Image : http://www.flickr.com
The Dallas Cowboys Quarterback is one of the most prized positions in the whole of professional football, and one which boys across the country one day dream of filling.
The Dallas franchise has been in business for over forty years now, and during that time some exceptional players have held the starting quarterback's job. It was Don "Dandy Don" Meredith who led the Cowboys to their first winning season back in the 1960s, as Tom Landry was starting to build the team through the tough years of the early 1960s. Although he never led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl, he remains revered amongst Cowboy fans for his contribution during this time.
Roger Staubach was the Dallas Cowboys Quarterback for most of the 1970s, when they dominated the NFC. He was only picked in the 10th round of the NFL draft, and didn't even start playing pro football until five seasons later, due to his service in the military, which saw him serve voluntarily in Vietnam.
In 1971 Staubach finally took over the role of starting quarterback, at a time when the team was struggling with a barely positive record. The Cowboys finished the season with a run of ten unbroken victories, culminating in the 24-3 win over the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl. He was voted as the MVP (Most Valuable Player) in that Super Bowl triumph, and assured himself of a place in history.
The Dallas Cowboys Quarterback for their other period of outstanding success back in the early 1990s was Troy Aikman. Aikman was a totally different case, in that he had been drafted as the number one pick in the entire draft in 1989. At the time, Dallas was coming off a league worst 1-15 season, and later in the year they sold their star running back Herschel Walker to gain more draft picks. Within three years, it had all paid off.
Dallas went from the league's worst team to lifting the Super Bowl trophy, and Aikman played a huge part in that, being voted the Super Bowl MVP after passing for 273 yards and 4 touchdowns. When the Cowboys proved the Super Bowl win was no fluke by retaining the trophy the following year, Aikman produced a season long passing rating of 99.
The current quarterback, Tony Romo, was picked up by the Cowboys as an unsigned free agent, having not been selected in the draft. He was very nearly cut from the roster before he had had a chance to prove what he could do, but in 2006 he took over from veteran Drew Bledsoe, to some effect, winning his first starting game by 35-14.
Romo has, in this 2007 season, been given a contract extension, which will see him stay a Cowboy for a further six years. He seems pretty much assured, injuries permitting, of continuing to start games as the Dallas Cowboys Quarterback.
