Troy Aikman:Ring of Honor

[Hostile]

8 - Troy Aikman
1989 - 2000
QB, UCLA

6 time Pro Bowl...1991 - 96
1 time All Pro...1993
Super Bowl XXVII MVP

Inducted in Cowboys Ring of Honor 9/19/05
Inducted in Pro Football Hall of Fame 8/6/06

Link to Troy Aikman's Ring of Honor page.

In 12 NFL seasons, Troy Aikman became one of the game's great quarterbacks. As one of only three players in NFL history to lead a team to three Super Bowl victories, Aikman has rewritten virtually every passing record in Cowboys' history. He closed his career with 94 regular season wins, including 90 in the decade of the 1990s -- making him the winningest starting quarterback of any decade in NFL history (Joe Montana held the record with 86 wins in the 1980s). Along with that mark, Aikman holds or is tied for 47 Dallas passing records, including the club's career records for attempts (4,715), completions (2,898), passing yards (32,942), touchdowns (165) and completion percentage (61.5% - third best in NFL history at the time of his retirement). He also posted a club-high 13 regular season 300-yard passing games during his career.

Aikman retired from the game as the NFL's 15th ranked passer all-time with a quarterback rating of 82.6. Along the way to these marks, Aikman guided Dallas from the National Football League cellar of 1-15 in 1989 to six NFC East titles (1992-96 and 1998), four NFC Championship Games (1992-95) and three Super Bowl titles (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX). He was one of the game's most accurate passers, completing at least 60 percent of his passes in 98-of-165 career games (59.4% of his games).

In the postseason, he reached the 60% completion mark in 12-of-16 games (75%). He completed 70 percent or more of his passes (min. 20 attempts) 41 times in his career, with Dallas posting a 37-5 record in those games, and he produced the top six single-season completion percentages in club history. With that passing accuracy, Aikman was able to establish a club-record with a career interception rate to 2.99%.

Although not known for his fleet feet, Aikman successfully ran for a first down 49-of-72 times on third or fourth down during career. That ability to avoid the sack also allowed him to post the highest career pass attempts per sack ratio (19.2) in team history. Despite winning just one of his first 15 NFL starts, Aikman went on to start a club-record 180 games (165 regular season) at quarterback and post a 105-75 (.583) record, which includes an impeccable 11-4 mark in the postseason - 3-0 in the Super Bowl.

For his career, Aikman led the Cowboys from behind 16 times in the fourth quarter, including six times in the final two minutes. Another six times, he led the team to wins after the score was tied in the fourth quarter. Five of his game-winning drives came in overtime. In those 22 wins, Aikman was 146-of-214 (68.2%) for 1,888 yards (8.82 per attempt), 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 107.0 quarterback rating in the fourth quarter and overtime. In the postseason Aikman truly shined.

His four 300-yard passing days were the third best total in NFL history (Montana-6, Fouts-5), and he holds the club records for postseason pass attempts (502), completions (320), yards (3,849), and completion percentage (63.7%). In addition, Aikman's 23 career postseason passing touchdowns was just one shy of Staubach's club record of 24.

Born November 21, 1966 in West Covina, California.

[zrinkill]

Superbowl XXVII ...... the kid turned into a legend

[Yeagermeister]

The thing that has always stuck out in my mind besides his toughness is that I don't ever remember him throwing a duck of a pass. Every pass was always a perfect spiral. NFL Films are great at zeroing in on a ball in flight and Aikman's were always perfect.

[Doomsday101]

One my favorite memories of Troy took place after the Cotton Bowl (UCLA vs Arkansas) when Troy went to mid-field and shook hands with Tom Landry at that point I had no doubt that Troy would be a Cowboy. Of course a couple months later Jones bought the Cowboys but I still felt that Troy was our guy.

[AsthmaField]

What pops into my mind is how many times he just got drilled his first year with Dallas. He took shot after shot and continued to line up and play.

For being a QB, he was one tough cookie.

I remember when Wilbur Marshall, then with the Skins, came up well after he had thrown the ball, kind of squatted down and just exploded upwards, drilling the crown of his helment into the chin of Troy. Gave him a concussion (maybe his first in the NFL) and split his chin so bad that he forever wore the cushioned chinstrap from that day forward.

