In 1969--six years after winning the Heisman Trophy, getting drafted in the tenth round and serving in the Navy, Vietnam included--he joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year old rookie quarterback. In 1970, he took his first foray into commercial real estate.

In 1972, his MVP performance secured the Cowboys Super Bowl VI victory, their first. Over the next nine winning seasons, "Captain Comeback" helmed the Dallas offense, appearing in six NFC Championship Games and also winning Super Bowl XII.

He, of course, is Roger Staubach, and while still playing, he capitalized on that early business start with the 1977 formation of the Staubach Company. Built upon the pioneering concept of exclusive "tenant representation" in corporate, industrial and retail deals, his company, of which he is executive chairman, today has 68 offices throughout the Americas. And he still runs a winning huddle, completing 7,280 transactions totaling $28 billion in fiscal 2007.

Mr. Staubach also played an integral role in winning Super Bowl 45 for Dallas in 2011, projected to draw a staggering 120,000 people to the Cowboys' coming new $1.1 billion stadium. His legend remains a door-opener--but for Mr. Staubach, long recognized for his supreme integrity, trust counts highest.

Recalling his miracle toss to Drew Pearson in the 1975 playoffs, he reflects on the time-honored cliche of football as life. "Teamwork, hard work and perseverance are all core football principles, but they do not just happen in business," he says, adding that it took time for people to trust dealing with an ex-athlete. "Establishing those same attributes in the workplace takes patience. You have to build trust internally first before transferring it to the customer--everything comes with a price."

And what about that definitive "Hail Mary" to Pearson? "I trusted," he says, "that Drew would catch the ball."

Jeff Heilman

6/10/08