Tom Landry

"Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do, to achieve what they want to achieve. -- Tom Landry"

Tom Landry was born just down the road from here in Mission, Texas. He lived from September 11, 1924 - February 12, 2000, and some of what he accomplished in his "dash" is:

• he was an WWII Air Force pilot, completing a combat tour of 30 missions and surviving a crash landing in Belgium after his bomber ran out of fuel
• he played football for the successful University of Texas team, and then professionally for the New York Yankees (yes, there was a Yankees football team from 1946-1949 in the All-America Football Conference) and the New York Giants, where he eventually became the defensive coach
• he became head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, and stayed in that position for 29 years, leading the Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons
• he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990

A block-long mural depicting Tom's life has been painted in Mission. His hand and footprints (and those of some teammates) are formed in the cement in front of the mural. Here are some additional pictures: