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# 8 Troy Aikman - Dallas
Cowboys QB, 1989 - 2001 |
Height:
6'4" Weight: 220 Born: November 21, 1966
College: UCLA
NFL Experience: 12 yrs.
Earned all-state honors at Henryetta High
School...He pledged to match any funds raised to build a health and fitness center for the
town of Henryetta, OK (pop.6,000) where a street is named after him...He also sponsors a
scholarship at Henryetta High School for students who can't afford college and he has
permanently endowed a scholarship at UCLA, where he majored in sociology...He has been
selected to the Oklahoma high school all-time football team and his high school jersey has
been retired...He established the Troy Aikman Foundation which benefits disadvantaged
children in the Dallas-Fort Worth area...The profits from a childrens book he authored
entitled Things Change also go to his foundation...Aikman has also served on the board of
the Irving, TX Youth and Family Counseling Center and has been honorary chairman for
numerous charitable fund-raisers throughout the Metroplex...He is an advocate of the DARE
program at numerous schools across the nation...He was the recipient of the Byron
"Whizzer" White Humanitarian Award in 1994.
Pro Career
Through 11 NFL seasons, Troy Aikman has become one of
the game's great quarterbacks. As one of only three players in NFL history to lead a team
to three Super Bowl victories, Aikman has rewritten virtually every passing record in
Cowboys? history. By posting 90 regular season wins, he closed out the 1990s as the
winningest starting quarterback of any decade in NFL history, topping Joe Montana?s
previous best of 86 wins in the 1980s. Along with that mark, Aikman holds or is tied for
45 Dallas passing records, including the club?s career records for attempts (4,453),
completions (2,742), passing yards (31,310), touchdowns (158) and completion percentage
(61.6v third best in NFL history). He is also ninth in NFL history with a quarterback
rating of 82.64. Along the way to these marks, Aikman has guided Dallas from the National
Football League cellar of 1-15 in 1989 to six NFC East titles (1992-96 and 1998), four NFC
Championship Games (1992-95) and three Super Bowl titles (XXVII, XXVIII and XXX). He has
become one of the game?s most accurate passers, completing at least 60 percent of his
passes in 92-of-154 career games (60xf his games). In the postseason, he has reached the
60|ompletion mark in 12-of-16 games (75ž He has completed 70 percent or more of his
passes 41 times in his career, with Dallas posting a 37-4 record in those games, and he
has produced the top six single-season completion percentages in club history. Due to that
passing accuracy, Aikman has also lowered his club-record career interception rate to
2.85ēDespite beginning his career 1-14, Aikman has started a club-record 169 games (154
regular season) at quarterback, posting a 101-68 (.598) record, which includes an
impeccable 11-4 mark in the postseason ? 3-0 in the Super Bowl.
1999
Never one to miss a beat, Aikman led the team in passing for the 11th consecutive season
with an 81.1 quarterback rating, ranking him seventh in the NFC and 13th in the NFL. In
NFL history only six quarterbacks have led their team in passing for more than the 11
straight seasons Aikman has led the Cowboys. Despite missing two games with a concussion,
he was fifth in the NFC, 13th in the NFL, with 2,964 yards passing (263-of-442). He was
eighth in the NFL with a 59.5 completion percentage.
1998
For the 10th consecutive season, Aikman led the club in passing with an 88.5 quarterback
rating, ranking him fourth in the NFC and eighth in the NFL. Where he continued to post
amazing numbers was with his interception total, finishing the season with five
interceptions in 315 pass attempts and a NFC low 1.6 interception percentage (second
lowest in the NFL). Aikman threw just three interceptions in his last 289 regular season
pass attempts (1.0 percent) and was sacked just nine times in 324 pass plays (once per
36.0 pass plays). His 59.4 percent completion rate was the sixth best figure in the NFC
and the eighth best in the NFL. Aikman improved his record in season openers to 7-3 with a
38-10 win over Arizona (9/6) to start the season. In the game, he completed 22-of-32
passes (68.8 percent) for 256 yards, two touchdowns and a season-high two interceptions.
