Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2008 Page: 13 of 23
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14 I January 31,2008
continued from p3
TEXAS JEWISH POST $ SINCE 1947
By Steve Israel
Talk of family, football and
fundraising filled the Westin Park
Central Hotel Ballroom Jan. 21 as
retired Coach Barry Switzer of the
Dallas Cowboys and the University
of Oklahoma addressed the 2008
Men's Event of the Jewish Federation
of Greater Dallas.
Switzer confided to some 700
Jewish men his belief that profes-
sional football "is nothing but a
billion-dollar business" while col-
lege football is "the best game" and
nurtures a "family" of players and
coaches.
Similarly Rabbi Andrew Paley of
Temple Shalom issued an appeal to
the crowd to treat the community
as a wider family as they consider
supporting the Federation's annual
campaign.
"Won't you join with me to be a
planter of seeds of hope as we share
our dollars with those, indeed, right
here in our community, providing
much needed care and compassion
through the efforts of the Jewish
Family Service, CH AI House — the
community homes for adults, immi-
grant and resettlement services...?"
the rabbi said, citing last week's Tu
B'Shevat observance.
A gift through the Federation
"reaches out to those in the broader
Dallas community who need a help-
ing hand, and it connects us as a
community to Israel and the Jewish
people worldwide," said Rabbi Paley,
who also serves on the United Jew-
ish Communities Rabbinic Cabinet.
"We pray that your generous gifts,
your kindness and your compassion
will be the tree that sprouts survival
for the Jewish people, not just for the
next 70 years but forever."
Switzer, who coached the Okla-
homa Sooners to three national
championships and the Dallas Cow-
boys to a Super Bowl championship
in 1995, congratulated his audience
for their support of the annual cam-
paign. Most of Switzer's own philan-
thropies have had links to athletics,
particularly his 35 years of support-
ing the Oklahoma Special Olym-
pics, which he serves as honorary
head coach.
Scott Miller, Dr. Setb Kaplan
and Dr. Allan Shulkin co-chaired
the Men's Event. Miller rated it "a
total success" and Kaplan noted
that Switzer — chosen from a list of
nearly 100 potential speakers from
sports, politics and entertainment
— held the crowd in rapt attention.
In sometimes salty language, the
70-year-old Switzer told how col-
Coach keys on football, fundraising
Snapshots
r
(from left to right): Coach Barry Switzer, Steve aldman and Mi
chael Waldman
(from left to right): Neal Small, Howard Shapiro, former Dallas Cowboys Coach Barry Switzer, Stan
Rabin at the pre-event reception in the Covington Room of the Westin Park Central in Dallas
(from left to right): Neal Small, former Dallas Cowboys Coach
Barry Switzer, Gary Weinstein, president and CEO of the Jewish
Federation of Greater Dallas at the pre-event reception in the
Covington Room of the Westin Park Central in Dallas, Texas
(from left to right): 2008 Men's Event Co-Chairs Seth Kaplan, M.D., and Allan
Shulkin, M.D., Federation Chairman Carol Aaron, former Dallas Cowboys Coach
Barry Switzer and 2008 Men's Event Co-Chair Scott Miller
lege football coaches are better paid
now than in his day "Do they think
the d players fall out of the sky?
You've got to go out and recruit,"
said Switzer, who was known for ef-
fectively courting his gridiron pros-
pects. "College football defines what
coaching really is. It's about going
out and recruiting 18- and 19-year-
old kids all over the country, sell-
ing them on coming out and being
a part of your family, (convincing)
mothers and fathers — if they have
a father at home — to allow the
most precious thing in their lives to
come and be a part of your family...
and hopefully we win some football
games along the way. Coaching is
about developing young men." At
the college level, he said, players of-
ten come to the coach to help solve
problems in their lives.
He cited a big exception to the
crassness of pro football: Charles
Haley, his former Cowboys defen-
sive end whom Annual Campaign
Co-Chair Bill Cohen invited to the
Men's Event. "I enjoyed my profes-
sional experience, there's no ques-
tion about it," said Switzer, pointing
to his warm relationship with Haley.
"I cared about him, cared about his
family, and he was a part of my fam-
ily." Upon Haley's surprise arrival at
the hotel before the dinner, Switzer
shouted a greeting and grilled him
(from left to right): 2008 Men's Event Annual Campaign Co-Chair Mike Cohen,
former Dallas Cowboys Coach Barry Switzer, 2008 Men's Event Annual Campaign
Co-Chair Bill Finkelstein at the pre-event reception in the Covington Room of the
Westin Park Central in Dallas
for details about his children.
Switzer said Haley helped elevate
the Cowboys' defense to the level of
the team's offense that included Em-
mitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Troy
Aikman. The Cowboys' decline
didn't start until they lost Haley and
Jay Novacek, Switzer told the gath-
ering. "Now you have a quarterback
[Tony Romo] that gives you a fran-
chise opportunity," he said, adding
that there are only six NFL quarter-
backs "that even have a chance of
wining the Super Bowl."
TJP V61-46, 01-31-08-1.indd 14
1/29/08 8:46:37 PM
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Wisch, Rene. Texas Jewish Post (Fort Worth, Tex.), Vol. 62, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, January 31, 2008, newspaper, January 31, 2008; Fort Worth, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth188174/m1/13/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .