When Jason Garrett Met Maxim Hot 100’s #28, Olivia Munn
For some men, title and perceived power defines them…especially when it comes to meeting women. Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is not one of them. During this year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans, Garrett had an opportunity to meet actress and model Olivia Munn. This year’s #28 on the Maxim Hot 100 Most Beautiful Women list, Munn is an up and coming beauty who currently stars on HBO’s The Newsroom. The actress described her meeting with the Cowboys head coach during a recent interview on SI.com:
"Feb. 2, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA: Movie/television actress Olivia Munn on the red carpet prior to the Super Bowl XLVII NFL Honors award show at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports“It’s so funny, because Coach Garrett from the Cowboys…we’re at this event and he keeps looking over and he’s really smiling. And I didn’t know who he was. And finally, he keeps trying to come up. (He asks her friends) ‘She’s from the Newsroom, right’ and they were like ‘Yeah’. And I’m like ‘Hi. It’s nice to meet you’….and finally, he sits and he’s talking with me. I’m thinking he’s just a fan, (just) some guy.”"
Garrett doesn’t introduce himself as the coach of the most storied franchise in NFL history. He’s simply a fan of her work and wanted to know more about her process. And being the Princeton man that he is, drawing parallels between the acting world and the sports world wasn’t very difficult.
"“He goes on about the Newsroom and I talk to him for a good amount of time…and (he’s) asking me what my process (is) as an actor. And I told him, well my big thing is look at the whole script and the story. Because it’s not just what I’m doing but how do I fit into the team. That’s the biggest thing for me as an actor or (in) any profession. You have to work as a team. And he’s says ‘That’s what I tell my guys all the time’.”"
Garrett’s reaction to that question suddenly sparked Munn’s interest. So she began to inquire about what profession he was in. Now Munn, who is a native of Oklahoma and a former sports side-line reporter, is a Dallas Cowboys fan. She simply didn’t place Garrett’s face and name together because he came across so unassuming and unpretentious.
"“I was like ‘What do you do?’ And he was like ‘Well, um, you know, I coach football.” And I go ‘Oh, that’s great. Like what level?’ And he’s like ‘Oh, um, in the NFL.’ And I’m like ‘Yeah” and we start talking about the process again and teamwork. And he goes ‘You should come talk to my team some time cause that’s exactly the mentality I’m talking about. I would love for you to come talk to the team.’ And I’m like ‘Okay, great. Well, who’s your team?’ And he’s like ‘Oh, the Dallas Cowboys.’ And I’m like ‘Okay, that’s great. What position to do you coach?’ And he’s like ‘I’m the head coach’. And like Oh my God, that’s how nice he is. He’s not like ‘Hey, I’m the head coach.’ I literally had to ask him like every question…He’s the guy who, when he’s talking to you, he’s not telling you he’s the head coach (of the Cowboys). It takes like thirty minutes to get to that.”"
I think this story is typical of what we know about Jason Garrett already. He’s a nice guy who isn’t on a power trip. He’s the kinda guy that works hard, truly believes in what he is doing and he’s a person you hope has lasting success. He seems to deserve it.