Troy American football quarterback Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) played in the NFL for 12 seasons, all with the Dallas Cowboys. When the Cowboys picked him with the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, he had already transferred from Oklahoma and won the Davey O’Brien Award at UCLA.
Early Life
On November 21st, 1966, Aikman entered this world. He was raised for the first part of his life in West Covina, California. Aikman and his family relocated to Henryetta, Oklahoma, when he was 12 years old, and he went on to become a star football and baseball player at Henryetta High School, where he was named to the All-State team.
Aikman also took first place at the 1983 Oklahoma high school typing championship.
Career
During his tenure as the Cowboys‘ starting quarterback from 1992 to 1995, Aikman was named to six Pro Bowls and led the team to three Super Bowl victories. Super Bowl XXVII was the first championship for the franchise in over a decade, and Aikman was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
In 2006, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and in 2008, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
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Controversy
Joe Buck, a broadcaster for Fox Sports, recently appeared on the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast to discuss a viral moment from the 2018 playoffs that he had helped create.
To the delight of football fans everywhere, Buck’s partner, former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, gave a cryptic shot at their mission that day. On January 16, the two were the commentators for a game between the Buccaneers and the Eagles that was largely uneventful. Later that day, CBS would air Cowboys vs. 49ers.
According to Aikman, the Cowboys vs. 49ers game will be “a great game.” An excellent game, if you ask me. There are probably a lot of people who would love to be in charge of the game’s officiating.
Buck laughed it off when Aikman threw the jab but later confirmed to SI’s Jimmy Traina that he had been caught off guard. At about the 30:15 mark, you can hear Buck’s take on the internet sensation.
Good stuff here from Joe Buck on this week's SI MEDIA PODCAST about his reaction to Troy Aikman's on-air comment about not being able to call the Niners-Cowboys playoff game.https://t.co/xB8VRk0N4b pic.twitter.com/1xnRh2PmGu
— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) January 26, 2022
After working with Buck for 20 years, he finally said something that made him speechless: “I’ve worked with him for 20 years now, and I don’t think on air he’s ever said anything that surprised me to the point where I almost couldn’t talk, and that got me.”
The truth is, I was completely unaware. I swear to God, on the lives of my children, I had no clue he would say that. It’s fantastic and hilarious in my book. When he does those things, I think they’re priceless.
Since Aikman was in Tampa at the time, he missed one of the most exciting and controversial playoff games in recent years. Time ran out on the Cowboys’ final drive, and they went on to lose to the 49ers, 23-17.
Oklahoma Sooners
Out of high school, Aikman was offered a contract by the New York Mets, but he turned down the baseball opportunity to play football at the University of Oklahoma with Barry Switzer as his head coach instead.
He started for Oklahoma as a freshman in 1984, making history by doing so for the first time since World War II. Aikman led the Sooners to victories over Minnesota, Kansas State, and #17 Texas in the Red River Shootout in 1985, but the team ultimately lost to the Miami Hurricanes after Aikman left the game with a broken ankle.
Even though Jimmy Johnson, his future head coach, scouted him while at Oklahoma State, he lost to Michael Irvin, who would later become a teammate of his.
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In a game against the Sooners on October 19, Miami’s Jerome Brown sacked Aikman from behind, causing an ankle injury. Aikman, who was perfect in his previous eight passes for 131 yards, would be done for the year.
With freshman quarterback Jamelle Holieway at the helm, Switzer and offensive coordinator Jim Donnan reverted to the wishbone. After that, in 1985, they won the National Championship. Aikman decided to leave OU and join the Bruins after Holieway was named the starting quarterback there.