See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Troy Aikman Story.
Life Lesson #95 – Become a Leader.
Although Tom was very shy as a young boy, he was an excellent student in school. Tom was born in Mission, Texas in September of 1924. Mr. Landry was a volunteer fireman, and Tom would go to fires with his dad whenever he could.
All through his growing up years, Tom’s parents were pretty strict with him. They wanted him to learn how to give of himself and not just look for ways to get what he wanted. The things they taught him were actually a very special gift to him. When young Tom told someone he was going to do something, he always did it, and he did it to the best of his ability because that’s what his parents taught him to do, and he listened to them!
Tom loved sports, too. In high school, he was on the football team, and he played football in college as well. Eventually, he became a football coach. He taught his players how to play football, of course, but he went further to teach them about life and how to become better people.
In 1960, Tom Landry became the first head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, a brand new professional football team at that time. He was the Cowboys’ coach for twenty-nine years! That’s a long time to coach any team!
But, you see, Tom Landry was not just a coach. He was an inspiration to everyone he came in contact with. Yes, he became very famous for leading the Dallas Cowboys to many victories, but that’s not what made him a HERO. He became a HERO because of his passion for life and because of his constant work to help make young people better people. That’s why Tom Landry became a HERO.
– Jim Lord