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Aikman was born on November 21, 1966, in West Covina, California, but was raised in Henryetta, Oklahoma. At 6 feet four inches and 220 pounds he would become pro Football's prototypical quarterback. He split his college career between University of Oklahoma and UCLA.
In 1989, Jimmy Johnson of the Dallas Cowboys held the first overall selection in the NFL draft and used that pick to select Aikman. Aikman's rookie season was a disaster by all accounts. He was 0-11 as a starter and the Cowboys finished the year with only one win. Aikman also was injured.
But Aikman was resilient and the following year he led the Cowboys to the brink of the playoffs. Dallas was 7-7 with 2 weeks to play before Aikman suffered a season-ending injury. Dallas lost its final 2 games and missed the playoffs, but the NFL was beginning to take notice of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed quarterback of "America's team".
Advertisers were also taking notice. He began to appear in commercials and quickly became a national celebrity.
In 1991, the Cowboys made it to the playoffs and Aikman was selected to the first of his six consecutive Pro Bowls. In 1992, Aikman set career highs in completions (302), passing yards (3,445), and touchdown passes (23).
That year, his team made it to Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena, CA, playing against the Buffalo Bills. There, Aikman completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and tossed 4 touchdown passes. Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP in the Cowboys' decisive 52-17 victory.
The next season, Dallas again won the Super Bowl. If the Cowboys could win the Super Bowl the following 1994 season, they would be the first team in history to win three straight Super Bowls. Instead, the Cowboys lost to the 49ers 38-28 in the NFC Championship Game.
In 1995, the Cowboys won their record-tying fifth Super Bowl and Aikman threw for over 3,300 yards along the way. In 1997, Aikman became the first quarterback in Dallas history to record three consecutive 3,000-yard seasons. However, due to the team missing the playoffs, his relationship with head coach Barry Switzer deteriorated .
Switzer was fired following the season but the instability continued to plague the Cowboys for the rest of Aikman's career. Aikman's pass protection failed him repeatedly and this led to him suffering several concussions. In 2000, Washington Redskins linebacker Lavar Arrington hit him hard enough to give him his final concussion, which forced him to retire.
Aikman ended his career as the Cowboys' all-time leading passer. He ranks in the top 20 all time in completions, attempts, and yards despite playing on teams that focused on running rather than on passing. He was one of the most accurate passers in history despite running offenses that threw the ball downfield. But perhaps most importantly, on a team often filled with controversy and bad press, Aikman never made embarrassing headlines off the field. He now works as a color commentator for FOX sports.