The woman behind one of the most respected coaches in NFL history has died. Alicia Landry, the wife of Hall of Fame Cowboys coach Tom Landry, was 91.
Tom became the first coach in team history in 1960, guiding the team for 29 seasons, through 1988. He died of leukemia in 2000, after the couple had been married 51 years.
Alicia Landry met her husband on a blind date in 1947. They married 17 months later.
Her legacy will endure for decades, if not centuries. The Dallas Morning News suggests that Alicia Landry provided the inspiration for the iconic star on the team’s helmet.
Her son, Tom Jr., said that she offered this input regarding the headgear to be worn by the fledgling Cowboys, “A star would be perfect.”
More specifically, Alicia Landry had direct and complete responsibility for the headgear that helped make her husband a towering figure in football history. After he got the job as coach of the expansion team, Tom and others thought he should wear a cowboy hat on the sideline.
“No, no, no, do not do that,’' Alicia told him, per Tom Jr. “A fedora is what you need.’'
We extend our condolences to the Landry family.
