Jigsaw Politics

Staubach has long associated himself with the GOP, and he has long been ogled as a dream candidate by some Texas Republicans. But like Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Nolan Ryan, who also has been mentioned from time to time as a possible candidate in Texas, Staubach has never taken the plunge.

The most publicly political moment Staubach has had, in fact, came when he mocked President Jimmy Carter for a gaffe he made during a 1980 debate with soon-to-be victorious Republican Ronald Reagan.

In an awkward moment, Carter had said that he asked his young daughter Amy what she thought the most important issue was, and related that she said the control of nuclear arms. Staubach, then a color commentator on CBS network NFL broadcasts, played off that by saying he had talked to his young daughter -- also named Amy -- and she said the biggest issue for one of the teams was "The Bomb." In football lingo, that means a long forward pass, but Staubach admitted it was a double entendre aimed at Carter.

Republicans were tickled, but others complained to CBS, which reportedly reprimanded Staubach for mingling sports with politics. Staubach soon left the broadcast booth for a long and successful career in real estate.

Interestingly, Carter and Staubach shared a resume line rare both for presidents and pro quarterbacks: They both are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy. And brace yourselves, football fans of a certain generation: Staubach is 67 years old.