Roger T. Staubach

Roger Staubach was born in 1942 in Silverton, Ohio, and grew up in Cincinnati. His father was a traveling salesman, and his mother had a 30-year secretarial career at General Motors. The Staubach's small household also included his grandmother, with whom he shared his bedroom until he was 14.

From the time he was seven and started in Pee Wee baseball, sports were important to Staubach. He especially loved baseball and dreamed of one day being a professional player for his favorite team, the Cincinnati Reds. By the time he was in high school, Staubach was playing football, basketball, and baseball, and serving as captain of all three teams. He was a good student academically and president of his senior class. During summer vacations, he worked at jobs that included taking down basement forms for a construction company and serving as a plumber's assistant. He also worked for a refrigeration company and was once part of a blacktop crew.

Throughout his first three years of high school football, Staubach played receiver and defensive back. Jim McCarthy, his coach, wanted him to switch his position to quarterback. Staubach was reluctant to make the change but did as he was asked. He worked hard to be successful in his new position and played quarterback his senior year.

"Switching positions probably changed my life," says Staubach. "I think I could have gone on to college and been an okay player as a receiver, but I don't think I would've had a professional career. I owe a lot to my coach who saw something in me that I didn't know was there. As quarterback, I discovered I liked leading the team, and that change had a major influence on my future."

Staubach attended the New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI), which was often a training ground for getting into the U.S. Naval Academy. As the quarterback of NMMI's football team, Staubach led his team to a 9-1 season. The following year, he was accepted into the plebe class at the Naval Academy, which he says gave him a foundation for his future.

"I got a good education there, and it was a positive experience," says Staubach. "My heroes are those in the military who stayed in the service and served our country. I've always been grateful that I was a part of their lives for a time."

Playing football for Navy also taught Staubach valuable life lessons. "As an athlete you learn that not only do you have to work hard, but also you have to work smart. It takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to get spectacular results," he says. "I learned that when you get knocked down, you have to persevere through the hard times. I adhere to an old saying: '˜Adversity reveals genius, and prosperity conceals it.' I learned the importance of teamwork and having balance in life."

As a junior in 1963, Staubach took Navy to second in the nation and won the Heisman Trophy. The Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 1964, but he put off joining the team until he could serve his four-year military commitment. Graduating in the class of 1965, he volunteered for Vietnam, where he served as a supply officer. To stay in top condition while in the Navy, Staubach carried a football with him almost everywhere and regularly asked friends to go out for a pass.

When Staubach joined the Cowboys in 1969, he was a rookie at age 27. Within two seasons, he became the team's starting quarterback. During his 11-year career with the Cowboys, Staubach became known as Captain Comeback because of his ability to pull out victories when defeat looked inevitable. He led the team to 23 come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter. He also led the National Football League in passing four times, was named to six Pro Bowls, and was named All-NFC four times. He was voted most valuable player of Super Bowl VI. During the nine years that Staubach was the starting quarterback, Dallas won 85 games against 30 losses. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1985.

In 1970, while still playing football, Staubach launched his real estate career. He wanted to have something to fall back on in case he was injured and could not support his family through football. He worked in the off-season with the Henry S. Miller Company. "Mr. Miller became my mentor," says Staubach. "He taught me how to keep my priorities straight, build trust, and understand the importance of customer satisfaction. I owe a lot of my business success to him."

In 1977, Staubach launched his business, which became a leading global real estate advisory firm with more than 1,400 people in 68 offices throughout the Americas. In 2008, Staubach merged his company with Jones Long LaSalle, an international financial and professional services firm specializing in real estate.

Recognizing the honor of his Horatio Alger Award, Staubach says, "I didn't have things handed to me. I don't think I could've afforded to go to college without a scholarship, so this award represents the importance of having goals and aspirations. For me, the American dream is having the opportunity of achieving those goals. It's important to have a strategy about where you want to be and where you want to take your life. Enjoy life today, but have a vision of what you want tomorrow. To get yourself there, get a good education. That's the foundation for your life. It determines who you are and what you want to be."