Dak Prescott’s trying family history: the Dallas Cowboys quarterback’s parents, siblings, background…

Dak Prescott is well-known to the world as the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, but his real name is Rayne Dakota Prescott. And before he was Cowboys quarterback Dak, he was a loving brother and son with humble beginnings.

Dak Prescott’s parents, siblings, and background

Prescott was born on July 29, 1993 (30 years old as of this writing) in Sulphur, Louisiana to Nathaniel and Peggy Prescott. Prescott’s parents met in high school and started dating in 1979 before eventually marrying and having four children, Dak being the youngest. Peggy was White and Nathaniel is African-American, so Dak is mixed-race. When Dak was still young, Nathaniel and Peggy got divorced, but they remained close friends, even having a date once a week.

It has been reported that Dak also has an older sister named Natalie and a half-brother from his father’s previous marriage, named Elliott, but very little is known about the two.

After the divorce, Dak’s childhood wasn’t easy. He grew up mostly with his mother Peggy and two older brothers, Thaddeus “Tad” and Jace Prescott in a three-bedroom trailer in Haughton, Louisiana. He was very close with his family, including his father, despite living apart from him. Peggy worked as a truck stop manager at a place called Huddle House. Though they sometimes struggled with money, Peggy would often offer her son’s friends a place to stay if they needed it.

Dak started playing football in the field behind the trailer where he grew up, learning from his two oldre brothers, who also loved to play. Both played in high school and Jace went on to be an offensive lineman for Northwestern State. His father Nathaniel also played football at Grambling State University. His mother was also a huge football fan, getting a tattoo of a football with the number three inside it as a tribute to her sons.

“She was the ultimate football mom,” Dak’s brother Nathaniel said in a 2020 interview. “She went from knowing football in high school because I played to being an authoritarian on football. And Dak said sometimes it’s a little embarrassing because she would call the coach and let them have it.”

With only three bedrooms, Dak was the one to share a bedroom with his mother. His oldest brother Tad revealed that he stayed in that room until he eventually left to study and play football at Mississippi State in 2011. Dak was very close to his mother, and Tad told ESPN that he and Peggy would speak every day after Dak left for college.

Unfortunately, Peggy was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2012 and passed away in 2013 at the age of 52. Dak says that he is who he is because of his mother and honors her in every way he can. He continued to play football at Mississippi State, even being named MVP of the Liberty Bowl at the end of the 2013 season.

Dak now points to the sky after scoring a touchdown as a tribute to his mom. He even wears the number 4 on his jersey because her birthday was September 4. He has since started a foundation in her honor called The Faith Fight Finish Foundation by Dak Prescott, which helps people deal with adversity by providing mental health support and funding cancer research. It was named after Peggy’s motto: “Faith. Fight. Finish.”

“Losing my mom and watching her fight motivated me,” Dak said. “As much as I can raise awareness and educate people on how to get ahead of cancer, showing how to make your adversity your inspiration is probably the most significant goal.”

Dak’s father Nathaniel, who worked as a city bus driver in Austin, Texas, moved to Frisco to be closer to Dak. He often helps Dak look after his dogs when he needs it and the two enjoy the convenience of living close to each other.

Tragedy struck Dak again in 2020

In 2020, Dak and his family learned that Dak’s brother Jace had committed suicide. Dak said that he’d been dealing with depression himself and was having trouble sleeping, and when he finally got a good night’s sleep, it was only to wake up to several missed calls from his brother and the worst news of his life.

Dak said that Jace was one of Peggy’s primary caregivers and her death had really had an impact on his own mental health.

“He saw the times where she would have to spend probably 10-plus hours throwing up, this and that, and saw the medicine she had to take,” Prescott said. “And, almost you can’t even put into words the burden. I mean, it’s something only Jace knew. And he didn’t necessarily share that.”

Dak then expanded the foundation he created in his mother’s honor to include suicide prevention services.

Prescott’s mental strength comes through on the field

With all that Dak Prescott has had to deal with in his life, he’s learned a lot about mental endurance and strength. He attributes that to his mother, who he says was “very selfless, loved her boys, did anything for her three boys”.

“I learned so many lessons from watching my mom fight colon cancer,” Prescott said. “And I think just toughness, mental toughness was one of the main things I’ve taken and I try to use every day and to never show weakness. And just her courage and fight through that whole battle just showed me how mentally tough one person can be.”

After the Cowboys drafted Prescott in 2016, he set several rookie records and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. He then went on to win the Walter Payton Man of the Year award (2022), Second-Team All Pro (2023), was selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2016, 2018, 2023), and led the league in passing touchdowns last season (2023).

Prescott’s personal life

In November of 2023, Prescott’s girlfriend, Sarah Jane Ramos, announced that she and Dak were expecting their first child. Their daughter, Margaret Jane “MJ” Rose Prescott was born on February 29, 2024. Margaret was Prescott’s mother Peggy’s real name.