Monday, August 24, 1998

Aikman copes with bad by doing good

By MIKE BALDWIN

The Daily Oklahoman

WICHITA FALLS, Texas - During the past 13 months, Troy Aikman had surgery to remove a cancerous mole, his house caught fire, his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and the Dallas Cowboys experienced their worst season this decade.

But Aikman, 31, didn't become a six-time Pro Bowl quarterback who led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles by lingering on negatives. He's a glass-half-full optimist who believes the past should be left in the past.

"That's all you can do," Aikman said. "It's easy sometimes to dwell on negative things or bad things that happen. I try not to do that. Everyone has unfortunate incidents that occur in their lives. I'm no different than anyone else. It's how you deal with it."

Since one-third of his home was destroyed by fire, Aikman waits for repairs to be made the next 10 months. Doctors caught the malignant melanoma growth in time. A new season is an opportunity to erase last year's 6-10 debacle. The one event that shook him was his mother Charlyn's ordeal.

"That obviously was difficult when you see someone you care that much about going through some of the things she had to go through, the suffering," Aikman said. "But on the positive side, she's healthy. She got through it. She had her one-year checkup, and she's fine."

Even though 1997 won't be one of Aikman's favorite years, he emphasizes he's fortunate. He's witnessed firsthand the devastating aftermath of the Oklahoma City bombing, a tornado in Arkansas and hundreds of children in hospitals.

"All you have to do is turn on the local news at 10 o'clock and see all the people go through the things they go through, the tragedies," Aikman said. "In those terms, what I dealt with, I've still been very blessed."

Because he's blessed, Aikman gives something back. Named NFL Man of the Year for his community service work, Aikman's newest passion is "Aikman's End Zone," a high-tech interactive program that allows children in hospitals to communicate with children nationwide.

In conjunction with Steven Spielberg and STARBRIGHT World, Aikman has established "End Zones" in Fort Worth and Dallas and will open similar projects this fall in Oklahoma City.

"I've always loved children," Aikman said. "It's sad for all of us when we see children who haven't had a chance to enjoy life as kids should, or experience things that we as adults have experienced. There's a tendency to do more for those who have been less fortunate."

The highlight of "Aikman's End Zone" is HuddleNet, the on-line technology that connects kids with hospitals in Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles. San Francisco quarterback Steve Young is working on a similar project. Aikman, an internet junkie, communicates with the children via his home computer.

"Outside of what I've been able to accomplish on the football field, one of the greatest things about playing for the Cowboys has been the ability to help those who have been a little bit less fortunate," Aikman said. "But I'm more a vehicle for the projects. The people who are really the ones who make it happen are the ones who give of their time and money."

If Aikman has his way, every children's hospital will have similar play areas that feature a movie theater, a six-ton, 400-gallon, salt-water aquarium and a gigantic Cowboys helmet that serves as a secluded space with audio headphones.

"It goes beyond them having someone to communicate with and talk to," Aikman said. "They've been able to show that kids that go on-line need less pain medicine. There are some medical benefits as well."

Speaking of benefits, Aikman has discerned mini-vacations help ease living under the microscope in Dallas. This past year he took his mother, two sisters, brother-in-law and nieces and nephew to Maui. He also spent a week with a friend and Dale Hellestrae and his wife on a trip up the California coast.

Hawaii is an annual trip. He sometimes goes more than once. He lowers his golf handicap each year. He's also discovered another oasis Los Angeles.

"People approach you differently there," Aikman said. "They're not into the autograph thing. I guess people in California want to view themselves as being pretty cool, so they're too cool to actually ask for one, which is great. I've been spending more and more time there when I'm looking to get away for a few days."

But the vacations are over for another five months, six if the Cowboys reach the playoffs. Last season ended with a five-game losing streak but there have been changes, the biggest change being the hiring of Chan Gailey, who is installing a new offense.

"There's a real focus on football right now," Aikman said. "To me that's exciting. It's been a difficult past couple of years, and it's been well-documented. I'm thankful that's all behind me."

Aikman, though, doesn't distance himself from last year's disastrous finish. The numbers show it wasn't one of his better seasons. Aikman failed to make the Pro Bowl for only the second time since 1990. A 78.0 quarterback rating was his lowest since '90.

"My season could have been better," Aikman said. "I've said many times I shoulder my full load of what happened last season. I don't shy away from that at all."

But that was last year. Aikman disagrees with skeptics who imply the Cowboys are in an irreversible decline.

"People look at last season, see that we went 6-10, and all of a sudden feel as if this team has a lot of holes," Aikman said. "I'm not saying we don't have any. I think we do. But I definitely don't think we're as bad as our record indicated last year. We're better than that."

How much better remains to be seen. It's impossible to change the past, so Aikman focuses on the here and now. Tony Tolbert, Jay Novacek, Charles Haley, Mark Tuinei and others are gone. But he looks at San Francisco, which has reloaded several times, and says Dallas can experience a similar revival since many Pro Bowl players remain.

"Once it's all said and done nobody cares that we went 6-10," Aikman said. "Now the focus is what we do in '98. Nobody cares that in '89 we went 1-15 or that in '95 we won a world championship. Success and failure, if viewed in the right light, are very fleeting. You let it go and look to the future."

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)