SI NOW
ROGER STAUBACH
The Cowboys' legendary quarterback discusses how a heartbreaking loss to the Colts in Super Bowl V spurred his Hall of Fame career
ROGER STAUBACH: I was backup to quarterback Craig Morton [in 1970]. I thought maybe I would get the chance to play a little bit [in Super Bowl V], because he did have some injury issues, but I didn't. The game was tight. It was a close game all the way until the end [when Jim O'Brien kicked a 32-yard field goal with five seconds left, to give the Colts a 16--13 win]. After the game we were coming back on the team plane, and I told Coach [Tom] Landry that I really needed to be traded if I didn't get a chance to play someday. That was a big turning point for me because if we had won the game—and I did want us to win—[I could have gone to another team] and my life could have changed.
After losing the game, [Landry] told both me and Craig [who threw three interceptions] that we would be competing for the starting job in 1971. So Super Bowl V was a tough loss, but it also gave me an opportunity to start and play in Super Bowl VI. I was a nervous wreck that whole week. When we got down to New Orleans, I was in Coach Landry's room every night. His wife finally said to him, "Let the guy alone." [After beating the Dolphins 24--3], a couple of guys were carrying Coach Landry off the field, and you could see the smile on his face. Me? I was just excited about being the quarterback [Staubach was 12 of 19 for 119 yards and two touchdowns] on the team that had been fighting for years to try to win its first Super Bowl.
For more of Staubach's interview, plus the SI Now archive, go to SI.com/sinow
"I told Coach [Tom] Landry that I really needed to be traded if I didn't get a chance to play."
—Roger Staubach
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NEIL LEIFER FOR SPORTS ILLUSTRATED (STAUBACH)
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