Courtesy Dallas Morning News

(September 18, 2009) Babe Laufenberg knew it was over when he was summoned to Jimmy Johnson's Austin training camp office in the summer of 1991. The Cowboys coach wasn't one for small talk with players. Especially with a journeyman quarterback who the previous season had completed just 36 percent of his passes and posted an interception-to-touchdown ratio of 6-to-1.

Laufenberg was finished as the Cowboys' No. 2 quarterback. Steve Beuerlein would be Troy Aikman's new backup.

Johnson thanked Laufenberg for his service and said a bunch of complimentary things about his work ethic and nurturing of Aikman.

Laufenberg asked Johnson if he was sure he wanted to lose such a hard worker and an intelligent mentor. Johnson was sure. Johnson told Laufenberg he was really doing him a favor releasing him so early in camp. It would give Laufenberg a chance to catch on with another team.

At age 32, Laufenberg, who had been with the Redskins, Saints and Chargers before putting in two seasons with the Cowboys, returned to Dallas and waited for other teams to call.

While Laufenberg waited and waited and waited, KVIL-FM's Ron Chapman called. Chapman's station had just picked up the Cowboys rights, and the iconic radio man offered Laufenberg a spot on the pregame and postgame shows.

Laufenberg accepted Chapman's offer but warned him he would be gone as soon as he got a call from another team.

"Life is what happens while you are planning for the future," Laufenberg was saying Friday morning.

No NFL team called. And so, Laufenberg, who had taken the law boards and had secured a real estate license, stayed at KVIL. Soon after, he began doing morning sports reports on KZPS-FM, a classic rock station. In the mid-1990s, his Cowboys expertise got him a job at KDFW (Channel 4). In June 1998, he settled in as the lead sports anchor at KTVT (Channel 11).

Back at KVIL, Laufenberg moved into the booth to work alongside Dave Garrett and Dale Hansen in 1996. When Hansen and the Cowboys parted ways after the season, Laufenberg slid into the lead analyst seat alongside Garrett and Mike Doocy.

In 1998, Brad Sham returned from a three-season absence and joined Laufenberg in a two-man booth.

When the Cowboys open their 2009 season at Tampa Bay on Sunday, it will be the start of Laufenberg's 13th season in the radio booth. It will establish a new longevity record for a Cowboys radio analyst. He has survived moves from KVIL-FM to KLUV-FM to KTCK-AM to KRLD-FM.

Laufenberg skipped the 2006 season, citing a workload that didn't allow for enough family time. He returned in 2007 at the behest of the Cowboys.

Laufenberg brings a treasure trove of knowledge to the booth. In his college and NFL career, he was coached by the likes of Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Johnson.

"You only know what you've been taught," he said. "I've been taught by some of the smartest men in the game."

And he has the ability to share that knowledge.

"He has the rare ability to succinctly recap a play in a way that allows everyone to understand what happened and be finished by the time the next play is ready to begin," said Sham, who begins his 11th season alongside Laufenberg. "And he has a keen eye for talent. He could have been a top offensive coordinator in the NFL."

Laufenberg says he had some coaching opportunities soon after he was pushed into retirement but decided broadcasting was the way to go. In addition to his work at Channel 11 and in the booth, Laufenberg guesses he takes 15 to 16 hours to prepare for every game.

"Being prepared for a Sunday means working hard on the field or in the booth," Laufenberg said.

By the way, Laufenberg likes the term "journeyman" in describing his NFL career.

"Look it up in the dictionary," he said. "They use the words, 'competent if not spectacular.' "

So how might his work in the booth be described?

"How about 'fantastic,' " Sham said. "He has made himself into a top-notch analyst, and that is no small feat."

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