10 years ago, the world lost the Football Coach Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys.

Today, February 12, 2010 marks the 10 year anniversary of the death of Tom Landry, head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Tom Landry led the Cowboys for 29 season and he won 2 Super Bowl titles (VI, XII), 5 NFC titles, 13 Divisional titles, and compiled a 270-178-6 record, the 3rd most wins of all time for an NFL coach. His 20 career playoff victories are the most of any coach in NFL history. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in NFL history, creating many new formations and methods. He invented the now popular 4-3 defense, and the "flex defense" system. His most impressive professional accomplishment is his record for coaching the Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons (1966–1985), an NFL record that remains unbroken and unchallenged. It remains one of the longest winning streaks in all of professional sports history.

Tom Landry once said "When you want to win a game, you have to teach. When you lose a game, you have to learn." and "I don't believe in team motivation. I believe in getting a team prepared so it knows it will have the necessary confidence when it steps on a field and be prepared to play a good game." These are definitely two quotes that all coaches should live by. Always be willing to learn, to teach, and to be prepared. I guess that could apply to real life as well.

Tom Landry's departure came shortly after the Cowboys were sold to Jerry Jones before the 1989 season. When Landry met with his players two days later, to tell them how much he would miss them, he began to cry. The players responded with a standing ovation. Tom Landry's unceremonious dismissal by Jones was denounced by football fans and media as totally lacking in class and respect. In the years since, while most fans retain their support for the team, there persists significant levels of derision towards Jones over the perceived mistreatment of Landry.

Tom Landry was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990 and has a bronze statue outside of Cowboys Stadium. He died on February 12, 2000 of leukemia. The Cowboys wore a patch on their uniforms during the 2000 season depicting Landry's trademark fedora.

 

Tom Landry had several of his players also make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Bob Lilly, Roger Staubach, Tony Dorsett, Rayfield Wright and Randy White. He was very influential as a person and coach and is still missed by the Dallas Cowboys faithful fans. 

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Preview of the 2010 NBA All-Star Game

The 2010 NBA All-Star Game is Sunday, February 14 and will be played in Jerry Jones' house, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Over 80,000 people are expected to attend and the game will be broadcasted on the TNT cable network. I guess none of the major networks see the game as a ratings getter. It used to be a big game back in the 1980's when Magic Johnson and Larry Bird were battling it out on the floor. Then everyone wanted to watch Michael Jordan soar above the rim and put on a show. Now, the game has lost its luster with the mainstream media and fans.

The lineups for both the West and East Team are set and there are several well known players participating in this year's game.

Selected to start for the Eastern Conference; Celtics' Kevin Garnett, the Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, the Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard, the Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade and the Philadelphia 76ers' Allen Iverson. All great choices, well except for Iverson, he is a little past his prime and not really all-star caliber anymore. The reserves for the Eastern Conference include Atlanta Hawks' Al Horford, the Boston Celtics' Rajon Rondo, the Charlotte Bobcats' Gerald Wallace,the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose, the Hawks' Joe Johnson, the Celtics' Paul Pierce and the Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh.

Selected to start for the Western Conference: Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony, the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash and Amar'e Stoudemire, and the San Antonio Spurs' Tim Duncan. Definitely a formidable team. I think the west will have the advantage. The reserves for the Western Conference include the Dallas Mavericks' Dirk Nowitzki, the Los Angeles Lakers' Pau Gasol, the New Orleans Hornets' Chris Paul, the Portland Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy, the Memphis Grizzlies' Zach Randolph, the Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant and the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams.

Whether you are a basketball fan or not, this year's game looks to showcase the talent's of some brightest and youngest stars in the NBA. It should be a high scoring affair, defensive during the all-star game is usually referred to as matador zone. My prediction is the game will be entertaining to those who attend and watch on TV and the score will be 136-124 Western Conference winning.

 For the fans who want to wear what the players wear check out the assortment of All-Star Jerseys available at Collectibles of the Game.



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