Troy Aikman

Troy Aikman, born in 1966, American football player, who as quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) led the team to three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s. One of the game’s most dynamic and accurate passers, Aikman was named the most valuable player (MVP) of Super Bowl XXVII and was later elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Born in West Covina, California, Aikman played high school football in Henryetta, Oklahoma. He then played at the University of Oklahoma in Norman before transferring in 1987 to the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Over his two seasons at UCLA, Aikman led the team to a 20-4 win-loss record and victories in the Aloha Bowl and the Cotton Bowl.

The Cowboys picked Aikman first overall in the 1989 NFL draft. Named the team’s starting quarterback in his rookie year, he was at the helm as the Cowboys compiled a league-worst 1-15 win-loss record. By 1991, however, Aikman was one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, and the Cowboys qualified for the playoffs that year.

In 1992 Aikman ranked fourth in the NFL in passing yards with 3,445, completing 63.8 percent of his passes. In three playoff wins he completed 61 of 89 passes (68.5 percent) for 795 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He gave a spectacular performance in Super Bowl XXVII, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards with four touchdowns, and was named Super Bowl MVP.

Aikman led all NFL quarterbacks in 1993 by completing 69.1 percent of his passes. During the playoffs he again led the Cowboys to a Super Bowl victory. Two years later, Aikman guided the Cowboys to a 12-4 regular-season record. In the postseason they won their third Super Bowl in four seasons, the first NFL team to do so. Hampered by a series of concussions late in his career, Aikman retired after the 2000 season as the leading passer in franchise history with 32,942 yards. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.