There is a story behind Troy Aikman’s tears.
The former Dallas Cowboys quarterback cried as much as Jimmy Johnson did when his former coach found out on Fox Sunday that he was going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yes, the two won a pair of Super Bowls together, but the 53-year-old Aikman has known Johnson for about two-thirds of his life, initially disappointing Johnson as a teenager.
“My relationship w Jimmy Johnson spans over 35 years. He was the first to recruit me out of Henryetta High School when I was 17 while he was the head coach at Oklahoma State,” Aikman wrote in an Instagram post. “Two years later when I was transferring from Oklahoma, he recruited me to the University of Miami. I chose UCLA. After turning him down twice, the Dallas Cowboys chose me as the #1 overall draft pick in 1989.
“We had a rough start, went through some difficult times, had stretches when we didn’t speak. What I’ve learned though in life is we remember those who make us better. Jimmy made me better, but more importantly, he made the Dallas Cowboys better. He was the architect of our 1990’s dynasty and while as our leader and coach, he should have been the first to be enshrined, I am so grateful he will have his rightful place in the @profootballhof – congratulations Coach! You’re gonna look good in gold! #howboutthemcowboys”
Johnson, 76, found out he was part of the 2020 Hall of Fame class the same way Bill Cowher did the day before on CBS, being informed by Hall of Fame president David Baker.
While Johnson was tearing up in studio, Fox cut to an emotional Aikman in the Lambeau Field broadcast booth where he was calling the Packers’ NFC divisional-round win over the Seahawks.
Johnson and Aikman won consecutive Super Bowls in the 1992 and ’93 seasons.