From Fayetteville To Canton

CANTON, Ohio – A co-captain on Arkansas’ 1964 national championship team, Dallas Cowboys owner and Razorback legend Jerry Jones was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame Saturday evening.

A native of North Little Rock, Arkansas, Jones was a letterwinner along the offensive line for head coach Frank Broyles from 1962-64. Prior to the 1964 season, Jones was named a co-captain and went on to earn All-Southwest Conference honors as Arkansas put together a perfect 10-0 season that was capped by a 10-7 win over No. 6 Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl.

“At the University of Arkansas I got a chance to play for the great Frank Broyles,” said Jones during his speech Saturday night in Canton. “A life lesson that I took from Coach Broyles is games were won in the fourth quarter. When you’re tired. You’re not pretty anymore. When it becomes a battle of wills. It’s a time that demands that your desire to win must be stronger than the man across from you.”

Jones contributions on the football field were just the start of the enormous influence and impact he’s had on the University of Arkansas. In September of 2015, the Jerry and Gene Jones Family Student-Athlete Success Center was dedicated. Made possible by a gift of $10.65 million, the 55,000 square foot facility is dedicated to the development of more than 460 Razorback student-athletes.

“The Jones Center has been a game changer,” said Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema at media day on Saturday. “Not only has he changed the perspective of the Dallas Cowboys, but he’s been a game changer in our program. He’s truly one of the greatest of all-time in the world of football. Not just in college or the NFL, but the world of football and obviously here in the State of Arkansas.”

Jones and George Halas are the only two to ever play in a major college football bowl game and own an NFL franchise.

Since purchasing the Cowboys in 1989 for $140 million, Jones has led the franchise to three Super Bowl titles, was named the 2014 NFL Executive of the Year and has turned the Cowboys into the world’s most valuable sports team at $4 billion.