Jimmy Johnson is hanging up his microphone at Fox.
The legendary Miami Hurricanes and Dallas Cowboys coach announced Monday on FS1’s “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd that he is retiring after 31 years as a broadcaster with Fox Sports.
“The most fun I’ve ever had in my career — that’s counting Super Bowls and national championships ––was at Fox Sports,” Johnson said. “I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set. The best friends I’ve ever had were there with Fox. … I’ve made an extremely difficult decision. I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from Fox.”
Fox expressed how sorely Johnson will be missed on the show and by the network.
“Jimmy served as an inspiration to generations of football fans with his legendary swagger, one-of-a-kind insight and signature humor,” Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks said in a statement. “From his motivating pep talks to his unmatched energy over the years, he was our coach who always pushed us to be better. We’re incredibly grateful for his contributions in making FOX NFL SUNDAY the top pregame show on TV, where we shared countless memorable moments, highlighted by surprising him live on-air with the news he was being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame – an occasion we will never forget.
“Coach will be sincerely missed, and we wish him the best as he sets sail into retirement, like only Jimmy Johnson can.”
Cowherd noted that everyone at Fox was expecting this announced, especially after he had a tearful moment at Super Bowl 2025 where he hinted at retiring.
Johnson, 81, has shared the “Fox NFL Sunday” pregame show with Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long since 1994 when the show began — aside from his return to the NFL in 1996 to coach the Dolphins for four seasons.
“I’m going to miss all the guys, and I’ll see them occasionally. It’s been a great run starting back 31 years ago,” Johnson said.
Fox Sports added Michael Strahan to the group after he retired from the NFL in 2008, and later brought in Rob Gronkowski to the show.
Johnson was a legendary college football coach, starting at Oklahoma State in 1979 and moving to Miami in 1984.
He won the national тιтle in 1987 with the Hurricanes before departing for the Cowboys in 1989.
He helped revive a struggling, once-proud Cowboys franchise into a Super Bowl-winning team, doing so in back-to-back seasons in 1993 and ’94.
Johnson then left the Cowboys after a disagreement with owner Jerry Jones and had been away from the team until 2022.
Johnson and Jones seemingly had quashed their beef after Johnson was finally elected to the team’s “Ring of Honor” in 2023.
