It Was Always Going to Happen: Jones Finally Puts Johnson on Stadium
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.— Two Razorbacks were front-and-center Saturday night like they have been since 1989. That's when Jerry Jones took a huge financial gamble, then made a questionable personnel decision, when he bought the Dallas Cowboys and immediately named Jimmy Johnson as coach.
Former owner Bum Bright stood by and got his wish when Jones wanted to bring in Johnson, sending Tex Schramm to fire Tom Landry on a golf course in Austin, Texas. Everything Jones did that first year from a 1-15 record to his awkward interviews brought predictions of failure.
"You inspired me," Jones said at halftime of the Cowboys game against the Detroit Lions. "I want you to know not only did you inspire your players and certainly our fans, you need to hear me say how much you personally inspired me. Always."
All of that was true and probably always was. All of that public reaction was just seeing what was pulled for soundbites. Oh, sure there were times when they were really and seriously ticked-off at each other. People back in Arkansas weren't particularly surprised, even their former head coach, Frank Broyles.
The difference between that and when they were teammates at Arkansas was someone was sticking a microphone in front of them and both reacted. Neither one ever ducked the media, even in college. There just wasn't a whole lot of folks covering them then.
Despite it all, they did what nobody thought possible. Each one knew they probably couldn't have pulled the whole thing off without the other. Jerry's money and Jimmy's football know-how made it happen.
"We took a team that was the worst in the NFL and in a short period of time, we won Super Bowls and became the team of the '90's," Johnson said. "You weren't great when we were 1-15. But you know what, when we held that trophy up, you were fantastic. At times you thought I was a tyrant and a-hole, but you never turned on me. You knew we were on the right path."
A lot of those guys from those teams were at the ceremony, which was a really long time coming. Jerry said all along he was waiting on the right time, but managed to drag out the drama for a number of years. He knew it would happen eventually.
When the decision was made to do it this year, he got his perfect scenario. With the Cowboys in the playoffs with a 10-5 record, the game was the only NFL game on and it was broadcast in prime time on the biggest cable sports channel and on broadcast television during the holidays on a Saturday. Nobody ever said he didn't learn a couple of things from Schramm.
Everybody got what they wanted, even the Hogs, who had a big win that was desperately needed in basketball and suffering football fans got a chance to stick their chests out a little and have something to brag about. That's big in college sports. Fans will get to see it when the Hogs wrap up their series with Texas A&M in the stadium on Sept. 28 next season.
Dallas Cowboys former players Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith flank former coach Jimmy Johnson during the ceremony placing Johnson's name on the AT&T Stadium Ring of Honor on Saturday night.
Tim Heitman / USA TODAY Sports
Johnson now will be on the Ring of Honor forever. Jones' first selection was linebacker Lee Roy Jordan, whom Schramm refused to put in because of a contract holdout in the days when none of the players had agents.
Now maybe there is one question around those names on the ring that the ever-inventive Schramm came up with a decade or so after Texas Stadium was opened. Will he put himself in there?
Jones probably quit putting off getting Johnson on there because both are 80 years old. Your guess is as good as mine over how that decision will be made.
HOGS FEED:
WHAT'S THE COMMON THREAD WITH SAM PITTMAN'S SUCCESSFUL HIRES WITH RAZORBACKS?
• Return to allHogs home page
• Subscribe and follow us on YouTube
• Follow allHOGS on Twitter and Facebook
