A few words come to mind when thinking of Roger Staubach: Cowboy, quarterback, Dallas, Captain Comeback and, more recently, JLL. Staubach’s contributions to the Dallas Cowboys made him a household name and local hero, but his contributions to office, industrial and retail real estate earn him a spot on this list.
His beginnings at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he won a Heisman Trophy before a tour of duty in Vietnam, taught Staubach discipline. The Ohio native joined the Dallas Cowboys in 1969 with a $25K salary and played his entire 11-season football career with America’s team. He led the Cowboys to five Super Bowls and two victories. Staubach inspired the term Hail Mary pass after a 1975 game versus the Minnesota Vikings in which Staubach threw a game-winning 50-yard pass for Drew Preston, and promptly said a Hail Mary.
Before retiring from professional football, Staubach started working as a real estate broker in the offseason. Under the mentorship of brokerage giant Henry S. Miller, Staubach went on to establish The Staubach Co. in 1977, two years before his final season with the Cowboys. Staubach has often compared Miller to Cowboys coach Tom Landry, and credited both with his success.
Before merging with JLL in 2008, The Staubach Co. had more than 1,000 employed across 50 offices. JLL's then-CEO, Colin Dyer, said the merger was attractive because of The Staubach Co.’s extensive tenant representation services.
Though the $618M merger came with a handsome payout of more than $600M for Staubach, he chose to keep working and took an active position at JLL. Staubach is executive chairman of JLL Americas where he focuses on client relationships, new development and strategy.
Staubach and his wife, Marianne, have five adult children. Daughter Jennifer Staubach Gates has risen to prominence in Dallas politics and sits on the city council.
Staubach has a new Super Bowl tradition these days. Each year, he predicts the winner based on real estate fundamentals. His accuracy is more than 70%. — Julia Bunch
