| | DALLAS -- From his first NFL boss to the guy who fired him,
Tom Landry was remembered Saturday for his stoic demeanor as a coach and for his superb character as a person.
"His strength, faith and humility are responsible for so much
of what the Dallas Cowboys are all about," said Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones, who fired Landry in February 1989 after 29 seasons.
"He courageously displayed those characteristics throughout his
lifetime -- in victory, defeat, prosperity and illness."
|  | | Under Tom Landry's tutelage, Roger Staubach became one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks. |
Landry died Saturday evening following a nine-month battle with
a form of leukemia. He was 75.
"He didn't get excited," said former Pittsburgh coach Chuck
Noll, who beat Landry in two Super Bowls. "He always had
everything under control. He was very analytical, a guy who was a
great technician, and his teams reflected that."
New York Giants owner Wellington Mara, whose family ran the team
when Landry broke into the NFL, said the former coach's smooth
exterior concealed a burning desire to win.
"Even though he held his emotions in check, I know how
intensely competitive he was," Mara said. "Even when they were
calling him the cardboard man for his demeanor on the sidelines, I
knew how intensely competitive he was and how badly he wanted to win."
Calvin Hill was a first-round pick by Landry in 1969. He
remained with the Cowboys through 1974 and returned to the
organization in recent years as director of player programs.
"It's a sad day for anybody who's been associated with the
Cowboys," Hill said at the NBA All-Star game in Oakland, Calif.
"I think everybody takes refuge in the fact that Tom was prepared
for this to happen. Coach Landry was at peace -- and spiritually, he
was prepared to go to another place. But it's still hard to believe
because he was always so vital."
Lee Roy Jordan, a star linebacker for the Cowboys from 1973-76,
had the privilege of playing for Landry in the pros and for Paul
"Bear" Bryant in college at Alabama. He said they were both
excellent planners who left little to chance.
"Coach Landry was so stable, so consistent," Jordan said. "He
never got excited. He never got down. He didn't show great emotions
when things were going right and he didn't show great dejection
when things were going wrong. I think that made him a great
leader."
Dan Reeves played for Landry, then was an assistant coach in
Dallas before becoming a Super Bowl coach in Denver and Atlanta.
Reeves said he's tried patterning himself after Landry on and off
the field.
"He was someone who had tremendous knowledge of the NFL, but he was also a man of such integrity," Reeves said. "He had a strong Christian faith that was unusual at that time. And he didn't just talk it. He walked it, too." | |
ALSO SEE
Garber: Landry's lasting legacy
Jaworski: Landry's innovations changed NFL
'Old Stone Face' had a soft side, too
Former Cowboys coach Landry dead at 75
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mike Ditka says that Landry embodies what a coach should be.
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Randy White doesn't remember Landry ever losing his composure.
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