Does Jimmy Johnson Plan to Retire From Fox?
Jimmy Johnson took on everything that college and NFL opponents could throw his way, but the retired Dallas Cowboys coach and current Fox NFL Sunday commentator isn’t taking any chances with COVID-19.
Johnson has revealed that he is making an important change to his broadcasting career this fall in order to make sure he doesn’t get tripped up by the coronavirus.
Jimmy Johnson has nothing left to accomplish
Jimmy Johnson is known to younger NFL fans for his work as a commentator on the Fox NFL Sunday during football season, but his connection to football goes back much farther.
After previously serving as head coach at Oklahoma State, Johnson moved to the University of Miami and coached some of the most dominating teams in college football. He guided the Hurricanes to a 52-9 record, the 1987 national championship, and a pair of runner-up finishes. That got him halfway home toward becoming the first man to coach college and NFL champions.
Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys and immediately sought out Johnson to undertake a rebuilding that resulted in Super Bowl victories after his fourth and fifth seasons on the sideline. After leaving with a 44-36 record and the two Super Bowl rings, he would later take the helm of the Miami Dolphins from Don Shula in 1996 and direct the team to the playoffs three times in his four seasons.
In between the NFL coaching stints, Johnson participated in the launch of Fox NFL Sunday after the network won the rights to broadcast NFC games. He returned in 2002 after leaving the Dolphins and has remained a television fixture since.
In his most recent double, Johnson has been elected to both the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Veteran TV announcers are taking COVID-19 pandemic precautions
Some familiar faces in broadcasting have taken precautions this summer as pro sports resumed action after the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down in March.
Most notably, 79-year-old Marv Albert and 86-year-old Hubie Brown have not traveled to the NBA bubble at Disney World in Orlando to resume work on TNT and ESPN, respectively. And Mike “Doc” Emrick, the biggest name in NHL broadcasting, is working exclusively from home as the NHL resumes action in Toronto and Edmonton.
Their abundance of caution is understandable. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a disproportionate toll on older adults.
That’s why it is not surprising that Jimmy Johnson decided that he will work from his Florida home on Sundays, possibly for the entire NFL season. Fox made the announcement that Johnson will not travel each weekend to Los Angeles, the hub of the network’s football operations.
Does this mean Jimmy Johnson will be retiring from Fox soon?
At 77 years old, Jimmy Johnson is certainly entitled to retire following a long and successful career in football. But this isn’t the end of the line for him. In sharing the news about his decision, Johnson brought the same sort of enthusiasm he typically displays while sparring with Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Terry Bradshaw.
“I will still contribute to the broadcast and I can’t wait to talk football with my guys remotely!” Johnson wrote on Twitter regarding his Fox NFL Sunday job.
That definitely sounds like a guy who wants to keep working, perhaps even long enough to see Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins face off someday in a Super Bowl.
