Retired Football Player Comes Clean About Important Lesson His Blended Family Taught Him

NFL legend Troy Aikman was a player with the Dallas Cowboys for 12 long, brutal seasons — and he accomplished just about everything in the sport. He attacked every game with a competitive energy that few could match, and it took him to the highest of heights. But after his retirement, his blended family helped him learn something very fundamental about his post-football life.

Team Six

These days, Aikman is a happily married man with four children. He has his girls Jordan and Alexa from his first marriage, and boys Val and Luke from his current marriage to Catherine “Capa” Mooty. He refers to the family unit as “Team Six” on social media — and the team seems very happy indeed!

Ally and Jordan

For example, on Father’s Day 2019, daughter Alexa — known as Ally — posted a picture of she and her sister as little kids chasing their daddy on the football field. She captioned the pic, “Happy Father’s Day to the best! I love you so much, dad. Thanks for everything.” The simple message spoke volumes about the close relationship Aikman shares with both his daughters.

Luke and Val

Aikman also has a huge amount of love for his stepsons. For instance, on November 6, 2019, Aikman posted a photo of him fixing Luke’s tie. He captioned it, “Happy 16th birthday to one of the greatest kids on the planet! You’re going places my man! Figuratively and literally now that you can drive! I love you pal!”

The first marriage

In order to find out the lesson Aikman’s children taught him, though, we need to go back in time to 2000 — when Aikman and Rhonda Worthey, a Dallas Cowboys publicist, tied the knot. Jordan then came along in 2001 and Alexa was born in 2002. For a long time, Aikman lived the perfect family life, following his retirement from football on April 9, 2001 — just in time to become a dad!

The secondary career

At that point, Aikman started working for Fox as a color commentator. In 2017 he admitted to GQ magazine there’d initially been some teething problems as he got used to the different demands of working as a broadcaster, rather than as a player. But he’s now been a commentator for a longer time than he ever played for — so he must be doing something right!

Staying relevant

His TV career has kept Aikman in and around the game, without the punishing physicality of playing. In 2020 he told Haute Living magazine, “I think that broadcasting, for lack of a better way of saying it, has kept me relevant and in the public eye... people tend to remember my playing career more than I otherwise would, since I am out there weekly in front of the public.” 

One of the lucky ones

Indeed, over the years Aikman has been candid about how the physical demands of football were intense. In truth, he also got out at the right time — before he sustained an injury that would prove debilitating even in retirement. He told GQ, “I consider myself to be one of the really, really fortunate ones, to have gotten out of the game as healthy as I did.”

Feeling great

Aikman continued, “If somebody said, ‘What do you feel? Do you wake up stiff?’’ No. I feel great. I don’t feel anything. I don’t think there’s many that could say they played ten-plus years in the NFL that don’t have something that’s really bothering them.” It’s especially incredible when you consider it was publicized he suffered from chronic back pain before he retired.

The old days

In truth, Aikman doesn’t like to talk about his playing days much — he prefers to focus on the present, and his wonderful family life. He admitted to GQ, “You just come off as old when you start talking about that [his playing days]... They’re meaningful to me, but… I don’t think anybody really wants to hear about 25 years ago. I don’t.”

The divorce

In 2011 Aikman and Worthey called time on their marriage. In a Dallas Morning News statement, Aikman said, “This has been a difficult decision for Rhonda and me, but after ten years of marriage we have decided to separate. We remain deeply committed to our children and respectfully ask that you honor our family’s privacy during this period of adjustment.”

The engagement

By the time 2016 rolled around, Aikman had a new woman in his life: Capa Mooty. Social media photographs of the two on dates began sprouting up in February, and by June 2017 Aikman announced their engagement. Below an Instagram picture of the two on vacation in Lake Como, he posted, “A special day as I proposed to the love of my life.”

The Jerry Jones connection

Mooty is the co-founder of a mobile boutique named Luxeliner. One of the other co-founders Charlotte Jones Anderson is actually Jerry Jones’ daughter — yes, that Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys! Perhaps this connection is what led to Cowboys legend Aikman meeting Mooty for the first time?

