Looking Back

➽ ABOVE: The Landry family was photographed by noted Dallas photographer John Haynsworth, who shot multiple covers for this magazine. // LEFT: In the article, the couple shared their parenting philosophy.

Looking

HOME TEAM: To North Texans, Tom and Alicia Landry were iconic figures: the man who led the Dallas Cowboys to 20 consecutive winning seasons, and the gracious woman beside him. To their family, they were Coach and Honey—committed, loving parents and grandparents. Readers of DallasChild had an opportunity to see this side of the couple in September 1990.

The Landrys were among the notable grandparents we interviewed for that month’s issue, and they graced our cover along with then-10-year-old Ryan and 7-year-old Jennifer, the children of Landry daughter Kitty Landry Phillips. Alicia Landry (who grew up in Dallas and met her husband as students at the University of Texas) shared that morals and manners were highly valued in their household. “We always tried to set a good example,” she noted. “If you expect children to behave a certain way, you have to show them by acting that way yourself.”

They also set an example for the community. Widely considered a “class act,” as one newspaper headline described Coach Landry, the couple dedicated time to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and encouraged organ donation, among other causes.

Nine years after our article was published, the legendary coach was diagnosed with leukemia. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 75, preceded by daughter Lisa, who died of cancer in 1995. Alicia Landry carried on her husband’s legacy until her death at age 91 in 2021. Last year also marked the opening of the Tom and Alicia Landry Family Collection, a permanent exhibit of the Dallas Historical Society at Fair Park’s Hall of State. It includes items from Coach Landry’s childhood, Lombardi trophies, and—of course—his trademark fedora. —Alexis Patterson

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