Roger Staubach

He was born Roger Thomas Staubach in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 5, 1942. The only child of Robert Joseph and Elizabeth (Smyth) Staubach, he attended Purcell High School, a parochial school in Cincinnati where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He showed particular promise in baseball and football. Staubach set his sights on playing football for Notre Dame, but when they passed on him he decided to enroll at Purdue. A recruiter for the U.S. Naval Academy, sent to Purcell to sign up the team's center, became interested in Staubach after seeing the quarterback in action on some of the team's game films. At least initially, Staubach had no interest in attending a service academy, but he was persuaded by the recruiter, Rick Foranzo, to pay a visit to Annapolis. Staubach made the trip and liked what he saw of the school, being particularly impressed by the academy's strong moral environment. When scores on his initial college entrance exams revealed a weakness in English, Staubach decided to seek help to prepare him for the rigorous standards of the academy. He enrolled at New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell, New Mexico, where he not only boned up on his English, but honed his passing skills. He led the institute's football team to a 9-1 record.

Staubach entered the Naval Academy in 1961, kicking off a year of unparalleled misery for the Ohioan. Plagued by homesickness, he found it difficult to fit into the rigid lifestyle of a plebe. Even more depressing was his seeming inability to do anything without running afoul of the academy's rules. In his first four months, he collected 150 demerits; he knew if he collected 150 more during the remainder of the school year, he'd be on his way home from Annapolis. After some serious soul-searching during the Christmas break, Staubach returned to the academy with a new outlook and attitude. He managed to get through the rest of the school year with only 20 additional demerits, escaping the embarrassment of expulsion.