Football fans that are extra critical of the Dallas Cowboys tend to assume that the stars just so happened to align during a time the Cowboys were ascending into greatness regardless of who their quarterback was throughout the 1990s. However, despite the Cowboys having Hall of Fame talent like Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith on their side, Troy Aikman was just as crucial to that team's success as much as any other star was on that Dallas Cowboys' offense. In 1984, Troy Aikman went to the University of Oklahoma to play football despite being contract offers from the New York Mets. Aikman became the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Sooners since World War II. After suffering a broken ankle in his second season with the Sooners, Aikman transferred to UCLA to finish playing football. As a senior, Aikman won the Davey O'Brien Award and led the Bruins to a victory in the 1989 Cotton Bowl Classic against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
After winning with two prestigious football institutions, Troy Aikman was drafted 1st overall in 1989 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys where he would play his entire twelve-season career. As a starter, Aikman finished his rookie season with a winless record of 0-11, but despite his adversities as a young quarterback, the Cowboys kept faith in Aikman which allowed him to start at the position for all twelve years of his career, the longest streak held by any Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Within those years, Aikman was able to become a 6x Pro Bowler and 3x Super Bowl Champion (XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX). Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP in Super Bowl XXVII for his four touchdown and 273 passing yard performance. Surprisingly, Aikman was never named First-Team All-Pro during his entire NFL career.
Most of your favorite celebrities either studied acting in college or went straight from high school into a life of the arts. But, hey, not all of them. Some celebrities actually have advanced college degrees.
Turns out Mayim Bialik is just as much of a genius as the one she plays on The Big Bang Theory. She earned her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles, focusing on obsessive compulsive disorder among people with Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare condition in which the hypothalamus malfunctions.
Little known fact: Natalie Portman skipped the premiere of Star Wars: Phantom Menace because she was studying for her high school exams. She had two papers published in scientific journals while she was still in high school, and graduated from Harvard University with a B.A. in Psychology.
Before he was looking for answers on X-Files, David Duchovny was just trying to find the answers for English finals at Princeton University90. David graduated from Princeton in 1982 with a B.A in English. He continued to feed his love of literature by receiving a master’s degree in English Literature at Yale University. David was an excellent writer and poet. His work consistently received praise by his fellow classmates and teachers at Yale. His writing was even nominated for a college prize by the Academy of American Poets.
Sigourney Weaver graduated from Stanford University in 1971 with a bachelor’s in Literature. It was while studying at Stanford that Sigourney realized her true passion in life was to become an actress. Shortly after graduation, she attended Yale for their well-known drama program. She would go on to receive a master’s in Acting from Yale University and become friends with fellow famous actress Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep is considered one of the most successful actresses of all time. She is also one of the most highly educated. Before collecting an array of Oscars, Meryl collected diplomas. She graduated from Vassar College with a B.A. in 1971. Meryl has a habit of being unsatisfied with impressive accomplishments as her acting career has shown, so she attended Yale University and earned a master’s degree in Acting.