Oklahoma State University Athletics
Another Cowboy Voted Into Hall Of Fame
May 15, 2012 | Cowboy Football
May 15, 2012
New York - Former Oklahoma State head football coach Jimmy Johnson has been voted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
The announcement was made today by Archie Manning, chairman of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Johnson becomes the fifth member of the Hall of Fame with OSU ties. He joins former Cowboy players Bob Fenimore, Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas, and former head coach Lynn "Pappy" Waldorf in the prestigious club.
Johnson became a head coach for the first time in his career in 1979 when Oklahoma State hired him from the University of Pittsburgh. In his five years in Stillwater, he posted a 30-25-2 record and helped build the foundation for a program that reached new heights under the man who would replace him, Pat Jones.
The Johnson era began with a bang when helped lead an undermanned Cowboy squad to a 7-4 record in his first year. He was named Big Eight coach of the year for his efforts. His third squad earned OSU's first bowl trip in five years when it faced Texas A&M in the Independence Bowl. His final team was 8-4 and won the Bluebonnet Bowl.
During Johnson's era, OSU fielded some of its best defensive teams in school history. Some of the headliners from that era included 1980 Big Eight defensive player of the year and All-America linebacker Ricky Young, and defensive lineman Leslie O'Neal. O'Neal was an All-Big Eight player under Johnson who became a two-time All-American under Jones. Other All-Americans under Johnson included defensive lineman Gary Lewis, kicker Larry Roach and running back Ernest Anderson, who led the nation in rushing in 1982.
Johnson left OSU for the University of Miami in the spring of 1984. Jones was elevated to replace the outgoing head coach and promptly led the Cowboys to the first 10-win season in school history.
