Former Canes and Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson explains departure from television job
Jimmy Johnson, who built a swaggering and immensely talented Miami Hurricanes team into a national powerhouse and a 1987 national champion and later guided the Dolphins to three playoff berths in four seasons, essentially retired from public life Monday when he announced he’s leaving Fox Network after 23 years on their popular pregame show.
“It was a tough decision because of my friendships,” Johnson, 81, told the Miami Herald on Monday. “I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years.”
He said Fox officials “were willing to reduce my trips” to their Los Angeles studio. Johnson — who flew from South Florida to Los Angeles every other week during the season in recent years — declined an offer to remain at Fox with a further reduced travel load.
“It was time!” he said of retiring from television.
Johnson, who made the announcement on FS-1 host Colin Cowherd’s radio show on Monday, said “probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my career, and that includes Super Bowls and national championships, was at Fox Sports. I had an absolute ball with my friends on the set. Best friends I’ve ever had,” he said of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Curt Menefee, Jay Glazer and Michael Strahan.
“I’m going to miss it,” he said. “It was a great run.”
Johnson will forever be a towering figure in South Florida’s football history — first as Hurricanes coach from 1984 to 1989 and later as Don Shula’s successor with the Dolphins, where he coached from 1996 through 1999.
After the Hurricanes won their first national championship in January 1984, Johnson was hired to replace Howard Schnellenberger, who left for a job in the fledgling United States Football League team.
Johnson went 52-9 in five seasons at Miami and won the 1987 championship with a victory against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, capping a 12-0 season and overcoming the devastation of a loss to Penn State in the national championship-deciding Fiesta Bowl the previous January.
He then left to coach the Dallas Cowboys, where he went 44-36 and won two Super Bowls in five years, before spending two years at Fox and then replacing Shula, who was gently encouraged to retire by H. Wayne Huizenga.
Johnson’s Dolphins tenure included two playoff wins and three playoff berths in his four seasons. The playoff wins were against Buffalo and Seattle in the wild card rounds in 1998 and 1999.
After a 62-7 playoff loss to Jacksonville in January 2000, Johnson retired from coaching, despite Huizenga’s attempts to change his mind. Johnson finished his four-year Dolphins tenure with a 36-28 record.
Besides working for Fox during the past 25 years, he appeared on “Survivor: Nicaragua” and also offered informal counsel to NFL and college coaches and executives, often hosting them at his home in the Florida Keys.
Johnson, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021, will now enjoy life from his home base in Islamorada and have more time for fishing, which is one of his passions.
Rob Gronkowski, who often filled Johnson’s Fox seat on single-game weeks last season, is a candidate to replace him, but others (including former coaches) could be considered.
Fox Sports president Eric Shanks, said of Johnson’s retirement: “Jimmy served as an inspiration to generations of football fans with his legendary swagger, one-of-a-kind insight and signature humor. 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.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2025 at 3:30 PM.
