Troy Sightings - May 1999

Troy Sightings - May 1999 Troy Sightings Archives
May 1999

May 31, 1999 - From the Dallas Morning News: "[Troy] played golf in Scotland under sunny skies at St. Andrews. He shot an 86."

May 30, 1999 - GLASGOW, SCOTLAND: Troy was at Hampden Park in Glasgow to perform the coin toss before the game between the Scottish Claymores and the Berlin Thunder. For more information, read: "Aikman Enjoys a Slice of NFL Europe".

May 29, 1999 - DUESSELDORF, GERMANY: A very enthusiastic Troy Aikman made his debut as a sports commentator in the FOX broadcast booth. Troy provided great color analysis along with the play-by-play announcing of Brad Sham, the radio voice of the Dallas Cowboys, for the game that was shown in the States on DirecTV. The Frankfurt Galaxy beat the Rhein Fire by 21-20 after scoring a last minute field goal, and advanced to 4-3 in the League. Troy said, "that was a great game and a great finish." He also stated, "I'm impressed with the play in this League. I wish I could spend more time over here and do more games." If you have RealPlayer installed on your computer, you can listen to the archived broadcast at http://www.broadcast.com/makemedia/makeram.asp?id=94463.

One story Brad and Troy related was their trip from Frankfurt to Dusseldorf. They were driving in a rented van, and it broke down. At one point, Troy stood in a traffic lane to try to flag down a truck to rescue them, but that didn't work. If you fast forward the audio on the game to 25:45, you can hear them tell the story.

Troy on German television with Lou Richter from SAT1. (a photo Ines took off the television with her digital camera)

May 24, 1999 - The Troy Aikman Foundation held its charity golf tournament at Stonebriar Country Club in Frisco, Texas. Dallas Cowboys' coach Chan Gailey won the tourney with a five over par 77.

May 23, 1999 - Stonebriar Country Club, Frisco, Texas. Troy was interviewed by NBC 5's Scott Murray. Troy was at Stonebrier for the gala fundraiser for his Foundation's golf tournament. The tournament will be held tomorrow, and Troy said that Pat Summerall, Jason Garrett, Eric Bjornson, Chan Gailey, Joe Avezzano, Dave Campo, Bill Bates, and Toby Keith will be among those competing in the tourney. Troy said that the tournament is smaller than in the past but that they've been able to raise more money than before. He said that tonight alone, in the silent and live auctions, they raised $51,000, and that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pledged another $51,000 in matching funds.

Scott asked him about the Foundation and Troy's End Zones project. Troy said that a new End Zone opened in Oklahoma City this past February and one will be opening at UCLA real soon. He said that some other cities are also in the works, but that he'd hate to mention those at this time. "We're planning on putting them in clear across the country."

"This is the first tournament that I've had in three years. We just felt that it was time for us to be able to raise a lot of money for us to be able to do the things we want to do within in the End Zones, and so far, we've been able to do that tonight, and we'll continue to do that tomorrow. We'll be able to help a lot of worthy children in desperate need of being able to do things that they are unable to do at this time."

Scott asked Troy about his motivation for the End Zones and his Foundation. Troy said, "Children have always had a special place in my heart, and I don't think that's unusual. I think a lot of people can identify with that. And back in '92 I decided that it was time, that I had been established here long enough, that I wanted to start my own Foundation."

"It was only about three years ago that we started moving in a different direction and putting in the End Zones. Mike Reilly [the vice chairman of the Foundation] was really the brains behind it, who came up with the concept. And along the way we were able to partner with Stephen Speilberg and Norman Schwarzkopf, and came together as one to do the things we've been able to do within the End Zones."

"It's been one of the most meaningful things that I've done and I'm very committed to the Dallas Cowboys and trying to do anything we can to win a championship. But besides being out on the football field, what we've done within the Foundation in helping some of these kids within the hospitals has been very rewarding for me and I'm happy with what we've done."

Scott turned Troy's attention to training camp, which is still two months away. Troy said, "I'm always looking forward to the upcoming season this time of year and this year's going to be no different. We're going to be an improved football team, I think. Rocket is going to help us. Obviously having Mark [Stepnoski] back, who's a guy who's been in there in the trenches with us during some great times in the early 90s, I'm excited about having him back. But in addition to these two guys, the guys that are getting all the headlines, I think that we had an outstanding draft once again this year, and have been able to bring in some young players who are going to be able to help us. And ultimately as everybody knows our goal is to be able to get back to the Super Bowl, and I think this is another step in that direction. It gives us the opportunity to do that."

Scott asked Troy if he were excited about going to Europe. "I am. I don't go in with any false illusions as to think I'm going to be better than just someone for whom it's their first game and they're just trying to learn the ropes."

"I'm excited about working alongside Brad Sham, someone I've worked with in Dallas doing different radio shows the past ten years, and it kind of gives me the opportunity to be exposed to some things I've not otherwise been exposed to. I'm looking forward to the trip. It will be a great learning experience for me, and who knows, maybe I'll go out and enjoy it and have a good time with it, and it will be something I'll want to do down the road."

I don't pretend that it's as easy as what everyone makes it look, and I think it's a lot like acting. You don't notice it really until it's bad and my hope is that nobody will recognize just what I'm doing out there and if somebody says hey I didn't even know you were doing the game, to me that would be the ultimate compliment."

