Jim Garrett, the father of head coach Jason Garrett, passed away last week at the age of 87. Jim Garrett originally joined the Cowboys in 1968 as a scout. He spent 36 of the next 38 years coaching or scouting in the NFL including coaching stints with the Giants (1969-73), Saints (1976-77), and Browns (1978-84). In 1987 he re-joined the Cowboys’ scouting department.
Garrett’s most famous scouting report was on a quarterback from UCLA who would become the overall #1 pick of the 1989 NFL Draft: Troy Aikman.
Here’s what Garrett wrote about Aikman in his scouting report dated October 7, 1988 and based on game film from UCLA contests versus Nebraska, Washington, and Long Beach State as well as observations from UCLA practice:
*CHARACTER: He very clearly fits the character requirements for the important position of QB in an “almost perfect” fashion!