The Batman and Robin of the NFL - Page 2

The two played for the Cowboys beginning the early 70s, and both retired by the early 1980s. They've recently co-authored a book titled Tales From The Dallas Cowboys. (Waters even painted the illustration that appears on the book's dust jacket.) And tales is the right for it-there's lots of tall stories and more than a little braggadocio here, as the two take turns recounting the most amusing and amazing moments of their tenure with the 'Boys.

For a darker look at "America's Team", check out Bayless' 1990 book. And actually, the two books combined make for a fairly close-up look behind the scenes, and occasionally, their stories intersect, as Charlie Waters recounts a story that wouldn't have been out of place in Bayless' book:

The management of the Cowboys, and in particular Gil Brandt, vice president of personnel development, did some things that looked bizarre to their competition, such as drafting a quarterback when he was locked into a four-year wartime commission as a naval officer.

When you do such things and they don't work out, people think you're crazy or stupid. But if they do work, you're a visionary - you're thinking outside the box. The success that the Cowboys had with the likes of Roger Staubach speaks for itself. I don't know if we can classify Gil Brandt as a visionary or not, but I do know he was a good negotiator.

The Cowboy players had a saying: "Gil Brandt knew we loved the game so much that we would play for nothing ... so that's what he paid us, nothing." After I was drafted in the third round out of Clemson, it was Gil's job to try to sign me. Only the first-round picks used agents, so he was dealing directly with me. The entire package Brandt offered amounted to $12,000 - not bad money for those days.

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Article Author: Ed Driscoll

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