For the entrepreneur, patience is much more than a virtue, it’s the lifeline to success. Roger Staubach knows all about patience, both as a Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback and the founder and CEO of the Staubach Co. For his patience in the “pocket” and in the pocketbook, Staubach was awarded the Bard Center for Entrepreneurship’s inaugural Excellence in American Entrepreneurship Award on Sept. 22.

“I always had a passion to build a business. But it takes a lot of time,” Staubach told about 300 supporters at the awards dinner. “We’re still in the midst of a company that is growing. If we continue to build our business and if we are patient, we will continue to meet our goals.”

Staubach repeated his credo, saying spectacular accomplishments come from unspectacular preparation, adding, “There is no traffic jam in the extra mile.”

The 1969 Heisman Trophy winner encouraged budding entrepreneurs and seasoned businesspeople alike to find and reward the “tea bags” in their companies, “Those who perform in hot water.” He also spoke of the value of learning from losses. He likened corporate lessons to Super Bowl wins and losses, quipping that Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw were at a disadvantage having never lost the big game.

The lessons Staubach learned in his successful seasons leading the Cowboys to four Super Bowls have been invaluable in his rise as a successful businessman. He spoke of the 1971 season, when the Cowboys had acquired more talent than the team had ever had previously: Instead of rolling up the wins, the team struggled, fishing the first half of the 14-game season at 4-3. The players, he recalled, were out for themselves, approaching their teammates competitively instead of focusing on the other team.

After a heart to heart team talk led by then player and former Bears coach Mike Ditka, all of that changed. “We were no longer a group, we were a team,” Staubach says. “You have to play for something other than personal goals, rather team goals.”
        
Ed Greene of Channel 4 emceed the gala, which featured a VIP reception and dinner in the Imperial Room at the Grand Hyatt in downtown Denver. Bard founders Richard and Pamela Bard, and Business School supporter James L. Basey, addressed attendees on the mission of the Bard as well as its impact on students.

Gov. Bill Owens presented the award to Staubach, “Roger humbly calls himself a slide-rule engineer from the U.S. Military Academy,” Owens said. Rather, Staubach leads a company of 1,300 employees, 58 offices and $17.5 billion in assets, he said.

Owens also recognized the Bard Center for its role in promoting entrepreneurship. “We are honored to celebrate such an outstanding entrepreneur and to celebrate entrepreneurship as the heart of American idealism,” Owens said. “I applaud the Bard Center and the role it plays spawning economic growth in Colorado. Thank you for what you do.”

The Staubach Co. has been an important part of the Denver landscape for several years. The Staubach Co. was founded in 1977 and provides property relocation services to companies around the world. The company focuses on tenant representation and provides location services including planning and research, construction consultation, financial assistance, negotiation services, and portfolio, property and lease management.

“This inaugural award event allowed the Bard Center to reach many new companies and individuals who previously knew very little about our entrepreneurship program,” explains Alexander Bracken, executive director at the Bard Center. “The benefit of the award dinner both financially and in terms of increased visibility is very important to the ongoing growth of the Bard Center. We were very pleased that Roger Staubach could be our inaugural award recipient. His launch of the Staubach Company certainly represents a most successful story of entrepreneurship.”

The Excellence in American Entrepreneurship Award will be an annual fund-raising event for the Bard Center. The new award focuses on high-performing entrepreneurs in sports and other industries. The dinner was the first-ever fund raiser for the center, and money raised will help support and expand the programs at the Bard Center. The Bard Center was established in 1996 to educate, incubate and provide resources to innovative business ventures.