It's hard to believe but Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys 20 years ago this week. He purchased the Cowboys, hired Jimmy Johnson and fired Landry.
I can still remember the weekend. Jones is the new owner. Landry is the ex-coach. And most Cowboys' fans were in a state of shock. After all, Landry had coached the Cowboys for 29 years!
The Dallas Morning News remembers the weekend: Jerry Jones' 20 years with Cowboys filled with ups and downs
How can we evaluate Jones' tenure?
The good news is that Jones won 3 Super Bowl titles. His early drafts produced Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith!
The bad news is that the Cowboys have not won a post-season game since 1998. Also, the Cowboys never replaced Aikman!
On balance, Jones has been a good owner. He is fan friendly. He took the team to the new stadium, perhaps the best football facility in the country. It has a ".....retractable roof and 60-yard digital scoreboard..."
What's his biggest shortcoming? He refused to hire a strong GM with a football background to run the field operations.
Nevertheless, I give him a B-plus. After all, how many owners in any of the four major sports have hung 3 big titles in their office over the last 20 years?
Yankees? Spurs? Patriots? Lakers?
There aren't a lot more successful teams than the Cowboys!
