Jimmy Johnson Quotes

Football is such a team sport, so no one individual does it. No one coach or no one assistant coach or no one player, it's a great team sport, so I don't get carried away with a bunch of accolades.

- Jimmy Johnson

But I was always a bit of a gypsy, anyway. I spent five years at Oklahoma State, five years at Miami and moved on after winning the national championship, and five years with the Cowboys. So, I was ready to move on. We won back-to-back Super Bowls, and I felt that I accomplished what I wanted to accomplish.

- Jimmy Johnson

Give people enough guidance to make the decisions you want them to make. Don't tell them what to do, but encourage them to do what is best.

- Jimmy Johnson

Like I always say, it's not how many great plays you make; it's how few bad ones you make. I know fans, and even some losing coaches, are enamored with long pass completions or the great run plays, but that doesn't offset the interception or the fumble.

- Jimmy Johnson

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

- Jimmy Johnson

Two to three years down the road, other companies not on a model like Dell's will be in trouble.

- Jimmy Johnson

With 'Survivor' - I didn't get any sleep, there was no food, we had to boil our water... plus, it was physically taxing during the day. That's what made it more difficult than three-a-day practices.

- Jimmy Johnson

The other thing was that when I was at the University of Miami, we ran a pro-style offense and defense. I started each year by going to a pro training camp, I visited with various pro coaches, and I did this for five years.

- Jimmy Johnson

The only thing worse than a coach or CEO who doesn't care about his people is one who pretends to care. People can spot a phony every time.

- Jimmy Johnson

I think as far as any kind of pressure on a football team or on an individual in professional sports really depends not only on that individual but the leadership they have on the team and the leadership they have on the coaching staff. A lot of times, they can divert some of those pressures off of the individual and off of the team.

- Jimmy Johnson

I've heard all the coaches complaining about the new CBA rules limiting padded practice. I don't like the reduction to just 15 padded practices during the season. When I coached, we always practiced in pads; and three days a week.

- Jimmy Johnson

There is a way to practice hard and be physical without pads. You can still be a physical football team and be efficient in practice without pads. The 49ers practiced like that for a long period of time in the 1980s under Bill Walsh and were extremely successful when all the other teams were practicing in pads.

- Jimmy Johnson

I can't confirm any rumors. I'm happy doing what I'm doing. I have no interest in going back to coaching.

- Jimmy Johnson

An objective truth and individual reason are feared above all.

- Jimmy Johnson

Military leaders aren't made. They are born. To be a good leader, you have to have something in your character to cause people to follow you.

- Jimmy Johnson

Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?

- Jimmy Johnson

And the main thing was that I wanted to live in south Florida. That's why I left the Cowboys; to live in south Florida.

- Jimmy Johnson

Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were where he could be and should be, and he will become what he could be and should be.

- Jimmy Johnson