The Gambler and His Cowboys

My wife Cathy is not a huge pro football fan but does regard Cincinnati Bengal’s Quarterback Joe Burrow as very handsome, which provides me with a great entrée to watch all the Bengal’s games!

But before the 2025 NFL regular season began, Cathy and I enjoyed the Netflix documentary, The Gambler and His Cowboys, which featured the Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys’ former head coach Jimmy Johnson as principal characters in the Netflix documentary. For the record, I am a Bengals fan and not a Cowboys’ fan, but the Netflix documentary brought in clear focus to me an important issue that most of us will face in life and perhaps more than once.  And it will likely have nothing to do with pro football! Namely, how do we manage our egos in a way that achieves the best results for the organization we are serving be it at work, school, or church.

Simply stated, Jerry Jones was an oil wildcatter from Arkansas and a self-made man who became a multi-millionaire from his oil discovery. This success enabled him to fulfill his lifelong dream of owning a pro football team, the Dallas Cowboys. Mr. Jones wasted little time in hiring his former college football teammate at the University of Arkansas, Jimmy Johnson, to coach the Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson had enjoyed incredible success in his own right as the head college football coach at the University of Miami. Was it possible for this arrangement with Mr. Jones and Coach Johnson to result in incredible success for both men with two back-to-back Cowboy Super Bowl championships and heart-breaking failure in their relationship within a short span of time? Sadly, this was absolutely the case! While Mr. Jones and Coach Johnson were incredibly talented and successful, they failed miserably in managing their respective egos and deprived themselves and the Cowboys of even greater success following Coach Johnson’s forced and abrupt departure.

In Mr. Jones’ mind, the Cowboys Super Bowl championships were largely the result of his efforts as the owner and general manager of the team. Thus, everyone associated with the Cowboys, including Coach Johnson, needed to understand and acknowledge this—frequently! On the other hand, Coach Johnson was convinced that the Cowboys’ success was attributable to his skill in coaching and trading players which should have been plain for all to see and endorse. Ultimately, it was impossible for Mr. Jones and Coach Johnson to continue under the same roof as owner and coach. They parted ways largely as angry and bitter enemies with neither attaining the same measure of success following their separation. Finally, after decades of estrangement, they achieved a reconciliation of sorts. With both men now in their 80s, Mr. Jones and the Cowboys recently added Coach Johnson to the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor for former star players and coaches. While this was fitting and appropriate, it was long overdue. Sadly, it left both men and others close to both men rightfully speculating what the Cowboys might have achieved if both men had been able to manage their egos and continue to work together.

Many reading this blog may be tempted to say that this is just a high-profile sports story about two guys with oversize personalities and testosterone levels participating in a young man’s game which has little or no relevance to the real world. But I beg to differ. Just read in Scripture Acts 15:36-41 where the Apostle Paul and fellow worker Barnabas sharply disagreed on whether a specific individual should be included in their next Missionary journey. The disagreement between the two men could not be resolved and was so intense that they decided to go separate ways in their Missionary work for the Gospel. Did their Missionary work suffer in some way as a result? Has anyone been in a church which suffered division and strife when key leaders were unable to resolve an issue, manage egos, and reconcile their differences?  Did the Gospel ministry of the church suffer in some significant ways as a result? What about a company that loses a key and superbly talented senior leader because the CEO was unwilling to consider this talented leader’s reasonable requests in the company’s succession planning?  

How can these different stories be condensed and summarized? Is it fair to say that human nature naturally tends to seek recognition, acclaim, and power in the key and important positions of leadership in most of life’s venues?  Should we honor those rare individuals who serve with humility and are able to put the best interests of the organization ahead of receiving recognition, honor, and acclaim? Has anyone ever heard of a U.S. Vice President named Mike Pence?

God bless you and thank you for the privilege of your time in reading my blog.