He also ran five times for 43 yards and two touchdowns, marking the first time in his
career that he has rushed for more than one touchdown in a season. His 43 rushing yards
were the fourth best single-game total of his career. Included in that total was a 23-yard
run, the second longest of his career.
1997
In nine NFL seasons, Troy Aikman has developed into one of the games great quarterbacks.
As one of only three players in NFL history to lead a team to three Super Bowl victories,
Aikman has rewritten virtually every passing record in Cowboys history. Aikman already
holds or is tied for 42 Dallas passing records, including the club''s career records for
attempts (3,696), completions (2,292), passing yards (26,016) and completion percentage
(62.0y third best in NFL history). He is also 10th in NFL history with a quarterback
rating of 82.32. Along the way to these marks, Aikman has guided Dallas from the National
Football League cellar of 1-15 in 1989 to five consecutive NFC East titles (1992-96), four
consecutive NFC Championship Games (1992-95) and three Super Bowl titles (XXVII, XXVIII
and XXX). He has become one of the games most accurate passers, completing at least 60
percent of his passes in 85 of the last 116 games (since the start of the 1991 season). He
has completed 70 percent or more of his passes 38 times in his career, with Dallas posting
a 35-3 record in those games, and he has produced the top six single-season completion
percentages in club history. Along with that passing accuracy comes the fact that Aikman
has also lowered his club-record career interception rate to 2.98 percent. Despite
beginning his career 1-14, Aikman''''s record as a starter now stands at 87-55 (.613),
including an impeccable 11-2 mark in the postseason - 3-0 in the Super Bowl. Aikman has
also become one of the league''''s more durable quarterbacks, having not missed a start
due to injury since Dec. 4, 1994, a span of 58 games.
1996
Finished with a QB rating of 80.1...He recorded the second-most attempts (465) and
completion (296) totals in his career, while finishing second in the NFL in completion
percentage at 63.7_.He earned his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl selection, tying Roger
Staubach for the most apearances by a Dallas quarterback.
1995
Finished third in the NFL with a quarterback rating of 93.6...Recorded the second-best
yardage (3,304) and touchdown (16) totals of his career along with his lowest interception
total...Completed 64.8% of his passes and once again went to the Pro Bowl...Also set club
records with 156 pass attempts without an interception and 2,820 postseason passing yards.
1994
Earned selection to the Pro Bowl for the fourth consecutive season and finished second in
the NFL in both completion percentage (64.5%) and average yards per attempt
(7.41)...Aikman's 94-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Harper in the Divisional Playoff Game is
the longest play from scrimmage in NFL postseason history...The following week in San
Francisco he set playoff records for attempts (53), completions (30) and yards passing
(380).
1993
His 99.0 quarterback rating was second highest in team history and second in the NFL that
year...He was the NFL's most accurate passer with a 69.1 % completion rate...He was the
top vote-getter among all players for the Pro Bowl...He also received All-Pro honors and
NFL Alumni Quarterback of the Year.
1992
He reached the 10,000 yard passing mark in his 52nd game...Finished the season with 3,445
yards passing to rank second in the NFC and fourth in the NFL in yards passing...His 302
completions were the second most in team history and tied him for the NFC lead...Aikman's
89.5 QB rating ranked third in the NFL.
1991
Aikman completed 65.3% of his passes to lead the NFC and earn his first trip to the Pro
Bowl.
1990
Aikman completed 226 of 399 passes for 2,579 yards and 11 touchdowns.
1989
Aikman threw for an NFL rookie-record 379 yards at Phoenix...The first Cowboys' rookie
quarterback to start a season opener since Roger Staubach in 1969, Aikman was named to
most All-Rookie teams.
College Highlights
In two seasons at UCLA Aikman completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 5,298 yards and 41
touchdowns while throwing only 17 interceptions...He finished his career as the third
rated passer in NCAA history...He transferred to Oklahoma after two years under Head Coach
Barry Switzer at Oklahoma in 1984-85.
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