Faith, Family, Football: Brian Schottenheimer and the legacy of Marty
This should be a special Father's Day in the Schottenheimer household.
This article is dedicated to my Dad and best friend, Jim Loree, and all of the other fathers out there who can or cannot be with us on Father’s Day. Thank you for teaching me everything I need to know about being a Loree.
(I do not own the rights to any clips in this article. They are used for content purposes only.)
It might not always be seen, but it’s there. Three words encapsulate what it means to be a Schottenheimer—Faith, Family, and Football.
When Brian Schottenheimer rolls up his sleeves on Sundays, you might catch a glimpse of those words tattooed on his forearm. He spoke about getting the tattoo in 2023, right before the team left for training camp, and went into deep detail about why those three words mean the most to him, the reason they are his “why.”
In that video, you can tell how much family means to Brian. Since becoming the tenth head coach in Dallas Cowboys history, he has been open about the importance of family being central to his coaching philosophy and the lessons he’s learned from his father.
As Brian celebrates his first Father’s Day as an NFL head coach with his family, his Dad, Marty Schottenheimer, will be right by his side, even though he is no longer with us.
“I know he’s proud,” Brian said during his press conference on Thursday. “I miss him. I would tell him that I used all the life lessons that he taught me, not just about football, but about life and being a good man, a good husband, and a good father, and that I think I’m doing okay for myself. I know he’s proud, I miss him like crazy…but Father’s Day will be a special day. I’m obviously a father of two amazing kids and I’ll talk to my mom, but I know he’s looking down on me…”
Marty Schottenheimer, a Hall of Fame-worthy head coach, passed away in February 2021. He coached in the NFL for 21 seasons with four different franchises: the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and San Diego Chargers.
Marty ranks eighth in league history with 200 wins among head coaches and has led his teams to 18 playoff appearances and three championship games. I was too young to experience or remember the Marty Schottenheimer era in the NFL because by the time he coached his final season with the Chargers, I was ten years old.
So, when we lose a loved one, what can we do to make sure their legacy is not forgotten and can be shared with people who never got to know them?
When my grandfather passed away a few months ago, the priest at his funeral said that even though future generations will never know him, it is our responsibility to be the link that connects my grandfather with those who come after us, so they can get to know the great man he was.
For me, Brian has become the bridge that helps fill in the gaps of who his father was, not only as a head coach but also as a person. When listening back to all of the press conferences with Brian and interviews he’s done since coming to Dallas, I stumbled on “A Football Life: Marty Schottenheimer,” the NFL Films documentary (apologies for the sluggish speech and mirrored imaging). I knew this would help me color in the lines of where Brian gets his charisma and energy from.
Football: Marty Ball
“Marty once told me that when he’s dead and gone, he wants ‘Power’ on his tombstone because that was his favorite play.” - LaDainian Tomlinson, Hall of Fame Running Back.
Being able to play the Marty Schottenheimer brand of football meant a team had to be a dominant, physical team. He was known for wanting to run the ball better than most. The interesting part of the clip is that Marty mentioned how Marty Ball isn’t specifically about one area of offense. “It’s finding out what your players do best, and do that.” If it’s running the ball? Hammer it over and over again. If it’s passing the ball? Then run up the scoreboard.
Looking at the 2025 Cowboys on offense, I don’t think the game plan will revolve around running the ball 40 times on Sundays. Every team in the NFL would love to win that way because it wears anyone down, but Dallas’ special players on offense are on the outside at wide receiver and quarterback.
When Dallas made the move and traded for George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb, “Schotty Ball” was shifted from the running game to maximizing the passing attack. Don’t get things twisted; Brian has spoken about the importance of being able to run the football and is confident in their current room to do just that. Not to mention the team invested in another offensive lineman in the draft’s first round.
The idea is to be multiple and keep defenders guessing. Regardless of the Cowboys’ perceived talent at running back, having Lamb and Pickens on the outside will naturally allow Dallas’ run game to open up, considering defenses must be smart about protecting the deep shots from Dak Prescott.
Brian wants his players to be fast and physical. This mindset stems from his lessons and a shared philosophy with his Dad, but Brian will bring his “Schotty Ball” style, finally getting to lead his team.
Family: “The Family Fist”
“Your fingers are only so strong, but when you get your hand and squeeze them together, that’s the power of the fist” - Brian Schottenheimer, Dallas Cowboys Head Coach.
In the Football Life documentary, Pat Schottenheimer (Brian’s mom), talked about how after one of the heartbreaking playoff losses in Cleveland with the Browns, Brian received death threats where angry fans threatened to kill him just because Marty lost the game. Just horrible.
Kristen Turner (Brian’s sister) said the family leaned on one another to overcome those challenging situations, and there was more than one. In Brian’s case, everything has been on Cloud 9 this offseason, with him being one of the “winners” of the offseason by most fans. People are starting to come around on the idea that it might just work this year.
However, hard times are bound to happen. That’s the nature of life in the NFL. It would be amazing if Dallas went 18-0 in the regular season, but odds will say there will be a few losses. How will Brian and the team respond to those adverse moments?
That’s why there has been such an emphasis on culture building and energy this offseason. It’s to ensure that when those times come, they don’t separate the locker room but bring everyone together.
During Rookie Mimicamp, many of the new players spoke about how, in the first team meeting, Brian asked them to get to know someone from a different position group they had never met. Why? So that they can know their story and truly learn who they are, so that when they line up next to each other on Sundays, it’s not just the common goal of winning that drives them. It’s the competitive spirit trying to win for your teammates.
I wonder if Brian created a Cowboys family fist of their own among team captains? Maybe it’s something I can ask one of the beat reporters to bring up during Oxnard’s opening press conference.
Faith: “I’m ready now.”
Faith is hard to come by among the Cowboys fan base these days. Asking them to believe that one day, the 30-year Super Bowl drought will end is not easy. In recent history, there has been outstanding success in the regular season, but the Cowboys have disappointed relative to expectations. When the expectation is Lombardi Trophies, it doesn’t leave much margin for error.
Marty had one of the most prolific careers as an NFL head coach, but never got to raise a Super Bowl trophy. The documentary showed a clip from when Brian was the offensive coordinator with the New York Jets in 2009. He said, “I’d love more than anything to give my father my Super Bowl ring. That would mean more to me than anything, and I’d make him take it.”
The Jets beat the Chargers in San Diego to move on to the AFC Championship game. It was vindication for Brian, who called his Dad immediately after the game and said the win was for him.
In Dallas, Brian can break the curse of two families—win a Super Bowl for the Jones family and the Schottenheimers.
To me, faith and trust are two different words, even though they mean the same thing. Trust is on a more foundational level of someone buying into something. Faith is spiritual and comes with a more profound, richer belief in an idea.
Faith isn’t earned overnight. It will take time, possibly a few years, but Brian has done all the right things to give fans hope that things can finally be different. So far this offseason, a lot of trust has been built among the Cowboys fans. Their faith can be restored come September when Dallas takes on the Philadelphia Eagles for Week 1.
Our loved ones might not always be seen, but they are there.
They are there in the daily ways we live our lives.
They are there in the words and lessons we speak to others.
They are there in the legacy we carry to honor the life we shared.
In his opening press conference, Brian mentioned he was ready now for his opportunity with Dallas. Marty is a big reason why now is the right time and Dallas is the right team. Brian talked about how his Dad was a legendary coach, a great man, and an incredible father. If he were there that day, he would have told his son, “Brian, the easy part is over. It’s time to get to work.”
That work will be built on three core principles: Faith, Family, and Football.