(Peter Read Miller/Sports Illustrated)
At long last, Jerry Jones will usher Jimmy Johnson into the Cowboys’ exclusive Ring of Honor. The announcement came during the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show.
To this point, fans had usually found themselves somewhere between immensely angry and sadly disappointed that it hadn’t yet come to pass. Johnson is a much-loved figure not only from his tenure as head coach of the Cowboys, but also as an analyst for many years on Fox.
Jones was honest about his long-time mistake, claiming he felt the pressure from fans immediately following the induction of DeMarcus Ware.
Better late than never?
Rumors and speculation had been swirling around for decades following the swift departure of Johson in 1994. After winning back-to-back Lombardi trophies, Jones had gone to the media and claimed that any coach could have led the Cowboys to the Superbowl. Johnson was furious over Jones’ comments and the two mutually departed ways.
There had already been a lot of league-wide despise for Jones since he’d bought the team in 1988. Afterall, he’d immediately created a tidal wave of rage by torching the only head coach the organization had ever known, the legendary and much respected Tom Landry. To this day, Landry is the only former head coach in the Ring. Until December 30, that is.
Even after winning the three Superbowl’s in the 90s, most fans still couldn’t forgive the impulsive owner for the way he ousted Landry. Jones himself regrets the way his firing was handled.
He earned his fortune through high-risk investments
Jones’s arrogance had steered him to the conclusion that he was the mastermind behind the team’s success story of the 90s. Back then, he was a lot cockier. That’s almost certainly because he earned his fortune through high-risk investments in the oil and gas industry. It took nearly 30 years of near-misses and failure in the NFL for him to see the error of his ways.
Johnson and Jones often had decent things to say about each other in the years between then and now. Since Jones refused to induct Johnson, some thought it was a mask over their true feelings toward each other.
Although the talented coach had already claimed two Superbowl rings, it will have been almost three decades before he’ll finally receive the one titled “of Honor.”
There had been many who’d chimed in on the topic, including Troy Aikman. Aikman’s opinion on the Ring of Honor always sided with Johnson. Unironically, Aikman will be announcing the December game of the induction.
Jones wasn’t exactly in top form during the announcement, claiming that Johnson would be inducted on December 30, “1923.” He also confused Reba McEntire with Dolly Parton. At least he finally got the important thing right.
