Troy Aikman turns 20 as an NFL analyst on Fox network

The former Cowboys quarterback is considered one of the best commentators in the country

Troy Aikman turns 20 as an analyst on Fox television broadcasts. Here’s the story of the former Cowboys quarterback as he rises as one of the best commentators in the country.

In the late 1990s, veteran Cowboys players were in first class on the team’s private jet after road games.

Following a victory in the 1997 season, the Cowboys’ radio voice, Brad Sham, ventured to the front. Sham wanted a second job: narrating games for NFL Europe.

He sought out Dale Hellestrae, who was doing some color comments for the now-defunct league on Fox Sports. Sham and Hellestrae started talking and then they heard a voice say, “That sounds like fun. I would like to do that”.

The voice was Troy Aikman’s, and what sounded like a funny comment towards the end of his 12-year NFL career turned into something bigger. On Sunday in Jacksonville, Aikman and storyteller Joe Buck will begin their 20th year in the broadcast booth together for Fox.

It’s an incredible ride for the Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback who simply wanted to have fun with Sham and Hellestrae across Europe. Now, he travels the United States on weekends playing NFL games.

The fact that he’s been in the broadcast booth for over 20 years is surprising to some who don’t know Aikman. For people who know Aikman, it really isn’t.

“He has a great relationship with Joe, and the network analyst, as he should be, is the team leader,” Sham said. Despite the longevity in his second career, there was a time when Aikman grew weary of broadcasting. He missed his daughters so much, he didn’t want to be a part-time father. Buck, who also had daughters, could identify himself.

Covering games on the weekends, preparing during the week by talking to coaches and players can wear you down if you don’t have a good work-life balance. Buck and Aikman formed a strong partnership, not just in the broadcast booth, but outside of the stadiums as well.

The dinners on the tours, the exchange of stories of daughters that made them crazy and loving, along with personal ups and downs in their lives fed the couple and communicators.

“I always thought that when I finished my playing career I would go to work in the front office on some team,” Aikman said.

“But life unfolds and my circumstances personally changed and I needed to be a father and be at home as much as I could with my daughters and that led me to where I am now, and 21 years later here we are,” he said.

“This is a really good life and it’s a great job no matter what the situation is, especially with young children,” he said.