The Luxeliner philosophy

Regarding her business, Mooty told DFW Style in 2012, “We bought a FedEx truck, lacquered it black, and filled it with our most favorite things. We want it to feel like you are shopping in your best friend’s closet, and we have focused on buying what we love best. We also carry fun, easy gifts, and are striving to be like a Kitson-on-Wheels.”

The second marriage

Aikman and Mooty married in September 2017, with the former quarterback announcing the good news on his Instagram account. Next to a picture of him and his blushing bride walking down the aisle, he posted, “Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. & Mrs. Aikman.” Photographer Lily Ro Hernandez replied, “What an honor to document this amazing couple surrounded by their family and friends.”

The love of my life

During his first marriage, Aikman was pretty private, rarely letting the press or public see behind the curtain. But with Mooty, he’s been more open with the world. For instance, on their second anniversary he posted to Instagram, “I love you. I love us. I love our family. Happy anniversary to the love of my life!”

Being a single dad

Of the time period between his divorce and remarrying, Aikman told Haute Living magazine, “I got remarried a couple of years ago and prior to that, I was a single father for a number of years. That’s why the broadcasting with Fox was so good for me, because it afforded me an opportunity to be there for my girls and only be gone during the football season.”

What’s really important

Aikman then continued to articulate just how much his family means to him. He revealed that, since he stopped playing football, he’d gotten perspective on what’s really important in life. He said, “My daughters, my wife, my two stepsons; those are the things that matter most to me. The rest of it is just kind of window dressing.”

Only one thing matters

In fact, Aikman’s philosophy regarding his time on Earth is remarkably simple. He believes he only needs one thing to know he’s lived a good life. He explained, “When I’m lying there towards the end of my time on Earth, if [my daughters] say, ‘He was a great dad,’ then none of the other stuff really matters to me.”

Nothing else

The doting dad added, “I spent my whole childhood living out my dreams, but what really matters to me is my girls saying that I was a great dad to them. That would be enough for me. I wouldn’t need anything else.” It was a remarkably sincere thing for Aikman to say, and there wasn’t a false note to it.

Aikman the basketball coach

Amusingly, one of Aikman’s attempts to be the Best Dad Ever involved him trying his hand at coaching his daughters’ basketball team. He quickly found it might not be for him, though. He told GQ, “I coached the girls as an assistant coach in a couple of sports, and I was way too competitive for that.”

Failing to read the room

“I had the girls running sprints one day,” explained Aikman. “One girl, she was playing [around] in the back of the line. She was probably six. I said, ‘If you want to goof around, there’s a playground over there.’” Understandably, this tough love attitude didn’t exactly play great with the six-year-old crowd. He chuckled, “She just kinda looked at me.”

Just want to be dad

The former pro-athlete realized this kind of competitiveness, born of ten years in the rough and tumble world of the NFL, wasn’t suited for all situations. It was obvious he had to give up the coaching, as he admitted, “I knew my girls would see me in an entirely different light and I just didn’t want that. I just want to be dad.”

A tough dad

Fascinatingly, Aikman told GQ he believes his intense competitive streak was fostered by his own father — for better or for worse. He revealed his dad was tough, and this meant he spent much of his childhood trying to emulate his toughness. He recalled a time when his dad enlisted him to help roofing the family home — when he was only 12-years-old.

Toughness shaped him

Aikman pondered, “I don’t even know if he knows that there’s a part of me that wanted to prove that I was as tough as he was. But it certainly helped me in my athletic career. He loved football. He didn’t make a lot of baseball and basketball games. But he didn’t miss many football games.”

The second go-around with coaching

Thankfully, Aikman later found a better avenue for his competitive nature — and it still involved coaching. Val and Luke attend the Episcopal School of Dallas and play on the football team, and he’d always toyed with the idea of helping them in some way, shape or form. Then the call came.

