Jimmy Johnson, the legendary former coach of the Dallas Cowboys professional football team, has informed fans he is still alive.
The death mix-up came when another Jimmy Johnson, also formerly of the National Football League, did die. They share esteemed professional football careers and a name. However, the Cowboys coach informed fans he is still “kicking.”
“Jimmy Johnson HOF DB from 49ers passed away at age of 86…RIP..Jimmy Johnson HOF from Dallas Cowboys & FOX still kicking . . .” the Cowboys’ Johnson wrote on X on May 10.
Some fans wrote in the comment thread that they thought the Cowboys coach was dead instead. “You must have gotten a lot of emails and such today. I panicked…..” wrote one. “Gave us a bit of a scare there,” another fan wrote.
Johnson, of the 49ers, had impressive accomplishments of his own. “In addition to his election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Johnson is a member of the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame (1978), Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame (1990), UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame (1992) and a charter member of the San Francisco 49ers Hall of Fame (2009),” the Pro Football Hall of Fame wrote in a tribute.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Confirmed That Jimmy Johnson Had Died, But He Was Not the Cowboys Coach
The death news was confirmed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“The professional football world today is celebrating the career of JIMMY JOHNSON, a versatile and gifted all-around athlete who became a dominant cornerback in the National Football League over 16 seasons, all spent with the San Francisco 49ers,” the website says.
“A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 1994, Johnson died May 8, 2024, at his home. He had remained in the San Francisco area after his career and had been in declining health for some time, his family said,” according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Remembering the all-time great Jimmy Johnson ❤️
“Jimmy Johnson was extraordinarily athletically talented. The 49ers enjoyed the luxury of using him on offense and defense early in his career to fill team needs,” Pro Football Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in the statement. “Once he settled in at left cornerback, he flourished. The notion that a ‘lockdown’ cornerback could cut the field in half for the opposition was true with Jimmy.
The Dallas Cowboys’ Jimmy Johnson Helped the Team Win 2 Super Bowls
GettyFormer Dallas Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson has been advising owner Jerry Jones in recent months.
And then there is Jimmy Johnson, the Cowboys legend.
According to the Dallas Cowboys’ website, in the early 1990s, Johnson “helped lead the franchise to two Super Bowl victories in tandem with owner and general manager Jerry Jones.”
In 2023, Jones “inducted Johnson into the team’s coveted Ring of Honor at halftime of the Week 17 contest against the Detroit Lions,” the Cowboys wrote.
The Cowboys acknowledged accusations of a rift between the two men, noting, “The two continually contend there were no hard feelings, and whether that’s completely true or simply the sound of a hatchet being buried, the fact is they’re now on speaking terms.”
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Jimmy Johnson Dead? Dallas Cowboys Coaching Legend Clears Up Death Reports