Roger Staubach at 2011 Broadvox Partner Summit

Football great Roger Staubach took the podium to share his insights at the 2011 Broadvox Partner Summit in Dallas, Texas. After a brief history of his life – he is an engineer and was in the Navy – he uses an iPhone and iPad but admits he is part of the slide rule generation, his discussion centered around his business success where he made many millions in real estate. He said he had to have a job in the off-season because quarterbacks didn’t make as much then as they do today.

He relayed a number of stories about his past – wins and losses. One particular story centered around the team having a 4 and 3 season where the Chicago Bears had just won against the Dallas Cowboys. Dissent was forming among the the team with unnamed sources blaming the losses on the other side – offense, defense, etc. He cited articles in the paper which kept appearing. The coaches told the team to go to practice without them so they could work out their differences. Apparently Mike Ditka helped with the bonding process – on a related note Staubach explained just how tough and respected Ditka was. Going forward, The season turned around because the team didn’t quit – they won 7 in a row and played like a team. They went to become world champions because as he said, human beings began to think of something other than themselves. They realized what the team meant to them and others. They worked harder, gave extra and paid the price.

He went on to say, “They had a responsibility to someone other thanstaubach.png themselves and they believed in each other and persevered.”

He then related this to real estate when in the seventies interest rates were as high as 20 percent. He explained how adversity can be beneficial to bring out the best in people.

Relating this to parenthood he said you need to work through problems with your kids by maintaining values. He circled back to explain you must do this in business as well.

Perhaps most amazing was how humble and down to earth he was as a speaker.

An interesting side note – in 1975 they were playing the Minnesota Vikings and The score was 14-10 and Dallas was on the 50 yard line and he told Drew Pearson to go out for a pass and then Staubach threw the ball short. The pass – caught on Pearson’s hip resulted in a Superbowl win and a reporter asked about it in the locker room where Staubach said all he could think was Hail Mary when he threw the ball.

Regarding the current football labor dispute he explained how team owners are looking to use their money to reinvest in new stadiums – and for the future. Players on the other hand average 3.5 years in the league so their goals are different. He says both sides are greedy. He explained that having less exhibition games and a cap on rookie salaries could bridge the gap. Exhibition games don’t generate the ratings of regular season games which have massive viewership.

He went on to explain that stadiums must become state of the art to ensure they can compete with iPads and flat screen TVs.

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