Troy Aikman

Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966 in West Covina, California) is a former  for the  of the, and is now a   for the  television network. He is also a shared owner of the NASCAR Cup Series racing team, Hall of Fame Racing, along with fellow former Cowboys quarterback, Roger Staubach. He was chosen for the in 2006.

High school
Aikman's family moved from California to Henryetta, Oklahoma. When he was twelve, Aikman played in there, but initially played in the position of, even though he had already played quarterback in California. In the second year he was able to move to the position of quarterback, as he was able to throw a football 65 yards wide from a standing start. Aikman was calm in person during the game and was therefore also called "Iceman" by his trainer. He was appointed to the selection team at high school.

College
Troy Aikman had to choose between and  at an early age. Immediately after graduating from high school, which he also played baseball, he had an offer from the. Aikman chose a career as a football player, however, as he was offered a scholarship in 1984 after a training camp by his future.

Aikman played in 1985 and 1986 for two years in for the, the college team of the. In Oklahoma, Aikman ran as, but lost this position due to an injury to. The Sooners were able to win the championship of the with Holieway in 1985. Since the Head Coach of the Sooners, Barry Switzer, was forced to change the game system with Holieway as quarterback - more emphasis was placed on the running game - and Holieway got along well with the new system, Aikman no longer saw a future with the Sooners and moved to the, the team of the for three years in 1986, after he had previously turned down an offer from the.

The Bruins placed more emphasis on the passing game in their game system, which Aikman accommodated. After he was banned in the first year due to his move and thereby extended his college studies to five years, he was able to play for the Bruins as starting quarterback in 1987 and 1988. In 1987 he and his team won the with a score of 20-16 against the team of the. On January 2, 1989 he won another bowl game, this time the Bruins played in Dallas in the and won against the  17-3. During his college days in California, Aikman, who stood out for his sovereign game design, threw a total of 41 and had the third-highest  in the history of the American College Sports Association (NCAA).

NFL
In 1989, Aikman was selected as the first player in the 1989 by the NFL's worst team at the time, the. The new owner of the Cowboys,, who sacked legendary coach shortly after Aikman was signed, established  as the new head coach of the team. Through a clever purchasing policy and by giving up older players, such as the, in return for draft rights from other teams, the Cowboys were gradually strengthened by young, success-hungry players. Drafted as s or signed by other clubs, the running back, the , the fullback , the   or the.

In addition, the wide receiver, who was already playing with the Cowboys, managed to overcome a tear. He went on to become one of the best passport recipients in NFL history. Quarterback Aikman, who sustained a serious shoulder injury in the first season and had to be temporarily replaced by, had an excellent offensive line and several excellent ball carriers and pass receivers. After the was also greatly improved, the foundation for the team's success was laid. She developed into one of the dominant football teams of the 90s and had one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history in Troy Aikman.

Aikman won with his team three times the - in the final game of the  in the  against the  with a score of 52-17, in the final game of the  in the  again against the team from Buffalo with 30-13 and in the final game of the  in the  with his new head coach and former college coach, Barry Switzer, beat the  27-17. In this game alone he achieved four without a single.

1994 was also a very successful year financially for Aikman. With an annual earnings of $1 million, he was one of the worst paid regular quarterbacks in the league. The owner of the Cowboys, Jerry Jones, who planned for a long time with Aikman, then extended the contract until the end of the millennium and guaranteed Aikman an income of 50 million US dollars. Eleven million of these were immediately paid out to him as hand money.

Despite his outstanding sporting achievements, Aikman's career was not undisturbed. So the injuries increased. in particular made life difficult for him. Aikman now says he has no memory of playing in the game. Ultimately, it was such an injury that contributed to the quarterback's untimely retirement in 2000. , of the, hit him so hard that he was injured. After that final concussion, he ended his career.

In his professional career, Aikman reached 165 touchdown passes during the with 141 interceptions. He achieved a space gain of 32,942 yards. There are also nine touchdowns that he could run himself. In the, he scored 24 touchdowns with 17 interceptions. 63.7% of his passes were caught by his own players in playoff games. At the time of his retirement, Troy Aikman held a total of 47 Dallas Cowboys pass records (some together with other players).

Honors (selection)
From 1991 to 1996, Aikman played six times in the and was voted  three times. Aikman was voted in his first Super Bowl. He was inducted into the after his career. For his achievements, he was elected to the in 2006. In 1999 he was appointed to the UCLA Hall of Fame. He was named one of the top 100 football players of all time by. Aikman received numerous awards as a football player in high school and college. In 2008 Aikman was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame and 2010 to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.

After the career
Aikman remained loyal to his sport even after his professional career. He moderates and analyzes several sports programs on as well as on. He was also the owner of the NASCAR team Hall of Fame Racing with Roger Staubach until 2009. Aikman has been co-owner of since 2009.

Country music fan Aikman is married with three children, including a stepdaughter from his wife's first marriage. Aikman is socially committed, tries to keep children from smoking by giving lectures, and has its own foundation dedicated to promoting children and young people.