Twelve-year-old Chessa looks up to retired football star Troy Aikman. Troy is a 12-year veteran of the National Football League and led the Dallas Cowboys to three Super Bowl victories during his career. Chessa knows all about her favorite star’s renowned football career, but had a new challenge for him. The playful young girl told volunteers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of North Texas she wanted to play Yahtzee^® against her favorite quarterback.

At the time, Troy was working in the Fox Sports broadcast booth and was scheduled to be in town for the Dallas Cowboys game against their old rivals, the Washington Redskins. Wish granters arranged for Chessa to meet her hero the day before the game. A limo came to pick up Chessa and her parents and carry them to Valley Ranch, the Cowboys’ practice facility. On the way, a startling realization struck Chessa. She had forgotten her Yahtzee game at home! Chessa’s parents explained the dilemma to the limo driver, who quickly found a store with the special game.

Yahtzee game in hand, the group arrived at Valley Ranch to meet the famous quarterback. They spotted him at the end of a very long hall, and Troy bellowed out, “Chessa, I’ve been waiting for you!” With a smile stretching from ear to ear, she ran to the famous athlete. He struck up a long conversation with Chessa and her family and then signed autographs.

Before long, the young Yahtzee aficionado threw down the gauntlet. “Troy Aikman, will you play Yahtzee with me?” Yahtzee is a board game where players throw five dice with the hopes of rolling certain number combinations. Being the competitor he is, Troy agreed, and the game was on. Even though Chessa loves her favorite player, she also takes Yahtzee very seriously and planned her strategies with her eyes barely leaving the table. The two matched wits and luck, and time flew by quickly. A tally of the score showed Troy was ahead when the game ended, but the thoughtful quarterback declared that Chessa was the real champ.