Finally, Scott asked Troy for his thoughts on Emmitt Smiths' recent engagement. Troy said, "I'm happy for him. I mentioned that to Emmitt. I saw him over the weekend. We were out in California doing a card show as a matter of fact and I congratulated him on that. His fiance is a wonderful person. I'm very happy for him and as I mentioned to Emmitt, I said boy you've really put the pressure on me now!"

May 22, 1999 - Anaheim, California. Troy is scheduled to be at the Anaheim Convention Center from noon to 3:00 p.m. for the Triumph sports show. Call 718-876-7601 from 10 AM - 10 PM daily EDT for more information. Autograph fees for Troy are $85 for flat items and $125 for delux items. Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Jerry Rice, Randall Cunningham, Peyton Manning, Magic Johnson, and others are also scheduled to be there.

May 19, 1999 - Lone Star Park, Grand Prairie, Texas. Troy made the winning presentation after Wednesday's first race at Lone Star Park, which was won by No. 8, Boogie Le Feet. Prior to the race, Troy and a group of friends visited the horses at the track's saddling paddock. The daughter of a friend of Troy's bent down and kissed Boogie Le Feet on the leg. When asked why she did that she replied, "because he's No. 8!"

May 15, 1999 - Reunion Arena, Dallas, Texas. The television cameras caught our quarterback taking in a playoff game between the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues.

May 13, 1999 - Athlete Direct, America Online. Troy stopped by his message board to answer questions and then went to the chatroom to talk to his fans.

One of the posts Troy answered came from a mom:

"...Our teen-age son and his 6 friends came often this pass summer to swim. (Ages 15 - 17) They're always comparing themselves and I think each of these boys believe; " The sun won't shine until they wake up!!!" Of course; they're too cute for sunscreen! And my rule is; "No sunscreen, No swimming!" They come up with every excuse they can think of not to wear it! My son and two of the boys are Black; the other boys are White. (Two of these boys are twins and "Aikman look-a-likes"!) The Black boys naively tease their friends by saying that their dark skin does not need sunscreen. Of course I told them that this NOT true!.... I decided to tell them about your bout with Melanoma. By the time I got to the eleven stitches you received, these boys went from, "Ain't we cute" to "Lord Jesus, help us find some sunscreen NOW"! The fighting over the sunscreen was hysterical...."

Troy responded:

Thank you very much for taking the time to post on my message board. It's nice to see parents demand the use of sunscreen. I, like most people, was very naive about skin cancer until my detected melanoma.

Another question on the message board asked Troy about John Elway's retirement. Troy responded:

Like every year when the NFL loses a prominent player that represents the game well, the NFL will miss John Elway. He was a tremendous ambassador for the NFL for 16 years.

Another fan left Troy a very poignant post about Mark Tuinei:

Troy, This goes out to all the caring fans and the friends of our departed friend. Mark is and always will be a very special person. He has touched the lives of so many people and will never be forgotten. He has left his mark on this world with his practical jokes, his enthusiasim, his love for the game and especially his love for his friends and family both personal and professional. Everyone who knew him will carry for the rest of their lives a special memory, be it from Tui's Playhouse to private home gatherings. Tui will be sadly missed but let us not forget the one that will miss him the most,Pono. She will need the support and the love of everyone to help her heal and deal with what is a head of her. As with myself and my family who are close to her and Mark, we are taking this one day at a time. As Pono said keep Mark in your heart and he will always be with us.

Troy responded:

I could not have said it better...Mark was a teammate, but more importantly a friend.

Another fan asked:

I just wanted to know if there was a way I could volunteer to help the Foundation

Troy said:

We really don't have events that require volunteers for the foundation. I suppose the best way to support the foundation is to make a donation. The money raised is used to build interactive playrooms in children's hospitals across the country.

There were numerous questions on Troy's message board about his playing in the Byron Nelson Pro-Am yesterday:

Enjoyed walking the eighteen with you yesterday. Sorry you were not given a little bit more space but it was better than I thought it would be

Do you find tournament play, especially when you have a gallery of fans, much more difficult than when you are just playing a routine round?

do you have to have special golf clubs made for you because of your height? And what ball do you use?

And these were his responses:

Thank you....wish I would have finished a lil' stronger, but it was fun day nonetheless...: )

I actually prefer tournament play with a gallery. It's probably the competition I enjoy most, but I like the feeling of importance when a gallery is present.

I do have to use longer clubs due to my height. I really like the Titleist Tour Professional 100 golf ball.

Here is a transcript of the chat from the Athlete Direct chatroom, with extraneous chatter and unanswered questions deleted:

DCQtrBack:

May 12, 1999 - Byron Nelson PGA Golf Classic Pro-Am, Four Seasons Resort, Irving, Texas. Troy shot a 79 in the Pro-Am of the Byron Nelson today. He was paired with PGA pro David Toms. Channel 4 in Dallas showed quite a bit of video of him golfing, but didn't interview him directly. They did ask Toms and Tiger Woods about Troy, and here is what they had to say:

David Toms

Tiger Woods: "To have him out here supporting the tournament is pretty cool. Because most athletes don't play a lot of golf, and it's neat when an athlete does."

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