Jimmy Johnson embraces Cowboys’ Ring of Honor induction as he moves past ‘credit disputes’ with Jerry Jones

Jones said Johnson was going to be in the Ring of Honor one way or the other.

Jimmy Johnson embraces Cowboys’ Ring of Honor induction as he moves past ‘credit disputes’ with Jerry Jones

Jerry Jones inducting Jimmy Johnson in Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor (Screengrab YouTube)

Without a doubt, it took a long time for Jimmy Johnson to receive his due credit for the Dallas Cowboys‘ Ring of Honor. Even if it’s 10 or 20 years too late, Jerry Jones finally decided to dial the number and end whatever rift had between them from the split all those years ago.

The bottom line is that Johnson is joining the great Tom Landry as the only coach alongside the 19 players in the exclusive group of the ‘Americas Team.’ He was to be inducted in a ceremony during halftime between the Cowboys and the Detroit Lions game at Arlington.

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Before the game, Jones said,

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You can say whatever you want to about my human reaction or frailties. I say this, he [Johnson] was always going in the ring of honor, whether I put him in or my kids put him in.

During the halftime break, Jones welcomed Johnson into the middle of the field, where he had won two Super Bowls. A carousel of former players such as Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith who were part of that great Cowboys team all greeted him. Jones took the mic and said,

Not only did you inspire your players, and certainly you inspired our fans, but you need to hear how much you personally inspired me.

Jimmy Johnson thanked Jerry Jones for bringing him to the Dallas Cowboys

In 1989, during the first season of Jerry Jones as the owner of the Cowboys, they finished with a 1-15 record. He fired Landry, the only head coach Dallas had ever had, and brought in Jimmy Johnson from Miami.

Jimmy Johnson embraces Cowboys' Ring of Honor induction as he moves past ‘credit disputes’ with Jerry Jones
Jimmy Johnson thanked Jerry Jones for bringing him to the Dallas Cowboys (Screengrab YouTube)

It was a masterful move on Jones’ part, but after the two Super Bowl wins, they ended their partnership and parted ways. Johnson went back to Miami and led the team to successive postseason runs. He retired from coaching and then took up a job at FOX as an analyst. He was enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in 2020, three years after Jones.

During the Ring of Honor ceremony, Johnson said,

People have asked what this means to me. I'm so very, very proud of what we accomplished. When I say we, it's a lot of people. But more than anybody else, thank you, Jerry Jones, for bringing me to the Dallas Cowboys.

He ended the speech with a loud “How ’bout them Cowboys!” Irvin and Smith hugged him and relived some of the old memories of the golden generation.

As Troy Aikman had said, it meant a lot for the players who were coached by Johnson. Better late than never, as they say. This will give a lot of the long-standing Cowboys fans closure.

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