Over 4 decades later, this retirement still hits hard

Which athlete’s retirement hit you the hardest? Which player would you bring back in their prime to play for your favorite team today?

These are two questions I encountered on Twitter over the past weekend. For me, the answer to both questions is the same: Roger Staubach.

Captain Comeback

I was already a Cowboys’ fan before Staubach finally wrested the starting job from Craig Morton in 1971. His arrival on the scene merely cemented my fandom.

Football: Super Bowl VI: Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach (12) in acion vs Miami Dolphins at Tulane Stadium.New Orleans, LA 1/16/1972CREDIT: Walter Iooss Jr. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr. /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images/Getty Images)(Set Number: X16492 R2 F36 )

That he led Dallas to a Super Bowl win over Miami that year only further convinces me that Dallas would have beaten the Colts in the Super Bowl the year before if he’d started that game too.

The Cowboys would have been the first to repeat, first to five and first to six championships. One of Tom Landry’s few errors in the 1970s.

A Proven Winner

When Staubach walked onto the field in a regular season game the Cowboys were almost a certain winner. He went 85-29 (.745) as a starter.

He was 11-6 in the postseason, 2-2 in the Super Bowl. Who knows how Super Bowl XII plays out if Jackie Smith catches that pass in the end zone.

MIAMI – JANUARY 21: Tight end Jackie Smith #81 of the Dallas Cowboys drops a pass in the end zone during Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Rose Bowl on January 21, 1979 in Miami, Florida. The Steelers defeated the Cowboys 35-31. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images)

In short, Staubach was your prototypical quarterback with a long track record of winning. A Heisman Trophy, Super Bowl MVP, six-time Pro Bowler and a member of the Hall of Fame to his credit.

During the 1970s it seemed like he would be the Cowboys’ forever quarterback. Trips to the Conference championship game and Super Bowl were annual expectations. Of course, it wouldn’t last forever.

The Bell Tolled For Roger

Even after the 1979 season ended with a shocking Divisional round loss to the Rams, it didn’t seem like the end. But a few weeks later, Staubach retired and an era had come to a close.

Because he only played 11 seasons, it was easy to forget that Staubach had fulfilled his service commitment to the Navy. And during those 11 seasons he’d taken a beating.

Who knows how many concussions Staubach played with, some unknowingly. The hits added up and Father Time catches up to us all eventually.

Still, when the news hit on April 1, 1980 it was still a shock. The Cowboys without Staubach?

That was as unthinkable as daylight without the Sun. Even Tom Landry thought Staubach had played better in 1979 than he had in years.

Two Encounters Years Later

I had hoped to cover a Cowboys game at Texas Stadium with Staubach as the starting quarterback. He retired four years before I started writing professionally. So much for that.

I never got to see him play in person. But I did get to see him re-enact the Hail Mary play with Drew Pearson in 1984. During a pre-season game against Green Bay, Staubach hit Pearson on the same route.

While Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach (12) looks for receiver in first quarter action, Minnesota Viking Carl Eller (81) leaps over Cowboy blockers Robert Newhouse (44) and Rayfield Wright (70) during NFC playoff game here Sunday in Bloomington, Minn., December 28, 1975. (AP Photo)

It may not have been an official game play, but it was good enough. Judging by the reaction of the rest of the crowd, they felt the same way too.

And I did get to interview Staubach, over the phone, in 2008. It was for a story about the pending destruction of Texas Stadium. Somehow, I managed not to be a complete fanboi.

Your Turn

Yes, I would love to see Prime Staubach wearing the No. 12 jersey for the Cowboys again. Just as I would have loved to see him play for two or three more years back then.

I think he’d have a thing or two to show today’s players. Not only physically but mentally too.

So, now you know my answers to the two questions above. Now it’s your turn.

Which Cowboys’ player retirement hit you the hardest? Which former Cowboys’ player would you bring back in their prime to play for your favorite team today?

Give us your answers in the comments below. And if you’d rather choose a non-Cowboys player, we’ll allow it.