CNBC: You became interested in business during your NFL days. You met former Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach, who by then was a real estate entrepreneur. What did you learn from him?
I’ve always had this entrepreneurial spirit, even when I was a kid — the desire to be independent, build my own house, drive my own car, own my own stuff. Meeting Roger, the legend of the Cowboys, was icing on the cake. I spent time with him during the off season, understanding what he was doing in the real estate business, which was intriguing to me. I invested in a couple of The Staubach Company’s real estate funds. Upon retirement, I told Roger I wanted to become a developer on the commercial side, to build shopping malls and retail centers. He hooked me up with somebody, I did my first venture, and from there I’ve been on my own.
CNBC: What’s your advice to other athletes who want to go into business?
The first thing is, as an athlete, you have to humble yourself to where you’re willing to learn something new. Unless you grew up, were trained or worked in a business environment during your career, in the off season you can volunteer or get an internship or an apprenticeship with an organization in a field that you want to transition to once your game is over.
Ask yourself these questions: What is it you envision yourself doing, what are you passionate about, what’s out there that you’d be excited to get up in the morning to do? Are you willing to put in the work to learn the terminology, understand the business model, understand the product, the market and demographics? Then you go to the financial side of it. What’s it going to cost you? Do you use your money or other folks’ money?
CNBC: Considering your real estate and construction businesses, are you anticipating the Trump administration’s pledge to stimulate $1 trillion in infrastructure spending?
I see tremendous opportunities there. We build roads and bridges, so infrastructure is a big part of my platform. I have laid some groundwork in terms of relationships I have in the state of Texas, to look at some major projects. There are certain things I want to get in place, because the strategy I have is much broader than I’m willing to share in this conversation.
CNBC: What else is on the horizon? Have you considered investing in a sports team?
It’s funny that you ask. Right now my vision is to grow what I currently have, and then there’s an exit strategy. It takes time, and I’m not going to get out over my skis. But do I have aspirations of owning an NFL team or some professional team? Yes, I do.
— By Bob Woods, special to CNBC.com