Jimmy Johnson’s five greatest accomplishments in football

The announcement caps off an incredible career for Johnson, who flourished as a player, coach and broadcaster. 

With that in mind, here are five of the 81-year-old’s greatest accomplishments in football: 

1. First coach to win a national championship and Super Bowl

Johnson won his only national title in 1987 when he was the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. He won consecutive Super Bowls in 1992 and 1993 when he was the HC of the Dallas Cowboys. 

Johnson, Barry Switzer and Pete Carroll remain the only HCs to win a national title and a Super Bowl. Switzer, of course, benefitted from the dynasty Johnson built, capturing his only Super Bowl ring with Dallas in the 1995 season.

2. The Herschel Walker trade

On October 13, 1989, the Minnesota Vikings dealt four players and eight draft picks (including three first- and three second-rounders) to the Cowboys for four draft picks (none higher than the third round) and Pro Bowl running back Walker. During the 1988 season, Walker finished second in the league in rushing yards (1,514 in 16 games). 

“The Vikings got Herschel Walker,” Randy Galloway wrote in The Dallas Morning News (h/t ESPN’s Steve Wulf). “The Cowboys got nothing more than a huge handful of Minnesota smoke. And who knows if there will ever be another fire.” 

Johnson, however, told the media he had just committed “The Great Train Robbery,” via Wulf. He proved to be correct. 

Johnson and Co. used the picks acquired from Minnesota, among others, to select HOF running back Emmitt Smith and Pro Bowl safety Darren Woodson. The deal set the groundwork for a team that won three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

3. His tenure with Fox Sports 

After Johnson and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones split in March 1994, Fox hired him as an analyst for its pregame show, “Fox NFL Sunday.” 

Johnson left the network in 1996 when he accepted the Miami Dolphins’ head-coaching job. After a three-year hiatus, he would return to Fox in 2002. 

Johnson’s insight and humor could be one reason the pregame show has been appointment viewing for NFL fans for over three decades. 

According to Fox Sports PR, “Fox NFL Sunday” has been the most-watched pregame show for 31 consecutive years. The program averaged 4.4 million viewers during the 2024 regular season.

4. Coached multiple HOFers

Johnson had a keen eye for talent. 

In nine seasons with the Cowboys and Dolphins, he coached multiple HOFers, including quarterback Troy Aikman, wide receiver Michael Irvin, defensive end Jason Taylor and linebacker Zach Thomas. 

“I wanted smart football players,” Johnson told Tommy Yarrish of the team website in February. “You look at the very first draft I had the Dallas Cowboys, we had four academic All-Americans. Troy Aikman, Mark Stepnoski, Daryl Johnston, Tony Tolbert. Smart players is one thing, and then obviously you have to be talented, but playmakers, gym rats, people that love the game, that’s what I look for.”

5. Career as a college player

Johnson is more well-known for his coaching career, but he played defensive lineman for the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1962-64, where he was teammates with Jones. 

In 1964, Johnson was named to the All-Southwest Conference team, helping the Razorbacks win their only national title. 

“Genuis, pure genius,” former Arkansas running back Jim Lindsey said of Johnson in September 2014, per 247 Sports’ Clay Henry. “We all knew it. He was a psychology major, and he was smart in everything he did. He could out think — and out quick — the players in front of him.”