Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, is not only a football mogul but also a savvy businessman. Before purchasing the Cowboys in 1989, Jones built a successful career in the oil and gas industry. He leveraged his entrepreneurial background to transform the Cowboys into one of the most valuable franchises in the world, currently valued at over $10 billion.
Jones has been integral to the NFL‘s growth, devoting 35 years of his life to growing the brand. How old is Jones?
Jerry Jones Has Owned the Cowboys Since 1989
While he’s most commonly associated with the great state of Arkansas, Jones was born in Los Angeles on Oct. 13, 1942. He shares the same day as my mother, and both of these wonderful people were lucky enough to avoid being born on Friday the 13th, though probably didn’t have the same meaning decades before the horror movie was released. I digress.
Jones purportedly got his start in business as a young boy when he worked as a greeter at his parents’ grocery store, Pat’s Supermarket.
His first major business venture turned out to be a failure. Jones invested in Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, which was the first franchise pizza chain in the United States. It peaked in the 1970s before shuttering all of its Dallas-Fort Worth locations in 1989.
Jones then went to work for his father, Pat, as an executive vice president at his insurance company, Modern Life Security. Jones walked away with $500,000 when the company was sold in 1970, according to The Oklahoman.
He initially expressed interest in buying the financially ailing San Diego Chargers just a year out of college in 1966, but his father talked him out of it.
Jones ultimately moved on to oil drilling with the Arkansas-based company, Jones Oil and Land Lease. He struck oil in 12 of his first 13 wells, with the first yielding $4 million in oil, according to the book “The Dallas Cowboys: The Outrageous History of the Biggest, Loudest, Most Hated, Best Loved Football Team in America.”
This is how Jones had the financial capital to buy the Cowboys, which he has since built up to exponentially greater heights of profitability.
Today, he’s still involved in the oil and gas space as the controlling shareholder of Comstock Resources. Jones also has a number of real estate and retail projects in Texas.
5/32 Dallas Cowboys
Team owner: Jerry Jones
Net Worth: $13.5BWealth Source: Oil and gas. Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 for $150M. pic.twitter.com/DDmEqoZ9c8
— Julio N. Balbuena (@jbalbuena) September 18, 2024
Jones’ income is also driven by massive broadcasting deals, sponsorships, and merchandise sales, along with investments in real estate, including AT&T Stadium, where the Cowboys play. He also holds stakes in hospitality ventures, including Legends Hospitality, a sports and entertainment company that further boosts his earnings.
From a failed investment in a pizza chain to oil success to owning the most valuable sports franchise in the world, Jones has become one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet.
Has Jones Ever Won a Super Bowl as Cowboys Owner?
The early-to-mid ’90s belong to Jones and Co. The Cowboys won Super Bowls 27, 28, and 30, and they’re arguably one of the few dynasties to have developed during the course of NFL evolution.
The trio of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin still serves as one of the most formidable offensive units of all time.
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Super Bowl 27 was a lopsided Cowboys win, crushing the Buffalo Bills 52-17. Super Bowl 28 was a rematch, and the Bills came out to a 13-6 halftime lead. Dallas would rattle off 24 unanswered points, however, in the second half to win 30-13.
Super Bowl 30 had a new AFC counterpart, the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the outcome resulted in another Cowboys Lombardi Trophy. Larry Brown earned a rare defensive Super Bowl MVP, and the Cowboys prospered 27-17.