A Career In Pictures

IN 1989 the Dallas Cowboys were a franchise in need of a savior. They had missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, and it had been 12 years since team icon Roger Staubach had delivered an NFL championship to the Lone Star State. Enter Troy Aikman. The first pick in the '89 draft, Aikman broke into the NFL with high expectations. He showed promise during his rookie year but could not deliver a win as a starter (0-11), and the team finished the season 1-15. But Aikman would prove to be a quick study. In 1990 he passed for more than 2,500 yards, and in '91 he led the Cowboys back to the playoffs. The following season he reached the 10,000-yard plateau (by just his 52nd game) and claimed the first of his three Super Bowl championships.

With 90 wins in the 1990s, Aikman became the winningest starting quarterback of any decade. His viper-quick release, knack for scanning defenses and his arm strength and accuracy made the six-time Pro Bowl selection one of the most feared offensive players of his day. "When he was good," says former pro and legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall, "he was as good as I've ever seen."

GAMER
AIKMAN COULD USE HIS LEGS, TOO, WHEN HE NEEDED THEM TO MAKE A PLAY.

POISE UNDER PRESSURE
AIKMAN WAS RARELY RATTLED WHEN THE RUSH WAS ON. HERE HE THREADS ONE OF HIS PASSES PAST BUFFALO'S BRUCE SMITH IN SUPER BOWL XXVII TO HELP DALLAS WIN ITS FIRST NFL CHAMPIONSHIP SINCE 1977. AIKMAN COMPLETED 22 OF 30 PASS ATTEMPTS FOR 273 YARDS AND FOUR TOUCHDOWNS IN THE 52-17 ROUT.

ROCK STEADY
THE MORE THINGS CHANGED (LIKE DALLAS'S COACH AND OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR), THE MORE AIKMAN STAYED THE SAME. HE EARNED HIS FOURTH STRAIGHT PRO BOWL NOD IN 1994 AND POSTED THE NFL'S SECOND-BEST COMPLETION PERCENTAGE (64.5%), INCLUDING THIS 16-OF-22 PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE CARDINALS.

FALLING ON HARD TIMES
NOTHING STOPS A GREAT QUARTERBACK LIKE A SOLID HIT, AND AIKMAN ABSORBED HIS SHARE. THE 10 CONCUSSIONS HE SUSTAINED DURING HIS CAREER HASTENED HIS RETIREMENT IN 2001. HERE THE EAGLES' WILLIAM THOMAS (51) AND GREG TOWNSEND TEAM UP ON ONE OF AIKMAN'S 14 SACKS DURING THE 1994 SEASON.

A LONE STAR
AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS FAME, FEW STARS SHONE BIGGER AND BRIGHTER. AIKMAN TURNED UP ON MAGAZINE COVERS, LATE-NIGHT TV SHOWS AND IN MOVIES. HE WAS ALSO A FOLK HERO IN TEXAS, HERE VISITING WITH AUTOGRAPH SEEKERS WHO CAME OUT FOR A COWBOYS' MORNING PRACTICE DURING THE 2000 TRAINING CAMP.