Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman told suppliers and distributors at the ASI Show^® Dallas on Feb. 5 their chief job in life should be to play to win.

 “People get fired for not knowing their assignments in the real world,” said Aikman, a three-time Super Bowl winner who is now an Emmy-nominated FOX sportscaster.

“My job as quarterback was to do whatever it takes to win… My life has really been based on being around really successful people. I’ve always bet on smart people, and I’ve never been wrong.”

Even his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, when the team won only a single game, taught him a valuable lesson. “It served me well later in life,” said Aikman. “I never forgot how hard it is to win. I never forgot what it was like to lose a game.”

Aikman’s appearance was a highlight of ASI Show Dallas, hosted by the Advertising Specialty Institute^® (ASI). His nearly one-hour Q&A with ASI president and chief executive officer Timothy M. Andrews drew an audience of nearly 600.

“The Troy Aikman keynote was excellent,” said Philip Brindley, of Positive Promotions (asi/297370). “He had a lot of good information to share, and he was actually pretty funny. It was nice to learn all of the other business ventures that he’s involved in as well. It was a good way to start the morning.”

After the Q&A, the 6-foot-4 champion surprised attendees cruising an active show floor for 2015’s latest promotional products. The Dallas trade show is the biggest of its kind in the Southwest, taking place in the No. 1 region in the country for ad specialty sales, with Texas alone representing $2.3 billion in sales.  MORE INFO