Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson announced his retirement from Fox Sports, where he served as an integral part of its NFL Sunday pregame shows for decades, yukking it up weekly with Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and host Curt Menefee.
Johnson’s retirement is not much of a surprise as, at 81 years old, there had been an expectation he would call it quits soon. In recent years, he had cut down his time at Fox’s Los Angeles studio and worked remotely from Key West, Fla., for shows. During the Super Bowl pregame in February, Fox had a tribute to Johnson, using AI to go through his career. When Menefee led him into saying he would retire then, Johnson demurred.
The network has included Rob Gronkowski in recent years as a full-time member. It will likely try to add a coach at some point, but it may not do it immediately. Sean McVay, the Los Angeles Rams’ coach, did a brief cameo during Fox’s Super Bowl LIX pregame coverage, but he is continuing on the team’s sideline.
On Monday, Johnson appeared on Colin Cowherd’s FS1 show, “The Herd,” and made the official announcement.
We love you, Coach. Congratulations on an amazing career.
– from your FOX Sports family pic.twitter.com/DKp1gbs3fI
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) March 3, 2025
Johnson won two Super Bowls as coach of the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s and a college national championship with the University of Miami in 1987. He had two stints with Fox, including when it first came on the air more than three decades ago. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
“Jimmy served as an inspiration to generations of football fans with his legendary swagger, one-of-a-kind insight and signature humor,” Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks said in a statement. “From his motivating pep talks to his unmatched energy over the years, he was our coach who always pushed us to be better.”
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