3 reasons why former Cowboys HC Jimmy Johnson will be inducted into the Cowboys Ring of Honor
The Dallas Cowboys are among the most storied franchises in American sports. A litany of iconic players and coaches have contributed to their success, including former head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Jimmy Johnson won two Super Bowl championships with the Dallas Cowboys. However, he left the franchise after falling out with owner Jerry Jones after winning his second Super Bowl ring, when Jones said that anyone could have coached that Dallas Cowboys team to the Championship.
Owing to the long-running feud between the two, Jimmy Johnson was yet to be inducted into the Dallas Cowboys "Ring of Honor." When asked about why his former Super Bowl-winning coach's name did not feature among other legends, Jones scathingly replied, "Disloyalty ... I couldn't handle the disloyalty."
However, they have gradually mended their relationship and Jones recently confirmed that Jimmy Johnson would get his rightful place in the 'Ring of Honor'.
Here is a look at why it makes perfect sense.
Reasons Jimmy Johnson belongs in the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor
#1 - Built a winning machine through trades and draft picks
While praising Jimmy Johnson's tenure as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, many people tend to look at it the wrong way round. They fixate on the wins, forgetting how he forged a team to get there in the first place.
In his first season with the Dallas Cowboys, he went 1-15. In the second season, he improved to a 7-9 record, but still missed the playoffs. It was the fifth straight year the Dallas Cowboys had failed to do so.
However, from 1991 onwards, they went on a staggering run that yielded three Super Bowl victories; Johnson presided over two of them. The team was built on the back of trading Herschel Walker, their elite running back, to the Minnesota Vikings. In return, they got six high draft picks and a number of players that he used wisely to build the team.
#2 - Developed bonafide superstars
Troy Aikman joined the Dallas Cowboys the same year as Jimmy Johnson. It would have been easy to throw the quarterback under the bus, especially after the end of two losing seasons. However, Johnson stuck with his quarterback and transformed him into a legend.
The same can be said of Emmitt Smith, a first-round pick under Johnson who became the leading NFL rusher of all time. He also got the best out of Michael Irvin, whom Jimmy Johnson had coached during his college career.
#3 - Consecutive Super Bowl-winning coach
It was his strength in developing the team and his players that culminated in Johnson leading the Dallas Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl wins in 1992 and 1993. He is part of an elite group of six head coaches who have led their teams to consecutive Super Bowl wins.
This alone merits his induction into the 'Ring of Honor'. Now that the bad blood that held him back has evaporated, he will take his rightful place among other Dallas greats.