Two years ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones called a meeting with Troy Aikman to take place in the office that the quarterback had previously decorated with three Super Bowl trophies. Aikman had suffered a concussion for the second time in two games, and Jones seriously questioned Aikman about whether he should consider retirement to protect his long-term health.

	Troy Aikman celebrates the Cowboys' 52-17 win over the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII.

While Aikman had only recently counseled teammates Michael Irvin and Daryl Johnston to retire because of severe neck injuries, the quarterback found it decidedly more troublesome to contemplate life without football himself. Aikman told Johnston he was really taking a risk. He pleaded with Irvin to be smart. Still, Aikman dismissed Jones' concern. That prompted the owner to mention that a friend had told him Aikman's fragility had reached the point where the Cowboys should consider drafting a quarterback with their first-round pick. "Never mind that," Aikman said. "You'd better get me a receiver."

Jones, of course, followed Aikman's instructions, spending two first-round draft choices and a $12.5 million signing bonus for Joey Galloway -- a receiver to whom, ironically, Aikman will never complete a pass.

Aikman was a fearless player, as oblivious to the pass rush as he was ignorant of the encroaching end of a Dallas career -- one which he was the most successful quarterback in a decade of football that included John Elway, Dan Marino, Steve Young and Brett Favre. Last season, Aikman had the worst statistical season since a rookie year in which he was winless. He missed five games because of concussions and a degenerative back problem and finished as the lowest-rated starting quarterback in the NFC. But three weeks ago, Aikman considered the pitiful state of quarterbacking in the league and told me he was convinced he was among the best three or four players in the league at the most important position in the game.

While he's probably overstating the point, Aikman remains a skilled player. But more importantly, he is among the few professional athletes deserving admiration as much for the quality of character he consistently demonstrated as for the high level of physical skill he possessed.

His career will be defined as he always thought it should -- not for being a statistical marvel, which he wasn't; but for leading championship teams, which he did three times in four years.

Not only did Aikman contribute mightily to three championships but he never once embarrassed an organization that at one point was as synonymous with scandal as with success. Nobody enjoyed being a Cowboy more than Irvin, who gave football everything he had but diminished his stature by taking everything it offered -- fame and Super Bowl rings, association with illegal drugs and convenient women. Aikman never had so much as a contract holdout and only grudgingly complained about Barry Switzer's lax management style because he felt obligated to fulfill the responsibilities of leadership, no matter the personal consequences.

	Aikman never had so much as a contract holdout and only grudgingly complained about Barry Switzer's lax management style because he felt obligated to fulfill the responsibilities of leadership, no matter the personal consequences.

It was that period that defined Aikman's leadership qualities. His honesty combined with his need for structure, order and discipline caused him to be resented by some teammates who liked a coach who personally delivered their medication and excused them from practices for court appearances and other obligations. Some veteran players felt the team had done enough hard work winning Super Bowls under Johnson and deserved the easy life that Switzer provided. But Aikman had learned as a rookie the difficulty of winning and the sacrifices it demanded.

Aikman could publicly disagree with the head coach with impunity. But others who had it shirked their responsibility. While disappointed that Irvin, Emmitt Smith and others who held similar belief in the importance of work ethic refused to publicly support him, Aikman remained true to his principles even though it resulted in the most miserable year of his career. Aikman won what would be his last Super Bowl as quarterback of the Cowboys even though one of the few coaches Switzer hired attempted to undermine the quarterback by spreading the false rumor in the locker room that Aikman was a racist who singled out black players for criticism.

Had it been true that Aikman hired and fired coaches, Switzer would not have lasted two more seasons. Aikman responded by vowing he would just play his position and let somebody else worry about making sure certain things were done properly. But Aikman could never follow through on that.

Aikman knew how to lead before he learned how to win. And that took a while. Even so, he demonstrated toughness and resolve when anything less would have ruined him. I remember when he threw a touchdown pass that should have won the game but didn't because this was 1989. The most successful quarterback of the 1990s was a rookie who, ironically, wouldn't be the starter in the only game the Cowboys won that season. The instant after throwing that touchdown pass to James Dixon, Aikman suffered the first of the nine concussions that would ultimately end his career with the Cowboys.

There was blood in Aikman's right ear. He was unconscious and didn't move for a long time -- long enough that agent Leigh Steinberg, watching from the stands, admitted he feared the young quarterback had been killed. Finally, Aikman walked unsteadily to the sideline. When the then-Phoenix Cardinals scored a touchdown that put them in front, Aikman responded by demanding that Jimmy Johnson allow him to return to the huddle. Johnson wisely refused. The day after setting the NFL rookie passing record while absorbing another loss and brutal physical punishment, Aikman sat alone and exasperated in front of his cubicle in the Cowboys' locker room. "What do you have to do to win in this league?" he asked.

Through harsh methods and stubborn refusal to accept anything else, Aikman figured it out. He only won in one offensive system, but he did so beyond not only expectation but beyond imagination.

And so, now Jones' friend was right. The Cowboys need another quarterback. But it's unlikely they'll ever have another Troy Aikman.

Ed Werder is a reporter for ESPN.