Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones held a press conference before Saturday’s Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor induction ceremony.
What Does the Ring of Honor Mean to Jimmy Johnson?
Johnson will take his long-awaited spot in the Cowboys Ring of Honor during a halftime ceremony at AT&T Stadium.
“I don’t think anybody could ever imagine what this means to me,” said Johnson, adding, “This was a special time in my life. This was something that paid dividends for the rest of my life, and it’s something I’m extremely proud of.”
Johnson said they took the worst football team in the NFL at the time with three straight losing seasons and a 3-13 record.
He said not only did they win Super Bowls, but they had the “team of the 90s.”
“I’m very proud of it and proud to have my name up at [AT&T Stadium],” said Johnson.
Johnson will be the 24th Cowboy to be enshrined in the Ring of Honor, joining some of the critical members of his Super Bowl teams, such as Troy Aikman, Larry Allen, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, and Emmitt Smith.
Jerry Jones Gives Johnson Credit
Jones said it felt right to make this moment happen for Johnson.
“He’s there because it was the right thing to do. He was always going in the Ring of Honor whether I put him in or one of my kids put him in,” said Jones.
He discussed his conversation with Tex Schramm about the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor, saying Johnson fits all of its criteria.
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“A great coach and a great manager of the team, and so all of that is, I think, reflected in a lot of ways with the NFL Hall of Fame. But it also is a different statement when we say, ‘Jimmy, you are now forever more rightfully so are in the Cowboys Ring of Honor,'” said Jones.
But when Jones was asked how difficult it was for him to give Johnson credit for all that the team accomplished throughout his tenure, Johnson answered the question with a heartfelt statement.
“I think we’re passed on who gets the credit. The two of us working together made history,” said Johnson, adding, “The credit needs to go to a lot of people, Jerry, Jimmy, a bunch of assistant coaches, some great players.”
What Jones and Johnson Would Have Changed
He also discussed his initial decision to hire Johnson in 1989 to revive the team and the notorious fallout the two had.
“Jimmy fired me up. He was inspirational to me. He always had been inspirational,” said Jones.
Johnson went on to describe his experience back then, saying that he and Jones would talk for hours, which was a continuous conversation.
In fact, he said he doesn’t remember Jones asking him to coach the team, but it was an assumption, adding they didn’t sign a contract for about a month after he was hired.
But Johnson said the communication could have been better toward the end of his run, which is something he wishes he had done differently.
“The biggest thing was communication. When we’re together, everything is fantastic. …We had a great run, something that we’re very proud of,” said Jones.
The owner said he also lost tolerance, adding, “What Jimmy brings is a lot of the best of me, the enthusiasm, and what have you. When it’s going the other way, I don’t like myself, I really don’t.”
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But Johnson said he felt like a gypsy since he had moved from job to job and didn’t stay at the same place for more than five years.
He also admitted that things changed in his mind once he had coached two Super Bowl-winning teams.
“It got to the point after winning a couple of Super Bowls that [I] was almost to the point of saying, ‘Hey, I’ve accomplished what I wanted to accomplish,’ so sometimes you lose sight of what you can do because of what you’ve already done,” said Johnson.
However, the two admitted that it was a great run they had. Jones said, “What did happen was the greatest thing that frankly happened in my life, certainly professionally, was that period of time. Those years that we were able to make those things happen. It changed my life.”
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