Jerry Jones is arguably the most recognized named in the sports industry. It has officially been 32 years since the NFL owners approved the sale of the Dallas Cowboys to Jones. Here is a look at what the deal consisted of then, and the milestones Jones has made during his tenure with the Cowboys.
Throwback to 1989
Jones officially bought the Cowboys on February 25, 1989 from Bum Bright, for a whopping $140 million. Keep in mind, this would be a little over $290 million in modern money.
April 18, 1989 holds a significance to the Dallas Cowboys franchise since it was the day NFL owners unanimously voted to sell the Cowboys to Jones. At the time, Jones was an oilman from Arkansas. Shortly after, in very Jerry-like fashion, he started to shake things up in Dallas.
One of Jerry’s first big moves after taking over the team, was firing legendary coach Tom Landry, something some fans still hold against Jones to this day. This was an extremely controversial and unpopular decision from Jones. Especially because Dallas’ former GM, Tex Schramm, was left out of making this decision completely.
Super Bowl Wins Under Jerry Jones
It’s hard to forget that the Cowboys have Super Bowl wins, considering the dry spell the team has been under for over 2 decades bow. But, Jerry Jones did in fact oversee the team for 3 of them. The Cowboys won the Lombardi Trophy under Jones’ ownership during Super Bowl XXVII in 1992, XXVIII in 1993, and XXX in 1995.
Jerry’s World at AT&T Stadium
You can’t forget the milestone of Jones’ completion of the groundbreaking AT&T Stadium, replacing the long-lived Texas Stadium.
Although the initial cost for the project was around $650 million, it ended up costing $1.15 billion to build.
The journey for an upgraded stadium actually began in 1994. Although the Cowboys Stadium didn’t open its doors until 2009. The name was officially changed to AT&T Stadium back in 2013.
AT&T Stadium has the highest capacity of any NFL stadium. It has with 80,000 seats, but with standing room the capacity of it can be 105,000 people.
Not to mention, that the AT&T Stadium was record-breaking at the time for it’s HD video board. In fact, in 2009 Jerry Jones was given an award by Guinness World Records for the stadium having the World’s Largest HD Video Display.
The Star in Frisco
Jones didn’t stop at the AT&T Stadium either. He upgraded from the formerly known Valley Ranch, to the new Cowboys training facility and HQ, The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.
The facility plans were announced back in 2013, but The Star opened it’s doors in 2016. Although Jerry isn’t the sole owner of the facility, he had a large part in spearheading the project with the city of Frisco
The multipurpose facility shares it’s space with local teams and other sporting events. In total, the 90 acres that make up The Star in Frisco cost about $1.5 billion.
Jerry Jones Rakes in the Money
Now, you may have noticed a reoccurring trend here and that is the money involved in Jerry’s time with the Cowboys. Which is not shock to anyone if they know who Jerry Jones is.
You can’t discredit how much America’s Team is worth under Jones. It’s estimated that the Dallas Cowboys are worth about $5.7 billion, according to Forbes. The Cowboys were named the most valuable NFL team in 2020, by Forbes as well. But that’s nothing new for Jerry and his ‘Boys, as Dallas has held that title for 14 years in a row.
As Jerry once said, “win is the name of the game.” Although the Cowboys haven’t won in quite awhile, he certainly has won in different aspects of the business. If one thing is certain, it’s that Jerry has left his mark on the Dallas Cowboys franchise during these last 32 years.
