Jerry Jones 'strapped on fear of failure' before buying Cowboys

[a425couple]

Jerry Jones 'strapped on fear of failure' before buying Cowboys

Ron Clements Omnisport @Ron_Clements
Published on Aug. 5, 2017 | Updated on Aug. 6, 2017

It took several failed business opportunities for Jerry Jones to have
enough guts to "keep on keeping on."

Though the Cowboys were a losing team in dire financial straits, Jones
decided to "put up or shut up" and buy the team. He has sinced turned
them into one of the most profitable sports teams in the world, and
Jones was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.

"I strapped on that fear of failure. For someone like me, a fear of
'business' heights was like stringing a tight rope from the Empire State
Building to the next tallest building in New York and then starting your
ass off on that tight rope," Jones said during Saturday's speech at Tom
Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. "You have to make it work."

When Jones woke up one morning while on a fishing trip, he noticed in a
newspaper that the Cowboys were for sale.

Jones bought the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million and assumed the roles
of president and general manager. The Cowboys had been losing about $1
million per month. The team's financial situation then is why Jones
decided to be owner, president and general manager and he has turned the
Cowboys into a team that is now the NFL's most valuable at $4.2 billion.

Through several shrewd moves, he helped build a team that won three
Super Bowls in the 1990s. He thanked former Cowboys coach Tom Landry and
general manager Tex Schramm for establishing the foundation on which he
was able to build the team.

Jones made the unpopular decision of replacing Landry with former
college teammate Jimmy Johnson, who had won a national championship at
the University of Miami.

His first big move was selecting quarterback Troy Aikman with the No. 1
overall pick of the 1989 NFL Draft. He then fleeced the Vikings by
sending running back Herschel Walker to Minnesota in exchange for a
wealth of draft picks that resulted in the selections of running back
Emmitt Smith, wide receiver Alvin Harper and safety Darren Woodson,
among others.

Jones used first-round picks in 1991 and 1992 on Super Bowl starters
Russell Maryland and Robert Jones, respectively. A second-round pick in
the 1994 draft was used on future Hall of Fame guard Larry Allen. He
also signed future Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders to a five-year
contract in 1995 and the Cowboys won their third Super Bowl in four seasons.

"Winning the Super Bowl will always be special. Football changes lives
like that," Jones said. "A year later we did it again and certainly a
dynasty was born."

Jones was presented by his wife, Gene, who was one of two wives to
present their husbands on Saturday. The other was Brenda Warner, the
wife of former Rams and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. Gene Jones
and Brenda Warner are the third and fourth women to present their
husbands for induction, joining Kim Singletary (Mike Singletary, 1998)
and Deanna Favre (Brett Favre, 2016).

"Gene, you kept me between the rails when I didn't really have the
strength to get to the middle," Jones said to his wife. "You're my
presenter because you've always presented this family in a loving and
caring light that only you can provide."

Jones' experience as a college player at Arkansas made him want to
pursue a career in football. He thought about coaching, but figured
there was not much money in coaching.

READ THIS
Jerry Jones cites Deion Sanders signing as his best personnel decision
Jerry Jones hints Ezekiel Elliott suspension would be tied to recent
incidents, not domestic violence

"Had I known what I'm paying them right now, I'd have gone into
coaching," he joked.

It worked out all right for Jones.

http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/jerry-jones-hall-of-fame-speech-pfhof2017-cowboys/2l6txwzviesw1i7kutykgaehl