[jazzcat22]

Too many great plays to remember right now. One that still stands out was in SB XXVII. Emmitt mishandled the ball, got hit, ball goes backwards, Troy outruns the Buffalo defender and recovers it for Dallas. And Dick Enberg states, something about this guy does no wrong, he does it all.

Now I can't remember the circumstances, but I am thinking we were only up by 14 point s at the time. And can't remember if we went down and scored. But that could have been a turning point giving Buffalo momentun they desperately needed.

Now I'll need to try to look that up.

[lurkercowboy]

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

One my favorite memories of Troy took place after the Cotton Bowl (UCLA vs Arkansas) when Troy went to mid-field and shook hands with Tom Landry at that point I had no doubt that Troy would be a Cowboy. Of course a couple months later Jones bought the Cowboys but I still felt that Troy was our guy.

Good one. I saw that and thought at the time that it was a good sign. Had Landry stayed, he would have drafted Aikman first overall.

[Hostile]

Whenever I think of Troy Aikman one thought is always dominant. He played to win. That's all he cared about. Stats be damned. I have always thought of him as a consumate professional. It carries over into his new career in the booth. Some don't like him and find him dry, but in my opinion he notices and explains nuances of the game better than anyone else.

Whenever Michael Irvin talks about Troy he calls him "my quarterback." That is something so genuine in appreciation that it moves me every time. I don't think I have ever seen better chemistry between a quarterback and a receiver than what he had with Jay Novacek.

Pure professional.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by lurkercowboy

Good one. I saw that and thought at the time that it was a good sign. Had Landry stayed, he would have drafted Aikman first overall.

I still have the video tape of that game. I agree Dallas would have drafted him had Landry been the HC. I never saw Landry meet a college player at mid-field right after a game like he did that day and it seem clear to me that Troy would be our guy.

[peplaw06]

In 2001 I realized that I took Troy Aikman for granted. I vaguely remember when he was drafted, but I was 9 and I don't recall a whole lot from that age, as it pertains to the Cowboys. I know I didn't live and die with the Boys like I do now.

So while my love of the Boys was being cultivated, Troy was always the QB. I remember him playing QB, but as far as some watershed play where he announced his arrival to the NFL, I don't have one. I am ashamed.

I didn't realize until he was gone how good we had it for so many years. I would have taken the bruised and battered Troy from his last 2-3 years over any guy we've had since. I'm pretty excited that Romo could become the next one here, but he'll never be Troy to me. Troy was my security blanket

[TEK2000]

One memory that irritates me to no end is the "fans" at Texas Stadium booing him as he walked off the field after throwing an INT during a game late in his career.

How dare "fans" boo a man that performed at such a high level for so long for "our team"!

There are certain athletes in the world of sports that should be completely off limits from being booed... and for Dallas Cowboys fans... Troy Aikman is one of them!!!!

Booing Troy Aikman is like booing your stock broker that earned you several million dollars a few years ago because he made a bad trade and lost you a few thousand dollars when the stock market was crap at the time.

[Bob Sacamano]

finally, a player most of us can remember!

such a great guy, that's all I have to say

[Stautner]

Hell of a QB ..... when in the right situation.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying he was a product of the system or that his teammates carried him.

Rather, I am saying that he could work the right system to an incredible degree of perfection if he felt good about the system and it fit his talents.

His two best traits were his accuracy on short to intermediate passes (long passes were never a strong point), and his leadership. He demanded that the entire offensive unit carry the same degree of dedication to precision and perfection that he did, and he was able to command enough respect that they did exactly that. The offenses he led ran like a well oiled machine.

It was unfortunate that when circumstances changed (new coach, loss of teammates through age and free agency, new system, etc .....) that Troy became less effective - I missed watching him direct the offense like a puppeteer.

[theebs]

Toughness.

He took beating after beating after beating. Then got up and didnt miss a tick. He was as solid as they come and he was spot on deadly.

To this day I am still bitter he was not on the field that day at the vet in 91 when we finally beat the eagles.

[Clove]

2 things that stick out with Aikman to me.

The third and 7ish play where Aikman threw a strike slant to Harper who ran for like 5 million yards to give us the cushion to beat the 9ers to go on to our 1st SB of the 90ies.

And how cool, calm and collected Aikman was in the 1st SB, especially after Buffalo had rattled our team, Aikman just smoothly went about his business of dismantling that high powered Buffalo team.