Just shy of 30 years after he coached the Dallas Cowboys to a second consecutive Super Bowl title in his finale with the club, Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Saturday.
The ceremony came about after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones finally ended his longtime feud with Johnson.
“Jimmy Johnson’s going to be right here with Tom Landry, going to be here with some of the greatest names in the history (of the Cowboys), rightfully so,” Jones told the crowd at halftime of Dallas’ game against the Detroit Lions in Arlington, Texas. “Welcome to the Ring of Honor.”
Johnson said on the field, “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.”
Johnson concluded with: “And I just got one more thing to say. How ’bout them Cowboys!”
He was then hugged by the stars of his Dallas teams, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman.
In a pregame press conference, Johnson said, “I don’t think anybody can ever imagine what this means to me. (Coaching the Cowboys) was a special time in my life. …
“It’s something that I’m extremely proud of. We took over the worst football team in the NFL. … Three straight losing seasons and a 3-13 record and not only did we win Super Bowls, we were able to put together the team of ’90s. So obviously, I’m very proud of that and I’m proud to have my name up in the stadium.”
Jones added of Johnson, “Obviously, (he was) a great coach and a great manager of the team. So, all of that, I think, is reflected in a lot of ways with the NFL Hall Of Fame. But it is also is a different statement when we say Jimmy you now forevermore, rightfully so, are in the Cowboys Ring Of Honor.”
Johnson posted a 44-36 regular-season record as Dallas’ head coach from 1989-93. He led the team to a 9-4 mark in the postseason, winning championships after the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
