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February 05, 2019

Staubach Stars In Inspirational Speech at ASI Fort Worth

The legendary Dallas Cowboys quarterback and captain of industry dazzled the crowd of promo pros with sharp wit and keen insights.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Heading into his senior of high school, Roger Staubach was pumped to play receiver and defensive back. Only his coach had other ideas. He wanted Staubach to make a go at quarterback, believing that’s where the young man from Cincinnati could best help the team. Taking heed of earlier lessons he’d learned from his dad, Staubach dug in and did his best, putting the team first and training hard throughout the offseason. He won the starting QB job, and in the first game of the year, threw a late touchdown pass to complete a come-from-behind victory.

Roger Staubach

“I thought, ‘I’m going to give it a shot, and be the best quarterback I can be,’” Staubach said as he related the story to a rapt audience of promotional products professionals during a motivational morning breakfast talk to kick off The ASI Show Fort Worth on Tuesday.

Mixing humor with a warm conversational tone, Staubach entertained and inspired the audience with insights and anecdotes from his football and business careers.

As he did in high school, Staubach said he has tried to take the same hard work-driven, team-first approach to everything he’s done in life. It helped make him not only a Heisman Trophy-winning, Hall-of-Fame, two-time Super Bowl-champion quarterback, but also an exemplary U.S. Navy officer during the Vietnam War in charge of more than 40 men and an entrepreneur who built massive business success during a 47-year career in real estate. “There’s no traffic on the extra mile,” Staubach said. “You may not be the most talented, but you can fly by more talented people with hard work and teamwork.”

Indeed, while still a professional quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys, “Captain America” as he was then known would put his nose to the grind in the offseason, working in the real estate business to best support his family of six. He fell in love with the work, and when his playing days ended, founded a real estate services firm that grew to 1,600 employees and 68 offices around the world.

The key to Staubach’s entrepreneurial achievements? Creating a strong culture built on operating ethically and taking proper care of both customers and employees. “We want to win business, but we want to do it the right way. Then the rewards follow,” said Staubach, adding it’s essential to ensure employees are not only treated well but also empowered to be their best. “When you get the right people in the right places working together miracles happen,” Staubach said.

Case-in-point: During the 1971 football season, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves with an unimpressive 4-3 record, despite their talent. After taking a pounding from the Chicago Bears, Head Coach Tom Landry challenged the players to get together for a meeting on Monday and to figure out how they were going to turn the disappointing season around. At the meeting, Cowboys Tight End Mike Ditka took the lead, pledging to leave everything he had on the field for his teammates and challenging them to do the same. They did just that – and they won. Then they won again. And again. And so until becoming Super Bowl champions. “We went from a team that was written off to winning ten-in-row” because of teamwork and giving it all for each other, Staubach said.

Additionally, Staubach offered insights on leadership. He said it’s pivotal to lead by example, projecting confidence and transferring that assurance to teammates, colleagues and employees. Relatedly, Staubach challenged promo pros to embrace, rather than fear, adversity. He said that it’s in the difficult times that character is tested and truly great things can be accomplished. Amid strife, it’s important to take responsibility and refrain from blaming others. “When I get knocked down, I always feel I have to pick myself back up,” he said.

At the end of his speech, Staubach had fun with the audience, throwing out several signed footballs to attendees. The pigskin flew from his championship-winning hands in a fluid spiral – something made all the more impressive because Tuesday, the day of the speech, marked his 77th birthday. The audience sang a rousing “Happy Birthday Mr. Staubach,” and ASI presented him with a cake.

“When you take,” Staubach said at one point, “you have to balance it by giving back. You can trust people who have that balance.” With the insights and inspiration he offered promo pros Tuesday, and through his many other endeavors, it’s clear Staubach is one of those special individuals.