Roger's retirement was a sad day for all Cowboys Fans.For me,it was hard to face the fact that this great man was not going to be playing again.The 1979 season was his best,IMHO.Despite the 5 concussions he received that year,he was brilliant.He had 4th quarter comeback victories early in the year at St.Louis and at home against Chicago,and 2 absolute miracle comebacks at New York and in week 16 vs Washington.The win against the Giants was remarkable-he was coming off the devestating concussion in Pittsburgh and rallied the Cowboys to a 16-14 win with 10 points in the final 3 minutes.And of course,the greatest game he ever played was the 35-34 win over the Skins which showcased what He was all about as a QB and a leader.
After I had time to accept the fact that Roger was retiring,I began to realize how truly fortunate I was to have witnessed this man play QB for the Dallas Cowboys.I grew up watching his heroics throughout the 1970's-all the great games,the 2 Super Bowl wins,the heartbreaking losses to the Steelers,the countless comeback victories.We had a funny tradition in my family,being Italian,we would always have a big Sunday Dinner,but with all those 4 PM Cowboys games running late my father would tell my mother to keep the sauce and macaroni warm because "Staubach has the ball and the game isn't over"Needless to say,Roger caused my Mom a lot of extra work!
When he retired it was like I was leaving a huge part of my childhood behind
Roger Staubach was more than a football player,he was(and is) a hero,a shining example of what leadership,hard work and decency are all about.When he retired that sad day 32 years ago,I knew a man like him doesn't pass this way again
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