There may be no crying in baseball, but the same can’t be said for football.
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach and current Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson was brought to tears Sunday when he learned he had been named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks playoff game.
Flanked by other members of the Fox team, including Hall of Famers Terry Bradshaw and Howie Long, Johnson was clearly moved as he received the news on-air during the halftime show.
Pro Football Hall of Fame President David Baker appeared to surprise the 76-year-old former coach when he delivered the news.
"The only thing I can think of is all of the assistant coaches that worked for me, all the great players that played for me, they're the reason I'm here,'' Johnson said, tears welling in his eyes. "I can't talk. This is so special to me because when you put in the work that we put in, it’s nice to know people appreciate it.''
Johnson was the head coach of the Cowboys from 1989-1993. He led the team to two Super Bowl titles before briefly retiring and then moving on to coach the Miami Dolphins for four seasons.
He also won a national championship as the head coach at the University of Miami in 1987.
Troy Aikman, who played for Johnson in Dallas and was calling the Packers-Seahawks game for Fox, also got teary while watching the moment.
“It was emotional for me because I know what he meant to those teams," Aikman told play-by-play partner Joe Buck. "I know that he built those teams and the success that we were able to have.”
Johnson wasn't the only former NFL head coach to learn on live television this weekend that he will be immortalized in the Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, Bill Cowher found out he made the cut when Baker broke the news to him while Cowher was working on CBS’ “NFL Today” before the Baltimore Ravens-Tennessee Titans playoff game.
Cowher’s wife and daughter came onto the set as he learned of the honor.
An emotional Cowher said he had accepted the possibility that he would not make the hall, while expressing gratitude for everything he'd accomplished.
“Football is a total team sport. I had some great players, some great coaches, the best organization in football. I’ve lived a blessed life,” he said.
“To give back something to the game of football that’s been a part of my life, the virtues that it teaches you, the morals that you have the obligation to move on, the platforms that we have, you know, I’m a blessed man,” he added
Cowher, 62, coached the Steelers from 1992-2006 and led the team to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 40.