It all began with a fortuitous encounter on the SoFi Stadium field in Los Angeles prior to the Dallas Cowboys’ October game against the Chargers. Or perhaps that was the end of it. The relationship between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones, which started in Dallas thirty years ago or in Arkansas sixty years ago and may have restarted again on that Los Angeles field, is sometimes difficult to describe. During their brief pre-game conversation, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated, “We’ve got to get together.” Jimmy Johnson, the former coach, said, “Fine, let’s do it.”
After that brief conversation, Jerry revealed Jimmy will be inducted into the Dallas Ring of Honor on December 30. This marked the beginning of the public resolution of one of the more bizarre and significant NFL soap operas. The announcement was made on “Fox NFL Sunday.” Lastly. Before the Cowboys game in Charlotte on Sunday, Jones declared, “I wanted to do it this year.” “I think this is the right time,” “It’s also my birthday, so now is the right moment!” Johnson declared
Back in Islamorada by Monday morning, Johnson discussed his conversation with Jerry following that meeting in Los Angeles as he considered this choice. It arrived in Jones’s office just before the 1982 Arkansas team, which Jones, as a proud alum, supported and Johnson coached, had a weekend reunion. Jimmy remarked, “He couldn’t have been nicer.” For roughly four hours, we talked about wonderful memories and revisited some old topics. The biggest issue we’ve ever had, according to each other, was that we simply stopped talking. “We ought to have had this conversation 20 years ago,” we said.
Of course, over the previous thirty years, there were things I mentioned that he was extremely sensitive to and things he said that were disputed. We discussed those issues in some detail. He then invited a film crew inside and declared, “I want to induct you into the Ring of Honor.” Look, Jimmy has me in the bag. His book is mine. He is, in my opinion, the most intriguing person I have written about during his successful time at the University of Miami and, to a lesser extent, with the Miami Dolphins. To understand why Sunday’s announcement was such a national story, though, you don’t have to be a fan of his. It was partly because Jimmy and Jerry established one of the most enduring alliances at a legendary sports brand.
The other factor, which added to the surprise on Sunday, is that their public divorce has been brewing for decades, and Jones’ peculiar rejection of Johnson from the Ring of Honor served as a symbol for it. Johnson was not included in Dallas’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame despite being chosen for it. Jones was asked, as he has been on a regular basis, when Jimmy would enter the Ring of Honor just in July. “Aside from Jimmy, there are a few other coaches that should be in that Ring of Honor.” None adorned his finger with Super Bowl rings. Jones altered his NFL financial situation. He is in the Hall of Fame because of this. But coming out on top? Nearly three decades have passed since Jimmy’s team left, and he has yet to win anything significant.
Regarding Sunday’s announcement, Johnson said, “I think everybody’s happy about it.” Jerry is content. His folks are content. They claimed that it had been a pain in their side for years and that he was thrilled to finish and put it behind him. Likewise, Jimmy. Seeing his Fox studio colleagues celebrate the news made him happy. However, after all these years, there seems to be an equal amount of relief, much like with Jerry. He remarked, “I got tired of people asking, ‘Hey, why aren’t you in it?’ or saying, ‘You ought to be in the Ring of Honor, they should’ve done it years ago.'”
