Troy Aikman, 4 Others Inducted Into Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame

Aikman was joined by Michele Smith, Don Demeter, Pete Incaviglia and the late Rick Bryan.

Thursday, May 26th 2011, 11:53 am

By: News On 6

Troy Aikman, 4 Others Inducted Into Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame

Originally Published: Aug 3, 2010 10:33 PM CDT

Corey DeMoss
Oklahoma Sports Staff Writer

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame inducted five new members Tuesday, and among them was NFL Hall of Famer and brief OU quarterback Troy Aikman.

Aikman was a standout quarterback at Henryetta High School before turning down an offer to play baseball for the New York Mets in order to attend the University of Oklahoma. In the fourth game of the 1985 season, Aikman broke his ankle against Miami. He never played another down for the Sooners.

“It was a short-lived career here, and my best game was the one I was having when I broke my leg,” Aikman said. “The people of Oklahoma have always been wonderful to me, but I was an out-of-box quarterback for what was being played here at the time. I would have loved to have the opportunity to play at Oklahoma in the offense that they’re now running. They’ve put out some great players.”

Aikman transferred to UCLA and won the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s best quarterback in 1988. The Dallas Cowboys selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, and he went on to lead them to three Super Bowl victories.

Aikman’s professional career came to an end in 2000, when several concussions forced him to retire. He admitted that watching 40-year-old Brett Favre – who is now contemplating retirement for the third consecutive year – play over the last few years caused him to briefly consider a return to the game.

“You know, [Favre is] just a year-and-a-half younger than I am and I’m 10 years removed from having played,” Aikman said. “So when I would cover his games and see him on the field doing some of the things he was doing, I think, ‘Maybe I could still do it.’ Then I have to remind myself I couldn’t do it at the end of my career, so I wouldn’t be able to do it now.”

After retiring from football, Aikman joined Fox as a color commentator and has since been paired with Joe Buck. The two have become the NFL’s best-known broadcasting pair, and Aikman was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2004.

“I’ve enjoyed doing the broadcasting; Joe Buck is a terrific partner, he’s a real talent,” Aikman said. “It’s been more fun than I ever thought it would be, and I never really imagined I’d still be doing it 10 years later.”

Aikman was a major influence on former OU quarterback Sam Bradford, who signed a lucrative contract with the St. Louis Rams earlier in the week. Bradford chose to wear the No. 8 with the Rams, the same number Aikman wore with the Cowboys. Aikman said he expects great things from the young quarterback.

“I really like [Bradford]; I think he’s a real talent,” Aikman said. “What happens every year is that whoever the best quarterback is coming out of college, then they immediately assume this guy is a franchise quarterback. I don’t believe that’s always the case, but I do believe with Sam he is a franchise quarterback.”

Bradford joins a team that struggled in the passing game last season. The Rams gave up a total of 44 sacks and finished with the fifth-worst passing attack in the league.

“The real key for him – as it was for me and everyone else – is, ‘Can they protect him?’ and ‘Can they get some players around him that allow him to do the things that he can do?’” Aikman said. “Hopefully he’ll get that, because if he does he’ll be where I’m going this weekend to watch Emmitt Smith go into the Hall of Fame.”

Aikman was selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008. He was joined in enshrinement in the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame Tuesday by former OSU softball player Michele Smith, OSU baseball player Pete Incaviglia, Oklahoma City native Don Demeter and former Sooner Rick Bryan, who passed away in 2009.

“It’s an honor to go in with this group, especially Ricky Bryan and Pete Incaviglia, two guys who I watched when I was in high school and had great respect for,” Aikman said.