On Thursday, former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The nod from one of his all-time favorite players was a big honor for Johnson, but it may have been more significant than he realized.
Troy Aikman says that presenting Jimmy Johnson at his pro football hall of fame ceremony was a bigger honor than the quarterback’s own induction. Read more in detail here: jimmy johnson hall of fame.
Troy Aikman, a former NFL quarterback, had an illustrious career. Before he retired from the NFL, he was a shoe-in for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In addition, he is a member of the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. But one show of respect stands out for Aikman. Jimmy Johnson, his former Cowboys coach, is involved.
Troy Aikman and Jimmy Johnson | Getty Images/Ron Schwane-Pool
For many years, former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson, who supervised Aikman’s greatest years, had only his reputation to credit his work. That, plus the fact that he has two Super Bowl rings. Even yet, it seemed odd that he wasn’t inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His conflict with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a former lifelong friend, also kept him out of the team’s Ring of Honor.
That didn’t sit well with Aikman, who was constantly extolling the virtues of his former coach and mentor. That explains why, according to Fox Sports, the former quarterback was brought to tears when he saw Johnson get his invitation to Canton for his induction. Aikman isn’t known for being emotional in public, so it was only right that his old friend’s big moment prompted him to open up in front of his colleagues and spectators.
The greatest honor of Aikman’s career, according to him, is inducting Johnson into the Hall of Fame.
Johnson’s NFL resume, to be honest, wasn’t exactly first-ballot stuff. He coached in the league from 1989 to 1999, a rather brief tenure for a Hall of Fame coach. His finest period was with the Cowboys, but it didn’t last long. But his effect on players and supporters was significantly greater than that of many longer-serving managers. Despite the fact that tensions between Jones and Johnson were at an all-time high near the conclusion of his stay in Dallas, supporters were disappointed to see him go.
Johnson requested that Aikman, his longstanding supporter, present him at his induction ceremony in 2020. What was Aikman’s response?
“For someone to want you to present them in the Hall of Fame is the greatest honor I could have gotten,” he told reporters, including Cowboys insider Mike Fisher. “I don’t take being inducted into the Hall of Fame lightly, but it’s a greater honor to me personally than it was when I was in because that individual has the ability to pick whoever they want.”
Aikman’s poignant statement during the event went beyond reminiscing about his time as an NFL coach. It looked at who Johnson is as a mentor and a guy who represents the finest the sport has to offer.
The stern retired quarterback’s face broke out into a big smile as he got to the iconic statement — “I am honored to introduce Jimmy Johnson to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”
They have a history together that predates the NFL.
During Johnson’s tenure with the Cowboys, it appeared like the whole team adored him. When they won their first Super Bowl, the obvious fondness between head coach and player destroyed the formality of the relationship. According to Sports Illustrated, legendary running back Emmitt Smith led the squad in ruffling Johnson’s hair. It was the kind of camaraderie that was normally reserved for players. Johnson approached the task in a unique way.
That emotion, for Aikman in particular, dated back long before his NFL days. He narrates the narrative of Johnson recruiting him to play for Oklahoma State on Instagram. Instead, the then-17-year-old quarterback chose Oklahoma. When Johnson returned to UCLA to catch him during a transfer, Aikman turned him down again.
Finally, in 1989, Aikman was the Dallas Cowboys’ first-round selection choice, at a time when Johnson had a lot of say in such matters. He’d been looking for his mate for a long time and had finally found him.
RELATED: Jimmy Johnson Receives a Surprising Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor Invitation from Jerry Jones on Live TV and Responds Hilariously
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