Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brian Schottenheimer using lessons from coaching legends to lead Cowboys

Originally posted on Dallas Cowboys on SI | By Tyler Reed | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 2:00 PM ET

It is early in the tenure of first-year Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, but it feels like this is the beginning of what could be a successful marriage.

Schottenheimer has said all the right things since his introductory press conference, something that ownership should probably take notes on.

However, it is Schottenheimer's knowledge and emotion about the game that has fans intrigued and excited before his first season leading America's Team.

The new Cowboys head coach comes from coaching royalty, as his late father, Marty Schottenheimer, is one of the greatest to ever rule the sidelines in the NFL.

During his media availability before the team's first practice on Tuesday, Schottenheimer revealed where his coaching philosophy comes from, mentioning that he leans on legends of the past when mapping out schemes he wants to use.

"I would go back probably to Steve Spurrier, my dad, Dick Vermeil, and I just always would write down things that I liked. Hey, when I get a chance to run a football team, this is what I like or this is what I believe in, this is what I don't like or what I don't believe in," said Schottenheimer.

"I have notebooks upon notebooks that I've referred back over the past 15, 20 years in this business. I plan on giving them to my kids one day and letting them have that for my grandkids."

If you are taking advice from names like Spurrier, Vermeil, and Marty, then chances are that a coach is doing things right. Schottenheimer brings an old-school vibe to the function, and that is exactly what the Cowboys need.

This article first appeared on Dallas Cowboys on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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