Oklahoma State University Athletics
Johnson, O'Neal Named Semifinalists For Pro Football Hall of Fame
November 22, 2017 | Cowboy Football
STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State head coach Jimmy Johnson and defensive end Leslie O'Neal were two of 27 names announced as semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Class of 2018.
It is the fifth consecutive year that Johnson has been a semifinalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while O'Neal, who has been eligible for induction since 2005, was named a semifinalist for the first time.
Johnson, who coached at Oklahoma State from 1979-83, began his pro football coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, stepping in to replace the legendary Tom Landry.
In a short amount of time, Johnson rebuilt the struggling franchise and ushered in a new wave of dominance for "America's Team." He coached the Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993, making him one of just six men in NFL history to coach consecutive Super Bowl winners. The other five coaches are Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Mike Shanahan and Bill Belichick.
After winning Super Bowl XXVIII, Johnson parted ways with the Cowboys. During his tenure, however, he was responsible for signing or drafting several of the league's most productive talents. Notable members of Johnson's Dallas teams include Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Larry Brown.
Johnson would replace another legendary head coach in 1996, this time stepping in for the departing Don Shula in Miami. He spent four years with the Dolphins and again he was responsible for bringing in some of the franchise's most successful talent. As the man in charge of personnel decisions, Johnson drafted future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, as well as Pro Bowl talent such as Zach Thomas, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain.
He left the Dolphins in January 1999 and is now a TV studio analyst for Fox Sports. Twenty years prior to his departure from coaching though, Johnson took over a struggling Oklahoma State program in what was his first job as a head coach.
During his five-year stint in Stillwater, he helped turn the Cowboys around. He coached OSU to a 30-25-2 record during his tenure, and in his final season, the Cowboys went 8-4 and defeated No. 20 Baylor, 24-14, in the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl.
At Oklahoma State, Johnson also recruited several of the school's most notable names. Leslie O'Neal was one of those cases, as he was a four-year letterman and an All-America selection in both 1984 and 1985.
O'Neal had a dominant spell in Stillwater and set numerous team records along the way. The Little Rock, Arkansas, native ranks first in Oklahoma State history with 34.0 career sacks. His 1984 campaign, when he sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times, also still stands as the best single-season performance by a Cowboy in team history.
After leaving OSU, O'Neal was selected eighth overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Chargers. He went on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after producing 12.5 sacks, including a team-record five against the Cowboys on Nov. 16, 1986.
A major knee injury late in his rookie season knocked O'Neal out for the better part of two years, but he returned to his impressive form in 1989. That season, he started all 16 games, racked up another 12.5 sacks and earned the first of six career Pro Bowl selections.
O'Neal spent eight seasons with the Chargers and finished as the team's career leader with 105.5 sacks. He would play his final four seasons in Missouri, two with the Rams in St. Louis and the last two with the Chiefs in Kansas City.
He tallied 27 total sacks over his final four seasons to finish his career with 132.5 career sacks. That mark is tied with Lawrence Taylor for the 13th-most by a player in league history.
Only four players ahead of O'Neal on the all-time sacks list are not currently enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Three of them - DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen and John Abraham - are not currently eligible until at least 2020, while Julius Peppers is still active in the NFL today.
This year's list of semifinalists came from an initial group of 108 nominees. A list of 15 finalists will be announced in early January, and following that, a selection committee will vote in four to eight new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the committee's annual meeting on Feb. 3, 2018 - the day before Super Bowl LII.
It is the fifth consecutive year that Johnson has been a semifinalist for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, while O'Neal, who has been eligible for induction since 2005, was named a semifinalist for the first time.
Johnson, who coached at Oklahoma State from 1979-83, began his pro football coaching career with the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, stepping in to replace the legendary Tom Landry.
In a short amount of time, Johnson rebuilt the struggling franchise and ushered in a new wave of dominance for "America's Team." He coached the Cowboys to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1992 and 1993, making him one of just six men in NFL history to coach consecutive Super Bowl winners. The other five coaches are Vince Lombardi, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Mike Shanahan and Bill Belichick.
After winning Super Bowl XXVIII, Johnson parted ways with the Cowboys. During his tenure, however, he was responsible for signing or drafting several of the league's most productive talents. Notable members of Johnson's Dallas teams include Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Larry Brown.
Johnson would replace another legendary head coach in 1996, this time stepping in for the departing Don Shula in Miami. He spent four years with the Dolphins and again he was responsible for bringing in some of the franchise's most successful talent. As the man in charge of personnel decisions, Johnson drafted future Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, as well as Pro Bowl talent such as Zach Thomas, Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain.
He left the Dolphins in January 1999 and is now a TV studio analyst for Fox Sports. Twenty years prior to his departure from coaching though, Johnson took over a struggling Oklahoma State program in what was his first job as a head coach.
During his five-year stint in Stillwater, he helped turn the Cowboys around. He coached OSU to a 30-25-2 record during his tenure, and in his final season, the Cowboys went 8-4 and defeated No. 20 Baylor, 24-14, in the 1983 Bluebonnet Bowl.
At Oklahoma State, Johnson also recruited several of the school's most notable names. Leslie O'Neal was one of those cases, as he was a four-year letterman and an All-America selection in both 1984 and 1985.
O'Neal had a dominant spell in Stillwater and set numerous team records along the way. The Little Rock, Arkansas, native ranks first in Oklahoma State history with 34.0 career sacks. His 1984 campaign, when he sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times, also still stands as the best single-season performance by a Cowboy in team history.
After leaving OSU, O'Neal was selected eighth overall in the 1986 NFL Draft by the Chargers. He went on to win Defensive Rookie of the Year honors after producing 12.5 sacks, including a team-record five against the Cowboys on Nov. 16, 1986.
A major knee injury late in his rookie season knocked O'Neal out for the better part of two years, but he returned to his impressive form in 1989. That season, he started all 16 games, racked up another 12.5 sacks and earned the first of six career Pro Bowl selections.
O'Neal spent eight seasons with the Chargers and finished as the team's career leader with 105.5 sacks. He would play his final four seasons in Missouri, two with the Rams in St. Louis and the last two with the Chiefs in Kansas City.
He tallied 27 total sacks over his final four seasons to finish his career with 132.5 career sacks. That mark is tied with Lawrence Taylor for the 13th-most by a player in league history.
Only four players ahead of O'Neal on the all-time sacks list are not currently enshrined in Canton, Ohio. Three of them - DeMarcus Ware, Jared Allen and John Abraham - are not currently eligible until at least 2020, while Julius Peppers is still active in the NFL today.
This year's list of semifinalists came from an initial group of 108 nominees. A list of 15 finalists will be announced in early January, and following that, a selection committee will vote in four to eight new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame at the committee's annual meeting on Feb. 3, 2018 - the day before Super Bowl LII.
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