The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture

AIKMAN, TROY KENNETH (1966– ).

Born November 21, 1966, in West Covina, California, Troy Kenneth Aikman was raised in the California community of Cerritos. When he was twelve, his parents, Kenneth and Charlyn Aikman, moved to Henryetta, Oklahoma.

While attending Henryetta High School, Aikman played quarterback on the football team and captured All-State honors. After finishing school, he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and two years later transferred to the University of California at Los Angeles. He ended this phase of his football career as the nation's third most successful collegiate passer.

In 1989 Troy Aikman signed with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and he became one of the game's greatest quarterbacks. In the 1990s he led the Cowboys to ninety victories, more than ever tallied by any starting quarterback in any decade in NFL history. He is one of only three quarterbacks to lead his team to three Super Bowl victories. In 2001 Aikman retired from football and began a broadcasting career.

Aikman remained heavily involved in charitable projects. In 1997 he was chosen as Man of the Year, the NFL's top award for community involvement. His Troy Aikman Foundation provided funds for the construction in 1999 of Aikman's End Zone, a high-tech recreational area at Oklahoma City's Children's Hospital. At the end of the twentieth century Aikman, his wife, Rhonda, and daughter, Rachel, made Dallas, Texas, their home.

Bob Burke