Q+A Roger Staubach
The 61-year-old Hall of Fame quarterback--who played in four
Super Bowls for Dallas--is president of the Staubach Co., a
commercial real estate firm with 1,200 employees and 50 offices
worldwide.
SI: Does a Super Bowl in Texas hold special meaning for you?
Staubach: We have a big office in Houston, so we'll host a party
for 600 people. I think I'm the only Super Bowl quarterback who's
hosting a party instead of being a guest at one.
SI: Could you sleep the night before your Super Bowls?
Staubach: I did have some trouble sleeping. I tried to think of
something other than the game. I would think of what the kids
were doing or [my wife] Marianne. I wanted to get away from
thinking about the game when I lay down.
SI: Didn't you coin the phrase "Hail Mary" in football?
Staubach: Yes. The official Hail Mary pass was caught by Drew
Pearson on Dec. 25, 1975 [to beat the Vikings]. Afterward I told
reporters I closed my eyes and said a Hail Mary. The next day
people wrote, "Hail Mary wins game."
SI: You've been friends with President Bush for years, and you
and your pals once squared off against the four Bush brothers in
basketball. Tell us about it.
Staubach: We had a knockdown, drag-out game in my backyard in
1984. We played full-court three-on-three with a sub. His dad
even showed up--he was vice president at the time. You had to get
20 baskets to win each game. We won the first one. They won the
second. And we won the third.
SI: What's the President's hoops game like?
Staubach: Good jump shot, good dribbler. He ran the show. He's a
very good athlete.
SI: So is George W. Bush a trash-talker on the basketball court?
Staubach: [Laughs.] You know, the President is a very confident
guy. So when they won the second game, well, he definitely
inspired us to play better in the third game.
SI: Who do you like on Sunday?
Staubach: Bill Belichick's father, Steve, was [an assistant] at
the Naval Academy for over 30 years [including when Staubach
played at Navy from '62 to '64], and I knew Bill as a kid. I
can't root against Bill Belichick. --Richard Deitsch
For more from Roger Staubach, go to si.com/siexclusive.
COLOR PHOTO: TIM JOHNSON/AP (STAUBACH HEADSHOT) Guarded the Prez
COLOR PHOTO: GEORGE TIEDEMANN/GT IMAGES (STAUBACH ACTION)