This story, by Bob St. John, first appeared in the January 22, 1972, issue of The Sporting News, under the headline “Staubach Proves Himself as NFC’s Best,” after Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach was named TSN’s NFC Player of the Year for the 1971 NFL season. Dallas was a week away from defeating the Dolphins, 24-3, for its first Super Bowl victory. Staubach was named MVP of the game.
DALLAS, Tex. — Since Roger Staubach entered professional football, the coveted Heisman Trophy has been cast aside in his home. It has been used ... in a way. His three small daughters play with it as a kind of hobby horse.
"Well," reasoned Roger before the season started, "it is big and the man on it is slanted so the kids are always riding it or sitting on it.
"But I don't have any of my college trophies on display. I'm not going to display them until I've proved myself in professional football. I want to prove myself with the best."
The place of the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Trophy and other college awards has improved in the Roger Staubach household This was the season that Staubach, the 29-year-old, third-year quarterback, proved himself with the best. He led professional football, both conferences, in passing, received all-NFC recognition, won the Bert Bell Award, which is the pro equivalent of the Maxwell Trophy, and now he has been named The Sporting News NFC Player of the Year.
His children won't be able to ride on the prize that comes with the designation. He will receive from The Sporting News a Bulova Accutron Mark II wrist watch, suitably engraved. He will also receive a handsome trophy, presented on an annual basis, jointly by the makers of Marlboro cigarettes and The Sporting News.
A year ago, Staubach rode the bench while Craig Morton performed as best he could with a severely injured right elbow that would require surgery when the season ended.
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Staubach knew his arm was all right. He knew he could do the job. But Coach Tom Landry believed Morton's experience was more valuable than Staubach's tremendous ability. So Roger watched while the Cowboy defense swept the team to the Super Bowl, a game lost to Baltimore due to the ineptness of the offense.
"I couldn't stand it," Staubach once said. "Craig was hurt and people kept saying quarterback was a weak spot on the Cowboys. It wasn't fair. I wanted them to say quarterback was a strong position. I wanted to be in there and show them."
Before this season started, Staubach talked with Landry and indicated he'd just as soon be somewhere else if he wasn't given an even shot at the No. 1 quarterback spot. Landry gave him his shot and, finally, after Morton and Staubach had divided time for most of seven games, Landry said Roger would be No. 1 from now on or until injury drove them apart.
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Most of the offensive players I knew seemed to lean slightly toward Morton's experience. The defensive players seemed to want Staubach. Landry was in the middle. But he had to make a decision to give his team a rallying point
Roger was it. Dallas stood 4-3 when Landry made his decision. The Cowboys haven't lost since, taking nine straight games, including playoff victories over Minnesota and San Francisco, to make the Super Bowl for the second straight year. Fact is, Dallas never has lost a game that Staubach started and finished. Personally, he stands 13-0 under these circumstances in his three years with Dallas.
“It was a very important decision for Coach Landry to pick a No. 1 quarterback,” said Roger. “He had to make it. But if he’d gone the other way and picked Craig, I think we'd still be where we are now.
“People don’t give Craig credit. He’s made a tremendous comeback and now his arm’s as good as ever. He had the right shoulder operation after 1969 and then the elbow operation before this season. If I’d had two operations concerning my throwing arm, I’d be a cook on a Navy ship somewhere right now.”
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Staubach made somewhat of an amazing comeback himself. Nobody has spent four years in service, returned to pro football and carved out a niche for himself. Nobody doubted Roger’s ability when he left the Naval Academy in 1963. But everybody figured that his football career was over when he went right into his four-year commitment to the Navy. Dallas, on a hope, drafted him as a future in the 10th round. He finally reported as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969.
Roger worked harder than anybody I can remember right from the first. I remember writing after his first training camp that I would hate to have a guy like Roger Staubach after my job because he'd be working while you were sleeping or playing. He is just unbelievably dedicated, talented, persistent and, of course, a fine athlete.
"Roger Staubach is a man that you can't ever tell he can't do something," Cowboy tight end Mike Ditka mentioned before the season started.
Dedicated Performer
Nobody is more dedicated. Staubach's idea of breaking training is putting whipped cream on his pie.
Originally, the fallacy in his throwing was a slow delivery. But when this was pointed out to him after last season, he corrected it.
"Now," said Cowboy special assistant Ermal Allen, who grades and scouts all players in the NFL, "Roger has one of the quickest deliveries in the league."
Staubach threw fewer interceptions (four) than anybody in football last season. After he became the No. 1 quarterback, he had a string of 134 without an interception in 173 attempts, which is phenomenal.
A big key is his scrambling. If he doesn't think he can get the ball to a receiver, he won't try to force it. Rather, he'll take off running, Landry, who once hated scrambling, has learned to live with Roger the Dodger.
It was Staubach's 29-yard run for a touchdown that gave the Cowboys a 13-0 victory over chief rival Washington this season.
"He does what he has to do," said Landry, "and he does it well. No, we have no plays where Roger is supposed to run. He runs enough without any plays."
Room for Improvement
"Staubach's an excellent runner," mentioned San Francisco defensive end Cedrick Hardman. "He's niftier than Greg Landry."
Roger says he wants to cut down his scrambling. He's sald the same thing for three straight years. He has other ideas, including calling his own plays, which Landry did this senson.
"I've got a lot of improving to do," said Roger. "I don't have complete control of the offense which I want to have by calling the plays. But I guess I can't call them. I'm lucky having the smartest man in football doing it for me.
"But I know I'm not a complete quarterback. These awards are nice, but I know I got them because of circumstances. I'm a quarterback with the best team. So they're more team awards than individual ones."
Staubach is confident, modest, good. He should be on the back of breakfast cereal boxes. It turned out to be a great coup when Dallas used that 10th-round droft choice. Roger Staubach apparently knew this before anybody else.