This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people.

He was one of the greatest coaches of the 20th century.

Behind a stone face and beneath his trademark Bedora was a brilliant football mind. As head coach of the Dallas Cowboys

for 29 years, Tom Landry compiled an impressive record of 13 division titles, five Super Bowl

appearances, and two championships. The Cowboys would eventually

be dubbed America's team. Here he is with his own story. I was raised at Mission, Texas,

which is right up from Brownsville there, about 60 miles. And I was raised during depression years

in the 30s. My dad was an automobile mechanic

owned his own garage. He was fire chief of mission volunteer fire department for about 40 years.

Great civic leader. And we had six in our family, and my family really,

they taught me values.

We were just about a half a block from the Methodist Church.

My dad was superintendent of Sunday schools,

so I had to go to Sunday every Sunday.

I didn't care to go, but we didn't really,

we didn't pray in our home, except maybe when we had company or Thanksgiving or something.

We didn't ever read the Bible.

I never read the Bible.

But my parents taught me to go to church, that that was important.

And I always went to church.

But, you know, when you're in the 30s, I'd never been out of the River Grand Valley but one time.

By the time I was a senior in high school,

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