club by inducting them into the Ring of Honor and in September, 2005, Aikman along with former teammates Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith became the newest members of that prestigious group when their names were added to the wall at Texas Stadium.  Just a few months later in February, 2006, Aikman joined yet another illustrious group when he was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. He becomes just the sixth player in Cowboys history to enter those hallowed halls.

Prior to joining the Cowboys, Aikman passed for 5,298 yards and 41 touchdowns in two years at UCLA.  During that span, the All-American led the Bruins to a 20-4 record.  In 1999, he was inducted into the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame. He transferred to UCLA after two seasons at the University of Oklahoma (1984-85). Selected by the Cowboys with the first overall selection in the 1989 NFL Draft, he became the first rookie quarterback to start a season opener for Dallas since Staubach in 1969.

Born Nov. 21, 1966, he was raised in Cerritos, California.  At the age of 12, his family moved to Henryetta, Oklahoma where he went on to earn All-State honors at Henryetta High School.  He and his wife, Rhonda, reside in Dallas with their three daughters:  Rachel, Jordan and Alexa.