Today, football fans identify Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones with the Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson was the head coach in the early to mid-90s, and Jerry is the GM and owner. But before that, they both played for the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Jimmy as a Hog (photo, Arkansas Money & Politics)
Jerry Jones at Arkansas (photo courtesy X.com)
From 1962 to 1964, Jerry Jones was an offensive lineman, while Jimmy Johnson was a defensive lineman. They were even roommates on road trips and played for the legendary Razorbacks coach, Frank Broyles.
They played on good teams, too. In 1964, the Razorbacks would make it all the way to the National Championship game. Both men played crucial roles in Arkansas’s only undefeated season, and they would go on to become national champions.
They were equally successful as the Cowboys. They won two Super Bowls, but the relationship in Dallas didn’t last. Jerry fired Jimmy, and reports said the reason was that Jimmy wanted more control of the team. That quest didn’t sit well with Jerry, and he appointed another Razorback, Barry Switzer, as head coach.
That was then. Today, both men are members of the Cowboys Ring of Honor and enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
You can watch their story in the “SEC Storied” documentary “Before They Were Cowboys.”
