By Mark Halpern
When Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he made many changes throughout the organization. The change that shot through the world was the Firing of the Cowboys’ legendary coach Tom Landry and the hiring of the University of Miami Head Coach Jimmy Johnson.
Johnson made a significant impact from the first day he came on board. Following Jimmy from Miami was WR Michael Irvin (Drafted), and Irvin’s talent in college showed why the Cowboys drafted him to be their #1 receiver. Dallas didn’t have a perfect 1988 season giving them the first pick in the 1989 draft, and Jimmy once again got his guy by Drafting Troy Aikman from UCLA to be the future franchise QB. Even in Aikman’s first year, everything wasn’t together as the Cowboys were rebuilding.
After the 1989 season ended, Jimmy Johnson and the organization showed their genius. First trading star running back Hershel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for six draft picks, which lead to drafting future all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith and star defensive lineman Russel Maryland. Throughout this process of trading and signing players off of plan B and free agents in 1992, the Dallas Cowboys broke camp with the most impressive team since the Rodger Staubach era.
The Dallas Cowboys in 92-93 and 93-94 were back-to-back Superbowl champs beating the Buffalo Bills twice. They were projected to win as many as three more, but tragedy struck. Jimmy Johnson and head owner Jerry Jones had a huge falling out after the 94 Superbowl, and it was called a mutual split, but it was a lot more than that involved. If Jimmy stayed with the Cowboys, the Cowboys could have won 4 straight Super Bowls, but the Cowboys could only win 3 out of 4. Johnson was the Cowboys’ lifeline and the one man who came in with a plan and stuck to it, making America’s Team Great Again. He needs to be put in the Ring of Honor in AT&T stadium, glorifying him as an eternal Cowboy, just like Landry, and that is how the old man sees it.
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