Although I am sometimes an avid boxing fan, it’s probably a good thing that Roger Staubach was my childhood idol and role model instead of some boxer. Here’s some perspective:
Mike Tyson: Earned more than $300 million in the ring but filed for bankruptcy in 2003.
Evander Holyfield: Earned more than $120 million during his career but his house is now in foreclosure.
Roger Staubach: Made $25,000 when he started playing in the NFL, which led him to take a job as a commercial real estate broker during his off-seasons. He formed his own company in 1977 along with fellow broker Robert Holloway.
Thirty-one years later, Staubach’s firm is being acquired for some $613 million, and possibly more. Here is the story:
Real estate services firm Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. said Monday it will buy The Staubach Co., a realty firm founded in 1977 by former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach.
Jones Lang will pay $613 million over five years for Staubach, including $123 million cash and $100 million in stock at closing and the balance in cash over five years. It will pay up to $114 million more depending on whether Staubach reaches performance goals.
Jones Lang said the deal would strengthen its tenant-representation business and add to earnings per share beginning next year.
Roger Staubach will join the Jones Lang board as executive chairman, Americas. Staubach Chief Executive Greg O’Brien will join Jones Lang as CEO of brokerage in the Americas.
Dan, that’s a nice story about the Staubach company. It always nice to read about former athletes who have been successful with their lifes after their careers are over. I think the crux of the issue with today’s athletes vs athletes from yester year is the amount of money they make and especially the amount of money they make IMMEDIATELY in a signing bonus. Today’s top rookies will get a signing bonus of more than Staubach made during his entire career. Most Players from the pre 80s had to have side jobs during the off season to make up for lost income. The mass majority of them did not make enough money during the season to last them an entire year, especially if they had a family. Today’s rookies get a signing bonus that could support his immediate family for the rest of their lives if they simply spent it wisely. But that’s the whole issue. Staubach was forced to supplement his football income so that he would have income after retirement, today’s athlete never has to work again if he chooses not to and spends his money wisely. Spending wisely is hard to do when you think you got more than you will ever need and are therefore not motivated to find another source of income.
One of the big reasons why Tom Landry wore a suit and the fedora was because he thought he would someday become an insurance agent and wanted to look the part. Even head coaches had to take off-season jobs to supplement their salaries.
I think what Staubach’s story shows as well is how much of a winner he is, no matter what he does.
“Captain America” is a leader and a success both on and off the field. I think Troy Aikman will be the same, as will Daryl Johnston.
But for every Roger, Troy or DJ, there’s a Bob Hayes or Clayton Holmes, sad cases of lives wasted after the spotlights fade.
A few years ago I sat next to a guy on a plane ride from Tampa to Atlanta. As we chatted I noticed he had a football style ring on his hand (Not a Super Bowl righ, but a championship type ring) I asked him about it and he told me that he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in the mid 80s. We chatted for the entire flight, he was a helluva nice guy. He currently owned and operated a copy/storage business. He never made more than 100k per year during his playing days and he retired in 1987. Originally he worked for someone else, selling copiers. Eventually he got to the point where he opened up his own business in his garage and now some 20 years later, he is very successful business owner. You could see how proud he was of what he accomplished and it had nothing to do with football. Football was just a side bar, he lived to sale and you could tell by the way he engaged people. He made a helluva impression on me. His name was Mel Carver, you probably never heard of him, because he’s a business owner and a salesman, not a football player.