During his press conference ahead of OTAs last week, Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about his choice to wear a visor. Specifically, he was asked if his visor is a nod to Steve Spurrier. For those unaware, Schotty was a part of the 1996 Florida Gators team that Spurrier led to the National Championship. Schottenheimer landed in Gainesville by way of transfer and told that story while reflecting on the role that Spurrier, known for his signature visor, played in his football development. He even bragged about that team’s title while recounting the story.

Schottenheimer was a clipboard holder for those Gators as Danny Wuerffel was the team’s quarterback and was also that season’s Heisman Trophy Winner, but the role and experience clearly taught him a lot. As noted, Schottenheimer bragged about the team he was a part of just last week right after confirming that he wears a visor as a nod to the man who helped it all happen. History is clearly important to the son of one of the NFL’s greatest coaches ever.

Marty Schottenheimer ranks eighth all time in terms of NFL head coach wins, and was clearly a force during his time patrolling the league’s sidelines. Brian also made mention of how he would love to speak to his father, Marty passed away in 2021, about life running an NFL team.

Brian Schottenheimer appears to want to marry the present with the past

You do not have to look hard to see that history matters to Brian Schottenheimer. It makes sense that this would be the case given the football life that he has lived.

But while Schottenheimer has been around the Cowboys for a minute now, he is not Jason Garrett in that he grew up with this team. He has never worn a Cowboys helmet, nor did he throw a pass at Texas Stadium, and he obviously never started for the team at quarterback on Thanksgiving Day.

Still though, the team’s history seems to carry a high level of importance for Schotty. We touched on this in our news roundup last weekend but in case you missed it the Cowboys hosted former legends of the team alongside their families to partake in action with the current day team.

The mothership’s Mickey Spagnola offered some details on the event:

Yep, Schottenheimer wanted his players to connect with greatness, with the Cowboys’ glorified past. These guys were not only here to watch practice but also sit in during the team and position meetings, allowing these former players to introduce themselves but also bring along family members, for sure children and grandchildren. Also an opportunity to kibitz with one another, reliving old times.

You could argue that a problem some Cowboys teams have had throughout The Drought™ is that they were living in the past. What different teams, different eras honestly, accomplished is business that only they can stand on. Different players and coaches hung the banners that fly within AT&T Stadium these days. The current version of the team has yet to do so.

But ignoring or running from the past is also a step in the wrong direction. This is the Dallas Cowboys we are talking about, a team rich with history and tradition. It is at the very least cool that Schottenheimer is trying to convey the reasons as to why the star on the players’ helmets are so heavy. It is because of the people that came before them and everything that they did to lift it up so high.

Spagnola noted a list of players who partook in these activities and one of them was former BTBer Tony Casillas. On Monday, Casillas shared a bit of what the experience was like from his perspective and it all sounds very cool.

Nobody is suggesting that Schottenheimer bringing some of the greatest players in team history around is going to help the current squad on any hypothetical 1st-and-10. What we are noting here is that the head coach seems to understand some important things that are rather intangible. That is important in and of itself. Good for Schotty and his visor-wearing ways.