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out and connected on 66.7% of his passes (20-of-30) for160 yards at New England (12/5). Against Philadelphia(12/12), Aikman logged his 100th career win as astarter (regular season and postseason) when he threwfor 242 yards by completing 22-of- 40 passes, includingone touchdown toss. The eight-yard scoring pass toLaFleur was the 153rd of his career, tying him withStaubach for second in the Cowboys record books. Healso broke his own club record by extending his streak ofpass attempts without an interception to 198. His previousbest was 184 in 1995. The following week againstthe N.Y. Jets (12/19), he completed the 154th touchdownpass of his career, giving him sole possession ofsecond place on the club’s career passing touchdownlist, but he saw his club record string of pass attemptswithout an interception stopped at 216 with a third quarterinterception. He finished the day 12-of-28 for 158yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. His twotouchdown passes at New Orleans (12/24), on a daythat saw him complete 23-of-39 passes for 246 yards,gave him 156 for his career, breaking Danny White’sclub-record of 155. The second of his two interceptionsin the 31-24 loss came in the Saints’ end zone with 1:04remaining in the game after he had guided the Cowboys74 yards to the Saints’ six-yard line. In a must-win gameagainst the N.Y. Giants (1/2/00), he completed a 90-yard touchdown pass to Jason Tucker – the longest regular-seasontouchdown pass of Aikman’s career and tiedfor the longest regular-season completion of his career(90-yard pass to Alvin Harper on Nov. 13, 1994 at SanFrancisco). For the game, Aikman was 23-of-32 (71.9%)– his third 70.0%+ completion percentage day of theseason – for 288 yards, two touchdowns and a quarterbackrating of 120.3. The 288 passing yards werethesecond best total of the season. In the club’s short-livedplayoff run, Aikman completed 22-of-38 passes for 286yards and one interception at Minnesota (1/9/00). It wasthe fifth best postseason passing yardage total of hiscareer as he connected with eight different receivers onthe day.1998: For the 10th consecutive season, Aikman led theclub in passing with an 88.5 quarterback rating, rankinghim fourth in the NFC and eighth in the NFL. Where hecontinued to post amazing numbers was with his interceptiontotal, finishing the season with five interceptionsin 315 pass attempts and a NFC low 1.6 interceptionpercentage (second lowest in the NFL). Aikman threwjust three interceptions in his last 289 regular seasonpass attempts (1.0 percent) and was sacked just ninetimes in 324 pass plays (once per 36.0 pass plays). His59.4% completion rate was the sixth best figure in theNFC and the eighth best in the NFL. Aikman completed22-of-32 passes (68.8%) for 256 yards, two touchdownsand a season-high two interceptions in a 38-10 win overArizona (9/6) to start the season. He also ran five timesfor 43 yards and two touchdowns, marking the first timein his career that he has rushed for more than one touchdownin a season. His 43 rushing yards were the fourthbest single-game total of his career. Included in that totalwas a 23-yard run, the second longest of his career.Aikman’s fast start to the season ended just as quicklythe next week at Denver (9/13) when he suffered a fracturedleft clavicle (non-throwing shoulder) in the secondquarter when he fell to the turf at the end of a six-yardscramble. Prior to the injury, he was five-of-12 for 88yards, including a 36-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Mills,and had guided Dallas to touchdowns on two of his firstfour drives. Aikman missed the next five games due tothe injury, the first time he had missed a start due toinjury since Dec. 4, 1994 at Philadelphia (sprained MCLin his left knee). It was also the first time he had missedas many as five games in a season since the end of the1991 season (four regular season and one postseasonstart). In his career, Aikman missed five starts due toinjury three times (Weeks 5-9 in 1989 and the 1991 and1998 games), and he never missed more than fivegames in a season. Aikman returned to action atPhiladelphia (11/2) and was 14-of-26 for 171 yards andtwo touchdowns. He took his first hit since injuring hisleft shoulder on the game’s first play (a sack by HollisThomas), but went on to post just his third win in eightstarts at the Vet. The next week against the N.Y. Giants(11/8), Aikman lacerated the index finger on his righthand at the end of the first quarter. Despite the injury, heled the team to a field goal on its next possession beforegoing to the locker room for x-rays. He returned in thesecond half and completed 11-of-12 passes for 132yards and a touchdown, ending the day 16-of-23 for 161yards for a season high 69.6 completion percentage.Aikman tied a career-high for consecutive completions –it was also the second longest streak in club history –when he connected on 13 straight passes at Arizona(11/15). For the day, he completed 14-of-18 passes for208 yards and a touchdown. Aikman had a streak of 103pass attempts without an interception snapped in thesecond quarter against Seattle (11/22) when SamAdams batted a pass into the air, caught it and returnedit 25 yards for a score. For the day, Aikman was 28-of-42passing for 296 yards and two touchdowns. In one of theNFL’s biggest offensive showings in 1998, Dallas andMinnesota combined for 82 points and 1,066 totalyards, including 808 passing, on Thanksgiving Day(11/26). Aikman almost single-handedly kept theCowboys in the game by establishing club records forpass attempts and pass attempts in a game without aninterception (57). He also tied his club record with 34completions, and he threw for a personal best 4552006 Pro Football Hall of Fame Information GuideProfootballhof.com- 15 -