Q+a [roger Staubach]

The 61-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback—who played in four Super Bowls for Dallas—is president of the Staubach Co., a commercial real estate firm with 1,200 employees and 50 offices worldwide.

SI: Does a Super Bowl in Texas hold special meaning for you?

Staubach: We have a big office in Houston, so we'll host a party for 600 people. I think I'm the only Super Bowl quarterback who's hosting a party instead of being a guest at one.

SI: Could you sleep the night before your Super Bowls?

Staubach: I did have some trouble sleeping. I tried to think of something other than the game. I would think of what the kids were doing or [my wife] Marianne. I wanted to get away from thinking
about the game when I lay down.

SI: Didn't you coin the phrase "Hail Mary" in football?

Staubach: Yes. The official Hail Mary pass was caught by Drew Pearson on Dec. 25,1975 [to beat the Vikings]. Afterward I told reporters I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary. The next day people wrote, "Hail Mary wins game."

SI: You've been friends with President Bush for years, and you and your pals once squared off against the four Bush brothers in basketball. Tell us about it.

Staubach: We had a knockdown, drag-out game in my backyard in 1984. We played full-court three-on-three with a sub. His dad even showed up—he was vice president at the time. You had to get 20 baskets to win each game. We won the first one. They won the second. And we won the third.

SI: What's the President's hoops game like?