Troy Aikman Biography

Troy Aikman is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks of the modern era. He made an invaluable contribution to his team, the Dallas Cowboys, and was given the honor of entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. Born in 1966 in West Covina, California, Troy moved at the age of twelve and grew up on a farm in Oklahoma.Troy Aikman played football and baseball in high school and went on to play college football. Unfortunately, he broke his leg in his very first game for the University of Oklahoma, coached by Barry Switzer. Troy was then transferred to UCLA, where he had a successful run under Troy Donahue.An illustrious career in the NFL followed for Troy Aikman after joining the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. This coincided with the team's new ownership by Jerry Jones, who caused controversy by firing much loved coach Tom Landry. Jimmy Johnson, who brought Troy into the starting lineup, replaced Landry. The Cowboys just missed out on the playoffs in 1990, but reached them in 1991. They were constantly improving, thanks to Troy and to the introduction of Emmitt Smith.In the meantime, Troy Aikman was also enjoying a lucrative sideline being a TV celebrity. He appeared in a number of commercials, as the advertisers realized Troy's good looks could sell to the public.The Cowboys won the Super Bowl for two years running in 1992 and 1993, greatly due to the contribution by Troy Aikman. The following year however, did not go smoothly as owner Jerry Jones and coach Johnson had a big fall out which resulted in Jones firing Johnson and replacing him with Barry Switzer. They only almost reached the Super Bowl that season.Troy Aikman and the Cowboys went on to win the Super Bowl once again in 1995, but the glory days for the team were over after this. In December 2000 they played against the Washington Redskins. This was an eventful day for Troy, as linebacker Lavar Arrington sacked him and caused a concussion. Having had several concussions in his career, this was considered one too many to carry on. Troy tried for other teams but no one picked him up and he retired from the game in April 2001.Troy Aikman will always have his place in sports history as the Cowboy's leading passer. He has the record for the most wins a quarterback has gained in one decade.Troy went on to his second career, joining the NFC telecast team for the Fox network, working with Joe Buck and Cris Collinsworth. He also hosts a sports show for radio. In 2005, Troy was inducted into the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor with old team buddies Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.Troy Aikman is married with two daughters, to an ex-Cowboys employee. Before this, he had been linked to country music singer Lorrie Morgan, and actresses Janine Turner and Sandra Bullock.