Troy Aikman enjoyed a very good NFL career with the Dallas Cowboys in which he led the Cowboys to three Super Bowl titles in a four season stretch. While Aikman was generally solid, he had a very strong supporting cast that helped him achieve all the success that he did.

Not only were the players alongside Aikman great, but so was the coaching staff too. Among them was Ernie Zampese, who was the offensive coordinator of the Cowboys from 1994 to 1997. Zampese helped guide Aikman to his final Super Bowl victory in Super Bowl XXX, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest offensive minds of the game of football.

Unfortunately, Zampese passed away this morning at the age of 86. This is a tough loss for the game of football, as Zampese's innovations to the sport helped change the way the game was played. Aikman found out about Zampese's untimely passing this morning, and posted a nice tribute to his old offensive coordinator on Instagram.

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Zampese helped take the Cowboys offense to new heights during his first two seasons as offensive coordinator. Without him, chances are Dallas wouldn't have won their most recent Super Bowl. Aikman recognized this, and gave him a fitting tribute as a result.

Zampese isn't widely known like other coaches in the NFL because he was never a head coach, but he helped revolutionize the offensive side of football during his time in the NFL. Without his contributions to the sport, so many players, including Troy Aikman, would have seen their careers turn out differently, and his loss is one that will sting the NFL community for a while.