Jimmy Johnson, Cliff Harris and Drew Pearson selected to Pro Football Hall of Fame GOAT

[Dodger12]

He already said several times he wasn’t coming back for a run at a third ring.

Can you refer me to a link? Because I've heard Jimmy say in interviews that he planned on coming back.

 

[dbair1967]

Can you refer me to a link? Because I've heard Jimmy say in interviews that he planned on coming back.

Yeah I don't remember him saying that either, although he did say several times there was no way he was going to stay for the full length of his deal (which was ten years I believe) and that he wanted out of that commitment as much as Jerry wanted him to go as well.

 

[English Cowboy]

Can you refer me to a link? Because I've heard Jimmy say in interviews that he planned on coming back.

Yeah I don't remember him saying that either, although he did say several times there was no way he was going to stay for the full length of his deal (which was ten years I believe) and that he wanted out of that commitment as much as Jerry wanted him to go as well.

You can hear it straight from the horse's mouth at the 35:00 mark of Jimmy Johnson - A Football Life.

"Jerry gets a lot of grief for me leaving. And he shouldn't. I was leaving anyway."

 

[Dodger12]

You can hear it straight from the horse's mouth at the 35:00 mark of Jimmy Johnson - A Football Life.

"Jerry gets a lot of grief for me leaving. And he shouldn't. I was leaving anyway."

There are a few interviews out there. I saw one with Jimmy when he discussed his plan to come back for the 94 season when things went off the rail. Those are the older e-mails and hard to find but they were posted here a few years back. I believe it's also in the book Boys Will Be Boys by Jeff Pearlman and some folks posted screen shots. Jimmy wasn't going to give up going for a threepeat.

 

[Dodger12]

Yeah I don't remember him saying that either, although he did say several times there was no way he was going to stay for the full length of his deal (which was ten years I believe) and that he wanted out of that commitment as much as Jerry wanted him to go as well.

Exactly. He would have come back for a chance to threepeat. This idea that he wanted to leave after winning his second SB is just silly. The interviews done at the time of the break-up are more telling and you can see the friction that existed. Once Jerry told the Goose that any one of 500 coaches could win with that team, it was pretty much done. I mean, if Jimmy planned to leave anyway, why was he at the owner's meeting in the first place.

 

[Dodger12]

No doubt Johnson and Jerry have softened over the years and have become more amicable. And Johnson has taken some of the heat off Jerry. But, at the time, Johnson was staying to threepeat until the infamous toast at the owners meetings.

Not Happy Anniversary: How a failed toast sent a Cowboys dynasty spiraling

“There’s no blame. It’s just a matter of, we’ve gone through a little transition here.” It was an understatement bigger than the entire state of Texas, a casual encaps…

cowboyswire.usatoday.com

Jones and Johnson finally met again on March 28. According to King:

“We came up with five options,” said Johnson. “Number one, fire me, which we eliminated. Number two, I quit, which we eliminated. Number three, I continue to work under my existing contract, which we eliminated. Number four was to settle the contract and part. The fifth was to put all our efforts into one year. I even said I’d change the language in my contract, [which specified] that I had sole control of all personnel moves. Then after one year I’d be free to go where I wanted.”

 

[dbair1967]

You can hear it straight from the horse's mouth at the 35:00 mark of Jimmy Johnson - A Football Life.

"Jerry gets a lot of grief for me leaving. And he shouldn't. I was leaving anyway."

I think you are taking that comment as "immediately" and it wasn't intended that way. Pretty sure Jimmy just meant he was leaving "at some point"

He was intending to come back for that 1994, he was still making all the personnel and coaching decisions right up to the point where they separated.

 

[English Cowboy]

I think you are taking that comment as "immediately" and it wasn't intended that way. Pretty sure Jimmy just meant he was leaving "at some point"

I was just thinking the same thing. It is a bit ambiguous. I don't think he would have stayed beyond the '94 season though, regardless of how it went.

 

[Doomsday]

I think you are taking that comment as "immediately" and it wasn't intended that way. Pretty sure Jimmy just meant he was leaving "at some point"

He was intending to come back for that 1994, he was still making all the personnel and coaching decisions right up to the point where they separated.

Yep this is all clarified in the second edition of his book.

 

[Dodger12]

Yep this is all clarified in the second edition of his book.

Whose book Dooms?

I know Jeff Pearlman was very detailed in his book and it was a great book about that era in Cowboys football.

But my initial point and question when I responded to Texzilla was his comment that Johnson stated "several times he wasn’t coming back for a run at a third ring." I've never heard this. I've heard Jimmy say that he never stays at one place very long which may lead us to assume he planned on leaving after the 93 season but that goes against what has been reported. I think we can all agree, knowing what we know now, that Jimmy wasn't long for Dallas. But leaving after the second SB was not in the cards and everything just came to a head at the owners meeting. Heck, even after this incident, Johnson still offered to stay one more year, have his contract re-worked and then leave.

 

[Dodger12]

You know the sad part about these discussions (which I really appreciate BTW)? I don't give two shits about the current state of the team to educate myself as much about the team's history during the post Jimmy years. I honestly don't really care too much. I mean, I know what I know but I really don't give two shits beyond that.

 

[Doomsday]

Whose book Dooms?

Jimmy's

 

[bbgun]

Yes, Jimmy never stuck around very long at any of his jobs, but there's no doubt in my mind he would have gone for the threepeat had his boss not been a gloryhog egomaniac.

 

[Scot]

Without me having to read thru this entire thread for the answer, does anyone know how they are going to handle Jimmy being inducted into the HOF? Last year it was postponed due to the Covids. So are they just adding everyone from last year to this years ceremony?

 

[InternetKing]

And finally that asshole (jerry) announced that jimmy johnson going get ring of honor.

 

[InternetKing]

Without me having to read thru this entire thread for the answer, does anyone know how they are going to handle Jimmy being inducted into the HOF? Last year it was postponed due to the Covids. So are they just adding everyone from last year to this years ceremony?

read hof website but they doing seperate ones one for 2020 and one for 2021 on that same weekend.

 

[InternetKing]

 

[InternetKing]

 

[InternetKing]

Jimmy Johnson's life:

 

[Doomsday]

Jimmy, what can I say about you that I haven't already said? I'll keep it short.

When you came into the league in 1989 all the sports press and media said you would be a bust. Well today, you ARE a bust!

Congratulations Jimmy and thank you for those joyful five years in Dallas and the three Super Bowl crowns. As you said about the second half of SB XXVII, it was a merry blur. My hat is off to you today.