Jimmy Johnson is still waiting for his phone to ring for Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor
You are not alone if you are wondering if former Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson being a newly-minted member of the Pro Football of Fame as part of 2020 Centennial Class would pave the way for him to be finally inducted into the Cowboys’ hallowed Ring of Honor.
Johnson and many of his former players are wondering the same thing.
But asked this week at Super Bowl LIV in Miami if he’s had any conversations with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about a possible inclusion, Johnson responded with a terse, “No, I haven’t heard anything.”
Jones did release a statement congratulating Johnson on his selection, but there have been no recent conversations between the two men who rebuilt a downtrodden Cowboys franchise into champions, winning Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993.
Johnson said several other owners have reached out to him personally, including Jeffery Lurie of the Philadelphia Eagles and Dean Spanos of the Los Angeles Chargers.
But not Jones.
Jones fired Johnson months after the second Super Bowl win — the two had been feuding — and the Cowboys went on to win their third title in four years in 1995 with Barry Switzer as head coach, cementing the franchise as the team of the 1990’s.
Johnson returned to the sidelines with the Miami Dolphins from 1996-99, but he did not have nearly the success going 36-28 with just two playoff wins. But he did draft some talented players, including Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor and linebacker Zach Thomas, who is a finalist for the 2020 Hall of Fame elections on Saturday.
After coaching Johnson went into broadcasting and became an NFL analyst for Fox Sports.
But there is no question that his Hall of Fame inclusion is based on what he did in Dallas as coach and architect of a dynasty that won three Super Bowl titles.
It was not just what they did but how they did it, turning the NFL upside down with the famous Hershel Walker trade that brought back a bounty of draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings, laying the foundation for the title run.
Johnson said New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick told him he was a lock to get in. But he grew emotional when Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker made it official with a surprise on-air announcement nearly three weeks ago.
He said he wasn’t going to assume anything until it was official and Baker tricked him by doing it halftime of a playoff game when Johnson was working.
Now that he’s had time to think about, he believes he was deserving of the Hall call.
“With the teams we put together with the draft, people back then didn’t trade,” Johnson said. “We were trading. We made 51 trades in five years, more than the rest of the league put together. Coming up with the value chart. Drafting 16 Pro Bowlers. Having 11 guys that I have coached in the Pro Hall of Fame. If Zach goes in I will have multiple Hall of Fame players at two different franchises.
“So it had as much to do about personnel as it did winning playoff games or Super Bowls,” he said. “Doing that, in the back of my mind I said, ‘Yes, I deserve to be in there,’ but I wasn’t going to push for it. But after 40 years of coaching, I am glad it happened.”
And for the same reasons, he deserves a spot in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.
Johnson, along with everyone else, is still wondering when or if that will ever happen.