Always wanted to help

“I’d always wanted to help out with high school here,” Aikman told The Ticket, referring to high school football in Dallas. “I’d reached out to different programs, including where my kids go, and they had said, ‘Yeah, we’d love to have you help out.’ But then I looked at my schedule with broadcasting, and it just hasn’t been easy to do.”

Aikman’s protégé 

In 2019 the stars finally aligned, and Aikman signed up to be the team’s quarterback coach. He had an immediate effect on their starting quarterback Preston Morway, who was in his senior year. The coaching staff knew he had all the tools but wanted to give him some expert help when it came to fine-tuning his game.

Learning from an experienced player

Morway told The Dallas Morning News, “It’s really cool having someone who has basically experienced everything you can in football and gone through all that. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about the game.” And, really, who better to learn from than a three-time Super Bowl winning Hall of Fame quarterback?

Fine-tuning

Coach Richard Williams revealed what Aikman’s expertise brought. He said, “Troy’s goal was not to try to change the way Preston throws the ball or change his form or anything. It was just him learning how to take advantage of his weapons and better decision-making in terms of protecting the ball and not making careless, forced throws that in the past have resulted in interceptions.”

Expertise pays off

Unsurprisingly, Aikman’s tutelage began to pay off almost immediately when Morway applied some of his advice to a tough moment in a game. He said, “It was fourth-and-15, and instead of getting sacked or throwing it away, I just threw it up and they ended up intercepting it. But they lost 25 yards, so that was a situational thing that I learned.”

Val the facilitator

All in all, the gig seems like a match made in heaven for Aikman — made all the more special because it was facilitated by Val. He was asked by Coach Williams if he thought his stepdad would be amenable to taking on a part-time assistant role. Val responded that Aikman had already been thinking along those lines, so he put them in touch.

The best arrangement

Williams revealed, “I called him immediately. I didn’t even wait a second — got him on the phone and said, ‘Hey man, we could use your help this season.’” The arrangement wound up working out well for Aikman, as he could attend practice on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, plus the Friday night game, all while keeping all his broadcasting commitments with Fox.

More out of it

All in all, Aikman was incredibly impressed with Morway, saying, “I’ve enjoyed the time with [Preston]. I’d be really surprised if he doesn’t get an opportunity to go on and play somewhere.” He added, “The chance to be around those guys and their friends has been really, really enjoyable for me. I’ve gotten more out of it than these kids.”

Only the beginning?

Interestingly, in the 2020 interview with Haute Living magazine, Aikman indicated that perhaps he intended to take his coaching to the next level. When asked if there was anything he hadn’t accomplished in his career or his personal life, he revealed something had been on his mind. And it could potentially be huge.

Something else out there

“I’ve always kind of felt that there’s something else for me to do,” said Aikman. “I say that knowing that the job I currently have is fantastic — I’d hate for my bosses to read this thinking that I’m looking to leave or that I’m unhappy, because that’s not the case. But I kind of do feel though that there’s something else.”

Coaching pro

“And maybe there’s not too, and I wouldn’t be disappointed in that,” reasoned Aikman. “But even when I was playing, I thought the front office [coaching] would be of interest to me. At the time, I couldn’t do it because of the girls and the commitment — there’s not much family during the season if you’re fully invested in the job, and me being a single dad, there was no way I could do it.”

If it happened

Aikman concluded, “But where I’m at right now in life is the first time where that opportunity would be of interest to me, and I’d pursue it if it happened. And if that opportunity didn’t happen, I think there’ll always be that part of me that will wonder how I could’ve done.” Maybe an Aikman NFL coaching role is on the cards in the near future?

A great teammate

At the end of the day, though, Aikman was characteristically humble about his legacy as a player and as a man. He said, “Professionally, I just want the guys that I played with to remember me as a great teammate; that they respected me as a competitor. I don’t have gaudy stats, and some people ask, ‘How did he really contribute?’”

Great father and husband

“But I know who I played with, the teammates and coaches, and it’s their respect that matters to me,” continued Aikman. “But when it’s all said and done, whether it’s my daughters, my wife, my sisters, or my friends, they’re the ones who know me best. They’re the ones who really tell my story.”