Cowboys owner Jerry Jones got the event going during the welcome reception at The Star in Frisco on Monday night, regaling attendees with anecdotes from his time as owner of the NFL club. Jones spoke about taking a big chance back in the late ‘80s when he bought the Cowboys, particularly when the Dallas market overall was struggling (not to mention the team, which was losing $1 million a month).
In what looked like a scene right out of "Succession," Jones came in and left on his helicopter right outside the reception on a practice field, which had attendees shooting video and pictures with their phones. Jones then graciously greeted and talked to a line of attendees looking to greet him and get a photo.
Attendees on Day 1 of the event also heard more about those early days from Jerry's three co-owner children-- Charlotte, Jerry Jr. and Stephen -- as well as how the team moved forward into the behemoth it is today and what's planned for the future.
One anecdote in particular from Stephen Jones about his father had the ballroom paying full attention, and that was the decision to bypass Johnny Manziel in the NFL Draft. "We had Tony Romoin the building, and so it was more about that. You create that kind of anxiety in the organization by bringing him in. Well, sure enough, Johnny Manziel falls to us. ... I look around, I go, it's time for everybody to talk. ... [Everyone's face is] straight down at the floor, and I go, 'Dad, this is a hard thing because everybody knows you want Johnny. ... I don't think he's the right guy for us.' And so roll the clock forward. We end up picking Zack Martin. And boy, it is tense. Usually after every pick, we all know we're clapping, high-fiving.
'... After we picked Zack Martin, an offensive guard from Notre Dame, Jerry looks over at me, slaps me on the leg and he goes, 'Son, we're not sitting here because you do down-the-middle-of-the-road things.' He goes, 'What you just did is down the middle. You'll never be great.' He gets off and stormed out. And boy, Larry [ Lacewell] was sitting over there and Jason [ Garrett] is sitting there and they're going, 'I'm glad that wasn't me.' But as soon as he walked out the door, they said, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you for standing up for taking Zack Martin.' Sure enough, Jerry walks back in -- which is typical Jerry -- 'That was way over the top! I love you! We did the right thing!' We re-celebrated Zack Martin. So that's what it's like a little bit, having Jerry. ... We've all had to those moments where he's wanting to do something that's into the wind or outside the lines or disruptive, whatever you want call it. But he's the best"
But it wasn't just the Jones children offering up stories on Jerry. Former Cowboys QB Chad Hutchinson, now with Arctos Partners, shared a good story about his agent negotiating a contract over lunch. "There's Jerry Jones, Scott Boras and me, and they set up a football field with the salt and pepper shakers and forks and napkins. They negotiated my contract by moving the salt and pepper shakers, and they called every yard line a certain amount of dollars. And I watched Scott move the salt and pepper shaker here, and then Jerry moved it there, and I was like, this is surreal that they're negotiating my contract with the salt and pepper shaker here at this restaurant."
While Troy Aikman didn't get into specific Jerry stories, he said he's "got a lot." But Aikman noted, "Some of the best conversations that I've ever had have been with Jerry around business."
In Monday's magazine, SBJ's Irving Mejia-Hilario takes a look at how the Jones family built up the business of the Cowboys. Get an Early Access look here.
