Troy Aikman on hand as his baby hits the big time

ARLINGTON -- Troy Aikman has worked for two years to bring Super Bowl XLV to North Texas. He proudly will watch his baby from the broadcast booth today.

The Hall of Famer will help with the next Super Bowl bid, too, but Aikman isn't committed to taking the handoff from Roger Staubach. Contrary to published reports, Aikman said he has not been asked to replace Staubach as chairman of the North Texas Host Committee for Super Bowl L.

"That's not a foregone conclusion," Aikman said.

The Cowboys are expected to seek their former quarterback's assistance as the unofficial point man in North Texas' bid for Super Bowl L in 2016. Whether Aikman commits to becoming chairman or not, he will play some sort of role, even if it is merely with his support.

The process begins in October, with the application due in May 2012. Voting is expected to take place in 2013.

North Texas, despite the weather last week, likely will get another Super Bowl in the future because of the size of Cowboys Stadium. A record crowd exceeding 105,000 is expected today for Super Bowl XLV, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones predicts a financial record that no other current NFL stadium can touch.

"From the standpoint of the numbers, the standpoint of what it means to the NFL financially, it should be the best ever," Jones said. "Any [future] application will reflect that."

Staubach was named chairman of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Bid Committee on Jan. 24, 2007. He made the presentation to NFL owners May 23, 2007, and in a close vote, Cowboys Stadium was selected over Indianapolis.

The Hall of Famer then served as chairman of the host committee.

"I think he was one of the reasons this endeavor was successful for us, because everyone knows what Roger represents, and if Roger is involved in something and it's important to him, then it's important to you," Aikman said. "He wouldn't ask you to do something or get involved in something if it didn't mean a lot to him. So having him on our team was a real asset."

Aikman, 44, served as vice chairman of the Host Committee under Staubach. That, combined with Fox having the rights to the game, makes Super Bowl XLV almost as memorable as the three Super Bowls he won with the Cowboys.

"It's special, I think, for that," Aikman said. "Probably most importantly, it's special because it's here in North Texas. I know that there had been a lot of discussion going back to when I was playing about Jerry Jones and the family wanting to get the stadium. There was a time where it looked like it might happen while I was still playing. Then, it didn't. Then, it was years later.

"So for this region to get a chance to host a Super Bowl is something they've been wanting to do for a long time, it's pretty exciting. As luck would have it, I end up getting a chance to broadcast the game, which is even more fun. It's been a great year. It's been a great couple of years as far as the planning goes, and to get a chance to do this game on Sunday should be a lot of fun."

Charean Williams, 817-390-7760

This story was originally published February 4, 2011 at 6:58 PM with the headline "Troy Aikman on hand as his baby hits the big time."