FRISCO — To understand new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, take a peek at his left arm.
Five tattoos mold into his skin, providing clues as to what’s important in his life. The black-inked designs reveal a man who cares about his family, his faith and the person he’s morphed into in his 51 years.
They also provide a window into the mind of the first-time head coach of the world’s most high-profile sports franchise, as he prepares to lead his players through training camp in California.
“This is something that is so meaningful to me and I think life gets busy, life gets crazy,” Schottenheimer said of his tattoos on a May afternoon while sitting in his office overlooking the Cowboys’ practice field at The Star in Frisco. “When you want to be reminded of what’s important, having it someplace where I can see it is important to me.”
Tattoos are ever-present in the sports world, with some players taking several hours and multiple sessions to get inked. The public stigma from an older generation is rapidly changing, and that’s no different in the NFL. Even coaches are on board.
The first tattoo for Schottenheimer, who has emphasized strengthening relationships among coaches and teammates, is on the inside of his left forearm. It says “Jireh,” which means “the Lord will provide” in Hebrew.
There’s another on the outside of his lower arm that reads “faith family football” in cursive.
On the inside of his left wrist, there is a license plate-like design with “TN17-2719”. TN is the state abbreviation of Tennessee, where his family resides in the offseason. The numbers represent the birthdates of his son, wife and daughter.
The word “grit” is on the back of his left hand between his thumb and index finger.
“I’m a fighter now, that’s what grit is,” Schottenheimer said. “I worked my ass off to be in the position that I’m in right now and it’s been a long journey. It’s been a grind. My family is everything to me, my faith. Literally, you can see all of them are either about my family and my faith and then football, those three whys.”
The most recent tattoo, a fresh addition to the arm this summer, is of three nails, representing faith and the significance of Jesus dying on the cross.
And to think, Schottenheimer says he “wasn’t a tattoo guy.”
The first tattoos
Schottenheimer’s son, Sutton, was instrumental in his father’s decision to get the tattoos.
Sutton wanted a tattoo in high school as a 17-year-old. He asked his parents, and they approved.
Eventually.
“For two years I was back and forth,” said Sutton, now 20. “It was something that I really wanted and I would love to get and I mentioned it to him and he was a little bit hesitant. He had never had any tattoos before and he was like, ‘I’m 45, why would I start getting tattoos now?’ ’’
With the family living in Nashville, mom, dad and son ventured to ArtWerks Studio.
The tattoo parlor is located on Haywood Lane. In front of the business, there’s a white sign that says “Tattoos” with the phone number of the studio listed below. Inside, there’s a fish tank and pictures of tattoos on the wall.
This was the chosen location to get ink stained permanently into the skin. Father told son that if he wanted a tattoo, he should make sure it was meaningful.
No problem, right?
In the state of Tennessee, individuals must be 18 to get tattooed, regardless of whether their parents approve. Minors, ages 16 or 17, can get a tattoo to cover an existing one with written consent from a parent or legal guardian. That person also must be present during the procedure.
There would be no tattoo for Sutton. However, the Schottenheimers were told to head toward Kentucky, where the laws are more lenient.
So mom, dad and son drove 90 minutes to Bowling Green to find a tattoo place.
Another problem.
“We walk in and we had no idea what we’re doing,” Brian said. “It’s cash only. Drive around town in Bowling Green to get cash to pay for it. We come back in and it’s a whole deal.”
What design should Sutton get?
Jireh, the name of a Christian song by Elevation Worship & Maverick City, resonated with father and son. Brian also decided to get a tattoo.
Jireh was inked in plain lettering on Brian’s arm and in Hebrew lettering on Sutton’s arm.
“We had both discussed that in the beginning, ‘Hey, we’re not going to just put anything on our body that if there’s no meaning to it,’ ” Sutton said. “We want this to have a meaning where it’s like we know it’s a symbol of this [and] is on your body forever and that’s how important it is to me. It was one of those things where we really discussed that and made sure it was a priority and I think for him, a lot of [tattoos], they have a lot to do with our faith, scriptures and all that. The focal point of our lives and everything; it’s the root of everything and how we live.”
The life of an NFL coach is vexing.
There are hours spent away from home working. Discussions with a spouse about moving from one city to another. Dealing with the emotions of winning and losing, and worrying about contracts.
The times away from home mean you miss life events. Brian saw getting the tattoos not so much as a makeup for the hours and days missed, but a way for father and son to continue their strong connection.
“I’ve missed a lot of my kids’ lives,” said Brian, who has coached in various roles for nine NFL teams. “I’ve missed a lot of basketball games, dance competitions and stuff like that. It’s kinda of our thing.”
Conversation starters
David C. Lane, an associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University, is an expert in tattoos. He wrote a book called “The Other End of the Needle: Continuity and Change among Tattoo Workers in 2021.”
As an assistant sociology professor at the University of South Dakota, he wrote a research paper with his students on the history of tattoos. Lane explained how it’s not unprecedented for people in leadership positions to have tattoos.
There’s speculation former president Teddy Roosevelt had a tattoo. Famed scientist Thomas Edison was inked up. Lane’s research discovered members of the British Royal family had tattoos. The mother of Winston Churchill and King Frederick the Great of Prussia went under the needle.
The founder of Macy’s, Rowland Hussey Macy, has a red star tattoo.
“That’s where the logo for Macy’s came from,” Lane said.
People who get tattoos these days probably don’t know the history, but each tattoo has a story.
Several Cowboys players are aware of their coach’s tattoos, as he uses them as a conversation starter with draft picks. He might spend 20 minutes talking to a player about his tattoos.
“I did notice the tattoos,” linebacker Damone Clark said. “It is faith. Everybody has tattoos that mean something. My tattoos mean something to me. It’s a way to express yourself; it’s nothing crazy. I did notice the one about Jireh. I’m big on faith, too.”
Clark has Proverbs 3:5-6 tattooed on his leg and Philippians 4:13 on his arm.
Defensive end Sam Williams has tattoos on his body and welcomes them from his head coach.
“It just shows you he’s human,” Williams said. “He’s one of us. He’s not higher. He’s showing that he’s normal. It’s normal to be yourself and be comfortable with being yourself.”
Former Cowboys wide receiver coach Robert Prince has a tattoo on his wrist of a family crest. It’s something Schottenheimer is exploring. When Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator of the New York Jets, head coach Rex Ryan had a tattoo of his wife wearing a jersey of quarterback Mark Sanchez on his right biceps.
When the new Madden video game comes out in August, Schottenheimer’s tattoos will be on full display. During the NFL owner’s meetings, EA Sports, which produces the game, asked Schottenheimer if they could take pictures of them to use in the game.
“I’ll be working at night, I’ll have a tough day and I’ll see that and I’m OK,” Schottenheimer said. “I’ll be traveling away from the family and I’m just reminded by that.”
So, are more tattoos coming?
Brian thought Sutton would have gotten more tattoos when this journey started in the summer of 2021. Sutton now has three tattoos to his father’s five.
Sutton plans on getting a new tattoo when he returns from a trip to Europe.
“Pretty addicting,” said Sutton. “Me and my dad joke about it all the time: Once you get one, you kinda can’t stop.”
Brian and Sutton go to the shop in Nashville to get their tattoos now. No more worrying about parental consent.
Brian’s wife, Gemmi, and his daughter, Savannah, don’t have tattoos. So, for now, it remains a father-son thing — and a way to express what matters most to the Cowboys coach.
“Hey, I’m proud of my faith; my faith is really important to me,” Brian said. “I swear more than I should. It was more about that and it was really cool I did it with my son and it became our thing.”
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