Jimmy Johnson helped lead the Dallas Cowboys to one of their most successful runs in franchise history, one that featured back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
The legendary NFL coach did so despite having a relatively short tenure with the franchise.
Jimmy Johnson’s Short Time in Dallas
Johnson took over as Dallas’ head coach ahead of the 1989 season after longtime coach Tom Landry’s squad had bottomed out from its run of success in the 1970s, with declines in the 1980s culminating in a rock-bottom 3-13 showing in 1988. Landry had led the Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships and three other Super Sunday appearances, but none had come over the last 10 years of his tenure.
Things started slow for Johnson in Dallas as the franchise went 1-15 in 1989. The slow climb began from there, however, as the Cowboys improved to 7-9 in 1990 and worked their way up to 11-5 and a playoff berth in 1991, losing in the divisional round of the postseason.
Then came history, as Johnson led Dallas to its third Super Bowl championship in franchise history and first since 1977 when it routed the Buffalo Bills 52-17 to cap off the 1992 season. The Cowboys did it again one year later, this time defeating Buffalo 30-13 to win back-to-back championships for the first and still only time in franchise history.
Just like that, Johnson and Dallas had partnered to win two Super Bowls across a five-year period and looked poised for even more success in the near future behind the likes of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin.
But then, just as quickly as their partnership had started, Johnson and the Cowboys ended their fruitful five-year partnership.
Johnson was then out of coaching for two years before returning as the Miami Dolphins’ head man in 1996, holding the post for four moderately successful years before stepping away for good.
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But what ended his successful time in Dallas so soon, right after winning consecutive Super Bowls?
A beef between Johnson and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seemed to do the pair in, spilling over at the NFL’s owners meetings following their second Super Bowl win. Jones told two Dallas Morning News reporters that “there are 500 coaches who could have won a Super Bowl with our team.”
Johnson was later seen leaving the event in his car and came to an agreement with Jones that Johnson would no longer be Dallas’ coach just days later, earning a $2 million severance.
Still, the two now seem to have repaired their relationship enough to the point that Johnson will be inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor at halftime of Saturday’s game between Dallas and the Detroit Lions.
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