“How ‘bout them Cowboys?” - America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys star Jimmy Johnson gives a speech at his Ring of Honor Induction

America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys premiered on August 19, 2025, with all of its eight episodes. It saw the rise of the Dallas Cowboys and the impact of their owner, Jerry Jones' management on them. 

Episode 8 documented Jerry's reconciliation with Jimmy, the team's coach, who served from 1989 to 1993 and won the team two consecutive Super Bowls. Jimmy left the team because of a rift between him and Jerry that was caused by both of them thinking they didn't get enough credit for the team's success. 

After they reconciled in 2023, Jimmy was invited to the team's Ring of Honor Induction. Here, he was cheered on by the team members and asked to give a speech. 

"How 'bout them Cowboys?" said Johnson when he finished his speech, a phrase coined by him decades ago. 

The speech has since gone down as one of the most memorable moments in NFL history. 

What America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys star Jimmy Johnson said in his induction speech 

After Jerry and Jimmy reconciled, they told how much they respected each other and appreciated each other's efforts towards building the Dallas Cowboys. When Jimmy was invited to the induction, other team members such as Jerry Jones, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, and Michael Irvin cheered him on at the stadium. 

In the induction, Jimmy was honorarily added to the list of the club's coaches. Addressing the crowd, he said that he was proud of what they had accomplished. 

"When I say 'we', a lot of people. But more than anybody else, thank you, Jerry Jones, for bringing me to the Dallas Cowboys club," Jimmy said. 

He told the people that Jerry and he worked "shoulder to shoulder". They took a team that was the worst in the NFL, and in a short time, they won Super Bowls and became the team of the 90s.

Troy Aikman, a former Dallas Cowboys player, said that the speech showed who Jimmy Johnson was as the coach they had seen for those five years. He told the cameras that he was the one who allowed them to do what they did. 

Jimmy further said to the crowd that he wanted to thank the millions of Cowboys fans and the millions who despise the Cowboys fans. He said that all of them made this game "so great". The crowd cheered in approval as Jimmy thanked them again and again. 

Before concluding his speech, Jimmy said that he wanted to add one more thing, then paused for a few seconds before saying the famous phrase that he had coined decades ago, "How 'bout them Cowboys?"

Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin held him from the back with enthusiasm as he said the words. Jimmy got teary-eyed with the noise that the crowd made. 

Michel Irvin also got emotional while telling the cameras that there was nothing more incredible than that. Jerry hugged Jimmy and told him that the award looked good on him. 

"I can't help but be thankful for the time that I've owned the Dallas Cowboys. It is impossible for me to think about doing something different, and I'll probably continue right on out until the end," Jerry said to the cameras. 

He said that he also came to understand that he couldn't have a coach who wasn't on the same page as him. 

Stay tuned for more updates!