Roger Staubach: Captain America

by Mike Towle

If at one time the Dallas Cowboys were America's Team, Roger Staubach was America's Quarterback. Roger the Dodger was a real-life embodiment of apple pie, world championships, and role models. Staubach was a Heisman Trophy winner at Annapolis who served four years as a naval officer before going on to a stellar eleven-year career with the Dallas Cowboys that included four NFC championships and two Super Bowl titles. Considered the master of the two-minute offense and late-game comeback, Staubach eventually earned a spot in the Cowboys' illustrious Ring of Honor and, ultimately in 1985, the Pro Football Hall of Fame.If ever there was a perfect meshing of franchise, coach, and on-field leader, it was the silver-white-and-blue Cowboys of the seventies with Tom Landry strolling the sidelines in his trademark fedora and the unflappable Staubach barking signals. He led the NFL in passing five times, and when he retired at age thirty-seven he departed the game in possession of the highest quarterback rating of all time. After his retirement from football, he pretty much left the game behind, forsaking a shot at coaching or television commentary to focus his energies on the corporate world as chairman and CEO of the Staubach Company, a diversified commercial real estate company.

Roger Staubach: Captain America is an oral history of Staubach's life, times, and career. It is told in the words of dozens of former teammates and opponents, friends, business associates, civic leaders, acquaintances, and others who have known him over the years. Staubach turned sixty in 2002, and this book offers a touching and telling testimonial to a true American hero and role model.

Genres: Sports

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the type of book that I normally read. It reads like a special that you see on ESPN with various people reflecting on the life of a great athlete. I can imagine clips of games and photos from his life being shown as interviewees talk. I enjoyed the book, as it brought me back to when I was a kid watching the Dallas Cowboys.