In a candid retelling, Dallas Cowboys icon Roger Staubach revealed how his football career nearly took a different path, one that could have landed him in Kansas City rather than Dallas. After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1965, Staubach found himself drafted by both the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and the AFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. Despite his immediate five-year service commitment with the Navy, both teams were eager to secure his future talents, though Staubach couldn’t be sure when or if he’d get the chance to suit up in the pros.
It wasn’t until he was already serving as a Naval officer that the Chiefs, led by owner Lamar Hunt, made a serious push to sign Staubach. In a personal and memorable gesture, Hunt traveled to Annapolis to meet Staubach and his wife. Hunt offered an enticing package: $500 a month and a $10,000 signing bonus. “At the time, that felt like a lot of money,” Staubach recalled, noting that he hadn’t initially planned on fielding offers from either team while focused on his service.
Unsure of how to proceed, Staubach turned to Navy legal officer Captain Paul Wharton for advice, who quickly suggested contacting the Cowboys to see if they had an offer of their own. Although Dallas hadn’t yet made a formal bid, they responded immediately, arranging a meeting with Captain Wharton in Philadelphia. At that meeting, Dallas pledged to match Hunt’s offer, making it clear that Staubach was a valued prospect for them. Staubach remembered, “Captain Wharton called me and said, ‘Dallas is willing to match it,’ so I decided if I ever played football, it would be for the Cowboys.”
Staubach recalled how he informed Hunt of his decision. “Lamar said, ‘I was just starting to negotiate with you!’” Staubach laughed, adding that he appreciated Hunt’s good-natured response. At that point, with both teams offering promising futures, he made the choice to play for Dallas whenever his service ended.
In 1969, four years after his decision, Staubach joined the Cowboys, kicking off a legendary career that saw him lead Dallas to two Super Bowl victories and earn a place among the NFL’s all-time greats. Reflecting on his path to Dallas, Staubach acknowledged that his journey was anything but straightforward. However, his decision to join the Cowboys would leave a lasting legacy, with the NFL Hall of Famer achieving what he and his family had only dreamed of on the field.
