- For the NASCAR Nextel Cup driver, see Jimmie Johnson. For the Hall of Fame football player, see Jimmy Johnson (football player).
Jimmy Johnson (born August 14, 1943 in Port Arthur, Texas) is an American football coach and broadcaster. He was the first football coach to both win an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl. He went to college at the University of Arkansas, where he was an all-SWC defensive lineman. He coached briefly at Oklahoma State University before taking the head coaching job at the University of Miami, where he led them to a national title in 1987.
In 1989, Jerry Jones, the new owner of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, a long-time friend and former Arkansas teammate of Johnson, asked him to be the new head coach, replacing Tom Landry. He eventually led the Cowboys to consecutive Super Bowl victories in 1992 and 1993, before quitting after the season following a feud with Jones.
After briefly being a TV analyst, he joined the Miami Dolphins in 1996, replacing then–head coach Don Shula. He remained with the team until retiring in 1999. He then became a TV analyst again for Fox Sports, and (as of 2003) he is part of their pregame show.
A little known fact is that Jimmy Johnson was a classmate of Janis Joplin and gave her the high school nickname of "beat weeds".
Johnson's hair is often a source of humor: heavily starched in a wave, it has been called "helmet hair" for staying in place through wind and weather. His players often took delight in tousing it after victories.
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