DALLAS — The change happened without any of us knowing, as Troy Aikman has again replaced Roger Staubach only this time he didn't have to do it.
Of all of the former Dallas Cowboys, no one handled their post-playing career more effectively than Roger.
Roger will always remain the model for how every single Dallas Cowboys player should become a former Dallas Cowboys player.
Roger used his affiliation with the Cowboys to remain relevant, which only enhanced his business endeavors, where he was wildly successful in real estate and other ventures.
He was always "around" the Cowboys, talking about the Cowboys, and all it did was to serve him well long after his career ended.
Roger's playing career ended in 1979, he's 80, and he's still a face for the Dallas Cowboys.
Troy Aikman is 55 (yet looks 35) and is doing exactly what Roger did.
Troy and Roger were together in Dallas last week along with Babe Laufenberg to promote the annual Children's Cancer Fund Gala, and the baton has been passed so effortlessly we didn't even see it.
For the second time in his life, Aikman is replacing Staubach.
"There is not enough time to talk about what he has meant to me, and my relationship with him," Aikman said at the event. "What began as a friendship has turned into even more than that, as business partners. He's been a mentor to me.
"He's been an example. A lot of things that I have done in business, a big part is because of Roger. He's been the standard. I always hate when he says it, but he always says that I'm the 'best quarterback in Cowboys' history.' We all know that's not true.
"He's done so much for the people of this city, and across the country. It's pretty awesome."
As Roger will likely continue to decrease his level of visibility — hey, the man has earned it — Troy is there to become the former face of the franchise.
"I stayed in touch with Troy through all of these years off an on, and we've become really good friends," Staubach said. "When he was playing, I'd get a chance to see him. He took it to another level, and I've always been a big fan of his.
"He's kinda quiet at times, but he does good things."
Aikman is in the process of launching his own beer label, "Eight." The beer exclusive to the Texas market is available in select bars and restaurants, and will be available in grocery and liquor stores next month.
Look at the label, and the color scheme is not only not a coincidence, but a shrewd choice.
The colors of a can of "Eight" are blue, silver, and white.
The same colors of the Dallas Cowboys, and in no way a trademark infringement which would allow, say, a Jerry Jones to interfere and insist he gets a cut.
Like Roger, Troy is no fool.
The big difference between the two is Roger's post-playing career focused almost exclusively in the business world, and he had to make a conscious effort to be "around" football, and the Cowboys.
Aikman's post-playing career remains in football, as a lead analyst for Fox for 20 years. Being around football is Troy's job.
Aikman's had to make a conscious effort to around business.
Both are still "around" the Cowboys without actually being around the Cowboys.
Aikman is a routine guest on Sports Radio 1310 The Ticket, and his observations of the team are candid, and as a result his comments generate interest all over the country.
Staubach did the same thing for almost 30 years. Any time Roger talked about the Cowboys, people wanted to hear what he said.
All of it serves them well in keeping their profiles higher than that of your average guy.
They used all of this visibility to create relationships in the business world that served them well, but they also served others with the charitable foundations both men started decades ago.
As a result of all of their efforts, both have become respected members of the entire Dallas-Fort Worth community that people want to be around, and support.
It helps both were Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks of the Dallas Cowboys, but you don't need all of that to have successful careers once football ends.
Because it will end.
No one could have handled it any better than Roger, and for the second time Troy Aikman was smart enough to just do what Roger Staubach did.
