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The Netflix series America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys recalls the time when Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys on February 25, 1989. The decision instantly changed the direction of the franchise. One of his earliest moves was firing longtime head coach Tom Landry, who had led the Cowboys for 29 years. The choice shocked fans and drew immense backlash.
"I was Darth Vader,” Jones, now 82, recalls in the Netflix docuseries.
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The remark reflects the hostile environment he faced in his early days as owner, with supporters furious at his changes and the sudden dismissal of a beloved figure. At the time, Jones even revealed to Arkansas lawmakers that he had received multiple death threats over the decision, underlining how deeply the public reacted.
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys: Jerry Jones’ early challenges with the Dallas Cowboys
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys saw Jones enter the NFL as both owner and general manager, a move unheard of at the time. His takeover immediately created divisions in Dallas, which intensified after Landry’s dismissal.
Following the firing, more than 100,000 people participated in a parade honoring Landry through downtown Dallas, emphasizing the affection fans held for their longtime coach. Former WFAA-TV sportscaster Dale Hansen, who was covering events at the time, described it in America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, saying,
“Jerry and the Jones family had broken into the museum and taken our most valuable possession.”
Jones himself later admitted in the series that removing Landry may not have been handled well.
“The firing of Coach Landry was certainly one of the great PR missteps, maybe of all time. Because I still wear that,” he said.
The press conference where Jones announced his plans quickly became known as the “Saturday Night Massacre,” a phrase borrowed from the Watergate era. The next day, he named his University of Arkansas teammate and longtime friend Jimmy Johnson as head coach.
His daughter, Charlotte Jones Anderson, who is now executive vice president and chief brand officer for the Cowboys, recalled in the docuseries how the family was uncertain of the next steps, saying, “What do we do?” Despite the criticism, Jones pressed forward. Speaking about the atmosphere in Dallas at the time, he said,
“With all that hate, I could stop and cry or I could just keep going. But I’m not gonna take my marbles and go home. I can’t, I burned all my ships when I landed.”
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys: The rise and fallout with Jimmy Johnson
The partnership between Jones and Johnson initially struggled. In Johnson’s first season as head coach in 1989, the Cowboys posted a 1-15 record. However, the bold trade of star running back Herschel Walker midseason proved to be a turning point. By 1990, the Cowboys improved to 7-9, and by 1991, they reached the playoffs.
In 1992 and 1993, they captured back-to-back Super Bowl victories, establishing themselves as the dominant team of the decade. America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys highlights this turnaround with interviews and footage featuring key figures like Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, and Deion Sanders.
Despite their success, the relationship between Jones and Johnson deteriorated quickly. The docuseries revisits January 30, 1994, when the Cowboys won Super Bowl XXVIII in Atlanta. During the celebrations, Johnson told reporters,
“I think everybody’s kind of gotten a kick out of Jimmy and Jerry and thinking that we were at each other’s throat. But when you win these kinds of things, the only thing you’re going to do at each other’s throats is hug it.”
The two embraced on stage with the Lombardi Trophy. Yet within two months, at an NFL owners meeting in Orlando, reporters Ed Werder and Rick Gosselin observed the beginning of the fallout. Werder recalled Jones telling him,
“Don’t leave now. You’ll miss the story of the year. I’m going to fire that mo********er Jimmy Johnson, that disloyal son of a b***h.”
Fans can stream America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys on Netflix.
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