FRISCO, Texas – There are two faces that have become synonymous with the Dallas Cowboys in the realm of coaching. These two coaches led the Cowboys through winning seasons and began the fulfillment of the phrase “America’s Team!” These two coaches with their innate abilities and vision of the game of football, made the star into the iconic nationwide symbol it is today. They gave the ‘silver and blue’ meaning and revolutionized the standard of success for generations of players that would come later to the famous football club.
Tom Landry: Tom Landry has become a stoic symbol of the Cowboys, not for the trademark fedora he wore on the sidelines every game, but for his knowledge of the game and heart for his players.
In his early years, Landry was a quarterback for Mission High School, with an undefeated 12-0 record his senior year. During 1950-1955, Landry played football for the New York Giants. Landry played one semester of college ball at the University of Texas, before joining the Army Air Corps in 1942, where he flew 30 B-17 missions over Europe during World War II. He was discharged in 1945, and returned to play football at UT as a defensive back/fullback where he earned All-Southwest honors as a junior and played in the 1948 Sugar Bowl and 49’ Orange Bowl Teams.
The NFL Giants and the conference rival, New York Yankees of the All-American Football Conference, drafted Landry. He signed with the Yankees, and switched to the Giants after a year when the AAFC folded. He transitioned from playing to coaching with the Giants in the mid 1950s as a defensive coordinator, alongside offensive coordinator Vince Lombardi. Yes that is right, Landry and Lombardi were once coordinators for the same team! What a dynamic duo those two made on the sideline. The poor head coach was not needed!
In 1960, the new Dallas NFL club gave Landry the opportunity to build a team from scratch and it was a love affair that lasted 29 years (1960-88). He made his mark as a disciplinarian coach for the Cowboys with his new ‘Flex’ Style 4-3 defense. Landry pioneered the shotgun formation, created the feared ‘Doomsday Defense,’ and paved the way for the future of the game of NFL football. He called his own plays from the sidelines and coached both sides of the football on offense and defense. His knowledge of the game was unparalleled. During Landry’s career he had a record 20 consecutive winning seasons, 13 division titles, five NFL/NFC titles, and two Super Bowl wins. In 1990, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and to the team’s Ring of Honor in 1993. He passed away in 2000 after his battle with Leukemia. Today, a statue of his famous silhouette with a fedora atop his head is outside AT&T Stadium.
In an interview with former Cowboys’ linebacker and ‘dirty dozen draft class’ selection, Bob Breunig, remarked “ I do not thing anyone has fully captured the man that Tom Landry was and his contribution to the game of football.”
Hall of Fame Quarterback, Roger Staubach, had an emotional time in his retirement speech getting out the words “ the nuts and bolts of the Cowboys…the man who wears the funny hat on the sidelines.”
Landry was a man who influenced his players without having to use many spoken words. His innovative mind and legacy with the Dallas Cowboys, along with his character and faith will always be remembered and cherished.
Jimmy Johnson: Jimmy Johnson had huge shoes to fill after following in Landry’s footsteps as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. At first many people did not approve of Johnson because of the way Landry was treated, but after the Cowboys won two back-to-back Super Bowls in 1993 and 94 under his leadership, he was back in Cowboys’ fans good graces.
Johnson played college football for the University of Arkansas as a defensive lineman, with teammate and future owner/general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones. He won All-Southwest conference title and his 1964 team went undefeated. He made the transition from playing to coaching in 1965, when he became an assistant coach for Louisiana Tech University. He coached for several high schools and colleges as an assistant coach, defensive coordinator, and defensive line coach. In 1979, he acquired his first head-coaching job at Oklahoma State where he coached for five seasons, before taking the head coaching position at the University of Miami. During his five years at Miami, Johnson appeared in five New Year’s Bowl Games and won a national championship in 1987. He was inducted to the University of Miami Hall of Fame in 1996 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 1989, Johnson’s tenure with the Dallas Cowboys began when his former teammate Jerry Jones became the owner and asked Johnson to join him and replace Tom Landry as head coach. Johnson had an incredible ability to find talent in the NFL Draft and make successful trades that quickly turned the Cowboys into another winning era. He made his mark with the franchise by drafting Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Russell Maryland, Kevin Smith, and Darren Woodson: making a trade for Herschel walker, and signing free agent Jay Novacek.
Johnson is only one of six men in NFL history to coach consecutive Super Bowl winners (XXVII and XXVIII). He was nominated as the AP NFL Coach of the Year and United Press International NFL/NFC Coach of the Year in 1990. Johnson and Jones had strong personalities that clashed and in 1993, the pair agreed to mutually part ways due to their inability to continue working together. Johnson went on to be the head coach for the Miami Dolphins from 1996-99, and now works as a TV analyst for FOX Sports, and is a member of FOX NFL Sunday.
Former Cowboys offensive lineman, Nate Newton, spoke to ESPN on Johnson’ ability “ that was his strength. He knew how to get the best from everybody…he told us how he treats us differently based on what we can do for the team and how we can help the Dallas Cowboys win games.”
He recognized talent and had the knowledge to coach each player based on his individual unique skill set. His love and passion for the game of football and the Cowboys will not be forgotten, nor will the famous phrase he coined in the locker-room “How Bout Them Cowboys!!”
