Aikman Reaches the Top of Another Profession
L.A. TIMES: Aikman Reaches the Top of Another Profession
As a quarterback, Troy Aikman led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships and in 1992 he was named the game's most valuable player. On Feb. 4 he will find out if he is one of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As a broadcaster, Aikman sits in John Madden's old seat as Fox's No. 1 NFL commentator. On Sunday, he and play-by-play partner Joe Buck will announce the NFC championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
In other words, Aikman has risen to the top in two professions.After Aikman worked last Sunday's game between the Panthers and Chicago Bears, Ron Rapoport of the Chicago Sun-Times called him "the best analyst in the game today.
" Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Buck and Aikman "seemed to have all the angles covered.
"As for why Aikman has excelled in two professions, those close to him talk about his work ethic and his attention to detail. As does Aikman.
"There may have been players with more God-given talent than I had," he said, "but I would always try to work harder than the next guy. That's been my philosophy in everything I do."When I was 9, I decided I wanted to be a professional athlete, and was determined to work hard enough to achieve that goal."And that's what I've done in broadcasting. I look at this as a full-time job and I put in a lot of time preparing. That allows me to go into the booth before a big game feeling comfortable.
"It's like studying for an exam. If you're well-prepared, you take it with confidence."One of Aikman's best traits as a broadcaster is that he can be honest, even critical, without sounding harsh.As last Sunday's game was winding down, he said of the Bears: "If they thought they didn't get any respect coming into the game, they're certainly not going to get any when it's over."Aikman saw early that the Bears were in deep trouble with cornerback Charles Tillman trying in vain to cover Carolina's Steve Smith. When Smith scored again in the third quarter, he wondered why there wasn't more help from the secondary.
Now that he has done so well in broadcasting, there may be other worlds for Aikman to conquer, such as business. He owns a Ford car dealership in Dallas and is working on opening a Toyota dealership there as well.Then there's the sports world. He and Roger Staubach have formed a NASCAR team, and his friends say Aikman someday would like to own an NFL team, or at least run one.
"I'm very happy with what I am doing now," Aikman said, "but there is a side of me that is definitely intrigued by it, if it were the right situation."Aikman is a native of Southern California, living in Cerritos until age 12. He played for UCLA, and now has a second home in Montecito. Being an owner or part-owner of a team in Southern California has to be within the realm of possibility. If that were to ever come about, Aikman no doubt would work hard to succeed.
As a quarterback, Troy Aikman led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl championships and in 1992 he was named the game's most valuable player. On Feb. 4 he will find out if he is one of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As a broadcaster, Aikman sits in John Madden's old seat as Fox's No. 1 NFL commentator. On Sunday, he and play-by-play partner Joe Buck will announce the NFC championship game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks.
In other words, Aikman has risen to the top in two professions.After Aikman worked last Sunday's game between the Panthers and Chicago Bears, Ron Rapoport of the Chicago Sun-Times called him "the best analyst in the game today.
" Ed Sherman of the Chicago Tribune wrote that Buck and Aikman "seemed to have all the angles covered.
"As for why Aikman has excelled in two professions, those close to him talk about his work ethic and his attention to detail. As does Aikman.
"There may have been players with more God-given talent than I had," he said, "but I would always try to work harder than the next guy. That's been my philosophy in everything I do."When I was 9, I decided I wanted to be a professional athlete, and was determined to work hard enough to achieve that goal."And that's what I've done in broadcasting. I look at this as a full-time job and I put in a lot of time preparing. That allows me to go into the booth before a big game feeling comfortable.
"It's like studying for an exam. If you're well-prepared, you take it with confidence."One of Aikman's best traits as a broadcaster is that he can be honest, even critical, without sounding harsh.As last Sunday's game was winding down, he said of the Bears: "If they thought they didn't get any respect coming into the game, they're certainly not going to get any when it's over."Aikman saw early that the Bears were in deep trouble with cornerback Charles Tillman trying in vain to cover Carolina's Steve Smith. When Smith scored again in the third quarter, he wondered why there wasn't more help from the secondary.
Now that he has done so well in broadcasting, there may be other worlds for Aikman to conquer, such as business. He owns a Ford car dealership in Dallas and is working on opening a Toyota dealership there as well.Then there's the sports world. He and Roger Staubach have formed a NASCAR team, and his friends say Aikman someday would like to own an NFL team, or at least run one.
"I'm very happy with what I am doing now," Aikman said, "but there is a side of me that is definitely intrigued by it, if it were the right situation."Aikman is a native of Southern California, living in Cerritos until age 12. He played for UCLA, and now has a second home in Montecito. Being an owner or part-owner of a team in Southern California has to be within the realm of possibility. If that were to ever come about, Aikman no doubt would work hard to succeed.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:15 PM
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