Jerry Jones changed football when he purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989. Regardless of how you feel about the Cowboys franchise, he turned the NFL around. He took a risk that most people didn't think was worth taking, and he turned out to have one of the most profitable sports organizations in the world. He went on to win three Super Bowl rings and become a Hall of Famer.
Once Jerry bought the Cowboys, he was ready to make an impact by firing Tom Landry and bringing in Jimmy Johnson. The team ended up becoming extremely successful, and the ratings to watch them were through the roof. That is why they're considered, 'America's Team.'
With all of the success that Jerry's Cowboys have had, they've also had a 24-year drought without a Super Bowl win. His career is extremely controversial considering some of the decisions he's made. It's been a pretty wild time seeing Jerry Jones own the Dallas Cowboys.
14 Draft The Future... ASAP
Coming off of three consecutive losing seasons, with the 1988 season ending with a 3-13 record, Jerry Jones needed to change things quickly. With the first overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft, the Cowboys selected Troy Aikman out of UCLA. Some people expected them to go towards a different position, but Jerry felt confident with Troy to turn the franchise around.
13 Creating America's Team
It didn't take long for Jerry to build 'America's Team.' Michael Irvin was already drafted a year before he bought the team, then he drafted Aikman in 1989, and Emmitt Smith in 1990. They were the perfect trio, as it was difficult to stop all three of them. They were also all extremely likable players, which made it easy for fans to connect with them.
12 The First Super Bowl
You can't build a legacy without winning a Super Bowl, and in Jerry's fourth year of owning the Cowboys, they won their third Super Bowl as a franchise. They blew out the Bills 52-17, as Aikman threw four touchdown passes, Emmitt Smith rushed for over 100 yards, and Michael Irvin caught over 100 receiving yards and scored two touchdowns.
11 Building A Dynasty
Both the Bills and the Cowboys would end up making it back to the Super Bowl a year later. Dallas finished 12-4, but that didn't stop them from making it back to the big game. This game was a little bit closer, but the Cowboys still won 30-13. Emmitt Smith had a huge game with 132 rushing yards and two touchdowns. They were able to add another ring to their collections.
10 Bringing Back A Third Ring To Dallas
After their last Super Bowl victory, Jerry parted ways with Jimmy Johnson. It didn't make any sense considering the Cowboys were coming off of back to back Super Bowl victories. After they lost in the NFC Championship Game a year prior, the Cowboys were back as Super Bowl champions with Barry Switzer as their head coach. It was Jerry's third championship with the team.
9 Failing To Find Aikman's Replacement
Eventually, the success of the Cowboys ran out, and Aikman eventually retired. After Troy Aikman retired, Jerry Jones struggled to find a franchise quarterback. They went through a few quarterbacks including Quincy Carter and Drew Bledsoe before they could find their next franchise quarterback. It was a difficult time for Cowboys fans considering the success they achieved with Aikman.
8 Emmitt Becomes All-Time Leading Rusher
While that time was tough for Cowboys fans, there were some bright moments. One of them came in 2002 when Emmitt Smith passed Walter Payton to become the NFL's leading rusher. Ever since then, Emmitt has held on to that record with 18,355 yards. The closest active player to that record is Frank Gore, who would still need another 3,000 yards to pass him.
7 Even Bill Couldn't Win With Jerry
Bill Parcells was a coaching great, as he won two Super Bowls with the New York Giants. Jerry Jones figured the legendary coach could bring the Cowboys back to the promised land, yet they only had two playoff appearances as the head coach. There have been some talks with Parcells that couldn't handle working under Jerry, and he even showed frustration with Romo which led him to step down from coaching.
6 A Star Behind A Star
Jerry was desperate to find the next franchise quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, which is why he signed Drew Bledsoe. The more intriguing part of the story was that behind Bledsoe was a rising star in Tony Romo, who would eventually become the starting quarterback when Bledsoe would get hurt. Bledsoe clearly wasn't happy losing his job.
5 A Party In Dallas... Without Winning
Eventually, the Cowboys were a talented team again. They weren't as good as they were in their Super Bowl days, but they were competitive again. Terrell Owens, Miles Austin, Jason Witten, and Marion Barber all made for a really exciting team. After Owens left, the team did win their first playoff game in over 10 years but got blown out a week later.
4 An Explosive Offense In The Making
Eventually, the last crew of skills players was on their way out, but it was fine because Jerry Jones was able to bring in some really talented players. Tony Romo and Jason Witten were still playing, but they brought in some really good talent including Dez Bryant, DeMarco Murray, and Cole Beasley. Unfortunately, it might've been too late in Romo's career.
3 Boys Up Front
Maybe the best accomplishment that Jerry Jones has had since the Cowboys last won a Super Bowl, was building one of the best offensive lines in the league. Tyron Smith, Zach Martin, and Travis Frederick were like a brick wall upfront. A few years later La'el Collins became part of that really dominant wall, as they had some of the best offensive linemen in the game.
2 What Almost Was
What if Dez Bryant's miraculous catch in the NFC Divisional Round stood? To this day, almost everyone still argues that Dez caught the football, but the call was reversed when Mike McCarthy threw the challenge flag. The play would've given the Cowboys the football with under five minutes left to play on the one-yard line, with a chance to take the lead.
1 A New Breed
For the first time since the 90s, the Dallas Cowboys have themselves a trio. Dak Prescott erupted as a star when Tony Romo got hurt, Ezekiel Elliott was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper halfway through the 2018 season. Now they've added other talents around them, to potentially have their most talented team since their last Super Bowl run.