Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB.  Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives.  As such, it is important to us that the

Dallas Cowboys will FINALLY be enshrining Jimmy Johnson into their Ring of Honor

The announcement came from Cowboys Owner, Jerry Jones before today’s game against the Carolina Panthers, and will officially happen on December 30, during their home game against the Detroit Lions.

Johnson took the Miami Hurricanes to a National Championship in 1987, and a year later was signed by Jones to take over the helm in Dallas.  After a 1-15 start, Johnson turned the ship around and with the triumvirate of Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Troy Aikman led the Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl wins (XXVII & XXVIII) but the success led to fractures in the relationship between Johnson and Jones.  The two agreed to part company before the 1994 Season, and Johnson would later coach the Miami Dolphins, and then work for Fox as a television analyst.  He had an overall record of 44-36 and 7-1 in the playoffs.

Johnson had previously entered the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but this honor, although clearly deserved, seemed to be forever barred from this one.  Jones had previously said that he “could not handle the disloyalty” as to the reason that Johnson was not yet honored.  As always, time and retrospect can heal all.

Johnson will join Cowboys legends, Bob Lilly, Don Meredith, Don Perkins, Chuck Howley, Mel Renfro, Roger Staubach, Lee Roy Jordan, Tom Landry, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Bob Hayes, Tex Schramm, Cliff Harris, Rayfield Wright, Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Drew Pearson, Charles Haley, Larry Allen, Darren Woodson, Gil Brandt and DeMarcus Ware.  Of that list, all but four (Meredith, Perkins, Jordan and Woodson) are Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Jaromir Jagr for his impending honor.

How good an athletic family did Jimmy Johnson come from?  The Pro Football Hall of Famer was the brother of the 1960 Olympic Gold Medalist (Decathlon), Rafer Johnson.

There is always Hall of Fame related news when you look hard enough!

With the hope that the Pro Football Hall of Fame Ceremony will go on in August, impending inductee, Jimmy Johnson has given some insight as to his inductor will be.

On Twitter, he was asked if Jerry Jones, his former boss and owner of the Dallas Cowboys would induct him.  He responded that the honor will go to Troy Aikman and that Terry Bradshaw will put the jacket on him.

While there remains a rift between Johnson and Jones, there is hope that the Hall of Fame induction of Johnson will lead to a place in the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.  It is worth noting that Tom Landry did not enter the Ring until three years after his Hall of Fame induction.

Hopefully we will find more Hall of Fame related news, and of course, we will be looking!

We thought we would be talking about this on Wednesday.

Breaking from tradition, Hall of Fame President, David Baker appeared on the CBS pre-game show on Saturday and announced to former Pittsburgh Steelers, Head Coach, Bill Cowher, that he had been selected by the Blue Ribbon Centennial Committee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Last night, during halftime of the Seahawks/Packers Game, Baker appeared again and made the same announcement to former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins Head Coach, Jimmy Johnson.

Cowher became the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1992, where he would stay until 2006.  He would lead Pittsburgh to a win in Super Bowl XL, and he would have a record of 149-90-1.

When Johnson was greeted by Baker it was a very emotional scene.  The joy of his now fellow Hall of Famers (Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Tony Gonzalez) was infectious and Troy Aikman (who was calling the game) watched along.  After taking the University of Miami to the NCAA Championship in 1987, he would take over the helm of the Dallas Cowboys shortly there after.  He won two Super Bowls with Dallas and took them from the outhouse to the penthouse.  He was also the Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins for four seasons.  Johnson’s Head Coaching record in the NFL was 80-64.

This is the first time that Coaches were selected in a separate committee, and it is expected that it will return back to main committee.  The choices are no without controversy, as Don Coryell, who has been a Finalist six times was not chosen.  Tom Flores, who has been a Finalist the last two years, was also passed over.  Flores is 88, and based on online reactions, he is the biggest perceived snub.  

As both Cowher and Johnson are NFL analysts on major networks, there has been some speculation that the Pro Football Hall of Fame looked to make moments as opposed to honor the two most deserving candidates. Only the people on the Blue Ribbon Committee will know if that is true.  The other Finalists amongst the Coaches were Mike Holmgren, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves and Dick Vermeil.

This Wednesday morning on Good Morning Football, the remaining 13 selections will be announced.  

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate both Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson for entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame.