Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says former head coach Jimmy Johnson will be enshrined in the team's Ring of Honor.
Jones made the announcement during a pre-game segment before the team's Hall of Fame preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers Thursday night.
Jones and Johnson, who is being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame this weekend, were talking with analysts about their relationship, which was contentious at times in the past. Despite their rocky history, Jones credited Johnson with much of the team's success in the early 90s.
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As he praised Johnson, sportscaster and NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw and sportscaster Curt Menefee both asked Jones when Johnson was going into the team's Ring of Honor.
"Tex Schram who started that Ring of Honor, said, 'Jerry keep it kind of limited with people but make sure it wasn't just about the plays they made, make sure they contributed to the story of the franchise.' Now it's kinda hard to not recognize this contribution to the story of the franchise," Jones said of Johnson. "We'll be in the Ring of Honor."
Jimmy quickly replied, "While I'm alive?"
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Troy Aikman, who was on the panel, said without both Jones and Johnson, the Cowboys would have never been the dominant team they were in the 1990s.
"I know what coach meant to the success of those teams and I know how much it meant for him to go into the Hall of Fame," Aikman said. "I will say ... it wouldn't have happened, our successes wouldn't have happened ... it took both of these guys. Jimmy couldn't have been the coach that he was had it not been for Jerry and his ownership and Jerry wouldn't have been the owner that he was had it not been for Jimmy as the head coach and we were the beneficiaries of that. I'm just glad to see these two together it's what we've all been hoping for and it's a great weekend for Jimmy and we're honoring him.
A date for Johnson's enshrinement into the team's Ring of Honor has not been announced by the team.
Jones said the team was also planning to honor Johnson's enshrinement in the Hall of Fame though further details are not yet known.
