The success that Roger Staubach has achieved in his life goes a lot farther than where he could throw a football as a Hall of Fame quarterback. While the next contract of the current Dallas Cowboys quarterback is the biggest topic of the off-season, Staubach got started in real estate before his Cowboys career even ended.
"Because they didn't pay quarterbacks what they do today, I worked in the off-season for the Henry Miller Company," he said from Formation at The Star on Wednesday. Eventually he started his own commercial real estate company and over the next four decades, he found tremendous financial success in the sphere.
Staubach and his real estate partner, Robert Shaw, were at Formation at The Star in Frisco speaking for a monthly lecture series for Formation members called C-Suite Playbook in which C-level executives provide insights on their success in business.
Formation is a co-working space inspired by and located steps away from the Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. It's members include entrepreneurs who utilize its offices as their primary place of work as well as executives who see it as a secondary office or a unique setting to hold meetings. Memberships are currently available. More information can be found here.
Staubach told stories about his time with the Cowboys and anecdotes of Tom Landry for the Formation members in attendance. Shaw played briefly in the NFL himself as a center and recalled the season he and Staubach played together. "It was the second play of my second game in the NFL," Shaw remembered. "I was so nervous. I snapped the ball so far over Roger's head. I am personally responsible for the longest loss [of yards] of Roger's NFL career. That's how our relationship started. It's been uphill since then."
Staubach was asked by a Formation member what his favorite moment of his playing career was and he was quick to respond with the 50-yard touchdown pass he threw to Drew Pearson with seconds left on the clock against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975. He also pointed out that he had said "Hail Mary" as he threw the ball and that the play introduced the term "Hail Mary" to the football world.
The most recent project of Staubach and Shaw is Twelve Cowboys Way, a 17-story, 158-unit luxury residence that overlooks the campus of The Star. Twelve Cowboys Way, named in honor of Staubach's legendary number 12 jersey number, opened in February and provides access to myriad amenities in and around The Star. It is currently open and available for leasing, and prospective residents can book an appointment by visiting Twelve Cowboy Way's website.
The Star District, in the grand scheme of things, is a relatively new part of the Cowboys legacy. The Dallas Cowboys Headquarters, as well as the shops, restaurants, bars, and more that surround it, is a state of the art facility that will surely continue to evolve and grow with an eye on the future. But the Dallas Cowboys are an organization forever tied to tradition, and Staubach's collaboration with The Star by way of Twelve Cowboys Way serves as a bridge between the Cowboys' future and the championships and legacies of its past.
To hear Roger Staubach tell old Cowboy stories a few steps away from the team's practice facility would make most Cowboy fans giddy with enthusiasm. But the audience at Formation at The Star was full of entrepreneurs and executives, and Staubach, regardless of a single thing he accomplished on the football field, is a success story in business and real estate.
Before he even played a game for Dallas, Staubach's wife had to sell her car so they could afford to get married. He reiterated to the audience that the traits that served him well as a quarterback were modified and applied in the real estate world. "It takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to get spectacular results. You have to be able to deal with adversity."
A lot of things have changed in the NFL, but if you ask Staubach, some of those same principals apply.
"In the NFL today, the leadership you have to have as a quarterback is harder to judge than the physical aspect, but if you don't have both you won't be able to succeed."
