DALLAS — In promotion of his Highway to Henryetta concert, Troy Aikman revealed a few little-known facts about his upbringing in Oklahoma.
Aikman, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and NFL broadcaster, did a series of Zoom calls and interviews with the media, explaining how he wanted to give back to his Oklahoma hometown, which is about a three-hour drive from Dallas. Proceeds from the star-studded country music concert will benefit the city and school district.
During the interviews, Aikman shared some details on how Henryetta made him the person he is today.
Aikman just missed out on bull-riding school
He moved from California in 1979 and lived on his family’s working farm, feeding cows, pigs and chickens and hauling hay. But his father had even bigger plans for Aikman — bull-riding school. Henryetta is known for its rodeo prowess, including ProRodeo Hall of Famer Jim Shoulders.
“I was a stick-and-ball guy,” Aikman told KMGL 104.1FM in Oklahoma City. “I never even laid eyes on a bull, let alone get on one. They ended up having to cancel that bull-riding school because they eventually couldn’t afford insurance, so many kids were breaking legs and arms. I don’t know how long Jim Shoulders had it, but it wasn’t around much longer, and thankfully, because my father would have had me up on a bull.”
How he became a country music fan
In California, Aikman, as an 8- to 9-year-old, would listen to Aerosmith or KISS. His preference began to evolve when he would ride with his father, who was a pipeline foreman, leaving at 4:30 a.m. Aikman would listen to Charley Pride and Merle Haggard on his father’s 8-track player. Once he moved to Oklahoma, he became more of a country music fan.
“I’d hear all the old country songs — Faron Young, Tom T. Hall, all those guys,” he told the Morning Musers on Sportsradio 96.7 FM/1310 The Ticket (KTCK-AM). “I wasn’t so much at the time. But like music tends to do, I [became] a big fan of old country music because it takes me back to those truck rides with my dad at 4:30 in the morning.”
His music shuffle is mostly country
“You’d definitely hear a lot of Kenny Chesney,” he told the Tulsa World. “You’d hear a lot of Pat Green. Shoot, I’ve got them all. Eric Church is one of my favorites right now. Blake Shelton, of course. A lot of old country, too. I keep up with the current stuff, but I still kind of dive back into the ‘90s, 2000s and earlier stuff. You’d also hear some [Bruce] Springsteen and [John] Mellencamp.”
What’s with the lore of his typing skills?
Tales of his prowess as a typing champ continue to grow in a mythical way. In 2017, Aikman told the News that he competed in the state typing championship.
“I think I was the county typing champion. It keeps getting bigger. Now, it’s turning to the state champion,” he told KJRH-TV in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “It wasn’t that widely contested. I was a pretty good typist, and it was actually one of the best things I did when I was in high school. And now with computers and keyboards and everything else, it has served me very well.”
He’s taking his beer to Henryetta
Aikman is making his Texas-exclusive 8 Elite Light Lager beer, which contains 90 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrates per 12-ounce can, available to concertgoers in Oklahoma.
“I’m hopeful that we’re able to move it into Oklahoma eventually,” he told KJRH-TV. “It will be served at the music festival ... so a lot of people will get a chance to sample it then.”
Will he get on stage to sing?
Aikman was asked whether he’d take the stage to sing. He’s not particularly proud of a country album that his Cowboys teammates recorded in 1996.
“If I sing like a few lyrics, that would be an upset,” he told Fox 23-TV in Tulsa. “I’ll be up onstage, but I don’t think there will be a lot of singing going on.”
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