Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott is getting ready for his team to square off against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. But Prescott had a little more than a football game on his mind on Monday.
Prescott is remembering someone very special to him — a person who helped raise him into the man he is today.
What Happened To Dak Prescott’s Mother?
Before the Monday Night Football game on ABC and ESPN, Prescott was seen on the field at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
He appeared to be taking a few moments to remember his mother Peggy, who died from colon cancer 12 years ago today.
Dak Prescott taking a long moment here before Monday Night Football. Have to think he said some words for his late mother, Peggy, who passed away from colon cancer 12 years ago today. pic.twitter.com/lgUnA2EWBm
— Jeff Kolb (@JeffKolbFOX4) November 3, 2025
Prescott’s parents, Nathaniel and Peggy, helped raise Dak, who was born in July 1993, at an early age. But Prescott’s parents got divorced, and Dak spent most of his early years with his mother.
Dak was raised in a three-bedroom trailer in Haughton, La. His father moved to Austin, Texas, while Peggy managed a truck stop to help support her children.
In an interview, though, Nathaniel said that Peggy really supported her son’s football career. She regularly showed up at Dak’s games, even after being diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in the summer of 2012. Nathaniel helped Peggy get to Dak’s games even after she was diagnosed.
Sadly, though, Peggy died in November 2013 at 52.
Dak never forgot his mother, eventually starting up a foundation that supports people dealing with colon cancer. The foundation is called the Faith Fight Finish Foundation. It helps to fund colon cancer research and spread awareness through prevention.
As for the foundation’s name? It comes from three simple words that Peggy would often say to a young Dak: Faith, Fight, Finish.
Dak’s two brothers, Thaddeus and Jace, also played for Haughton High School’s football team before Dak put on the pads for the first time. But tragedy struck Dak’s life yet again when Jace, at 31 years old, took his own life in April 2020.
Dak sought out grief counseling after Jace’s death. His foundation also offers grief counseling to the public.
When Prescott takes his first snap on Monday night, he’ll do so with a prayer sent up for Peggy, and her memory will be held close to his own heart.