Troy Aikman remembers being intimidated by Joe Buck

Troy Aikman and Joe Buck have a chemistry and comfort level in the broadcast booth that’s unmatched, but it wasn’t always that way.

It’s been nearly a quarter-century since Fox paired Buck and Aikman together back in 2002. Now in their record 24th season together after moving to ESPN three years ago, WFAA spoke to the duo about their partnership.

When Troy Aikman entered the broadcast booth as a three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback to meet a 33-year-old Joe Buck, you could imagine there being an intimidation factor. You just wouldn’t have expected Buck to be the intimidator.

“Joe had skins on the wall. He had won awards. He was the best in the business,” Aikman said. “So there is a bit of an intimidation factor that comes with that, for sure.”

That’s a surprising comment, partly because of preconceived perceptions about athletes and broadcasters. Looking at some of the pictures of J.J. Watt next to Ian Eagle, Watt might be the more imposing figure in their yoked booth, but it doesn’t negate the fact that he may have been a little intimidated when working with such an established-broadcaster the first time.

But it’s also surprising because Troy Aikman was entering the booth from the seemingly much more intimidating position of Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Joe Buck was a well-established broadcaster when he joined Aikman, having called four World Series and eight seasons of NFL games. But he hadn’t called a Super Bowl yet, while Aikman had already won three.

Maybe it was intimidating because Fox named Aikman part of their No. 1 booth alongside Buck and at the time, Cris Collinsworth. With that, comes more pressure than Aikman’s first season calling games alongside Dick Stockton and Daryl Johnston for Fox. So, nerves are to be expected, even for a three-time Super Bowl winning quarterback. But 24 years later, any intimidation factor and nerves seem long gone, with Buck and Aikman turning into one of the best broadcast duos in NFL history.