American · Cincinnati, Ohio, USA · Born 5 February 1942Navy quarterback nicknamed 'Roger the Dodger,' who won the 1963 Heisman Trophy as a junior and remains the last player from a U.S. service academy to win the award.
Roger Thomas Staubach was born on 5 February 1942 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and attended the New Mexico Military Institute before enrolling at the U.S. Naval Academy in 1962. As a sophomore, he started at quarterback and led Navy to a 34-14 upset over rival Army in a game attended by President John F. Kennedy, who performed the coin toss. Staubach's junior season in 1963 was one of the finest in college football history: he led the nation in completion percentage, guided Navy to a 9-1 record and a No. 2 national ranking, and set Cotton Bowl records for completions (21-of-31) and passing yards (228) in a game against national champion Texas. He completed 106 of 161 passes for 1,474 yards that season, earning consensus All-American honors along with the Maxwell Trophy and Walter Camp Award before winning the Heisman Trophy - the second in four years for the Naval Academy. The 1963 Heisman announcement came just days before the assassination of President Kennedy, a moment Staubach has said made the honor feel secondary at the time given his connection to Kennedy as a fellow Navy man. Injuries limited his senior season, and Navy finished 3-6-1, though Staubach still finished his three-year career with 4,253 total yards, setting 28 Naval Academy records. He remains the last Heisman winner from a U.S. service academy. After graduating in 1965, Staubach fulfilled his military commitment with a tour of duty in Vietnam before joining the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 at age 27. He led Dallas to four Super Bowls, winning two and earning Super Bowl VI MVP, becoming known as 'Captain Comeback' for 23 fourth-quarter comeback victories. He later built a highly successful commercial real estate business, The Staubach Group, which he sold for $613 million in 2008, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
Winning the 1963 Heisman Trophy as a Navy junior, the last player from a U.S. service academy to win the award
How They Played
Elusive, improvisational quarterback known for his scrambling ability and knack for extending plays, traits that carried into his signature NFL comebacks
Lasting Impact
Regarded as one of the finest quarterbacks in college and professional football history, whose military service between his Heisman win and NFL debut added a distinctive chapter to a career that included Super Bowl glory, Hall of Fame induction in both games, and one of the largest commercial real estate businesses in America
Career Honours
- 1963 Heisman Trophy - last won by a U.S. service academy player
- 1963 Maxwell Trophy and Walter Camp Award
- Consensus All-American (1963)
- 28 Naval Academy career football records
American Athletes