
Jimmy Johnson
Jimmy Johnson went 81–34–3 as a head coach, 1979–1988, at Oklahoma State and Miami. His 1987 Miami team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 81–34–3 career
- Seasons
- 10
- Schools
- 2
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 1987
- Hall of Fame
- 2012 inducted
- Best season
- 1987 12–0, No. 1
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Oklahoma State | 7–4 | 3rd | |||
| 1980 | Oklahoma State | 3–7–1 | 5th | |||
| 1981 | Oklahoma State | 7–5 | T–3rd | Independence Bowl L | ||
| 1982 | Oklahoma State | 4–5–2 | 3rd | |||
| 1983 | Oklahoma State | 8–4 | 4th | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl W | 18 | |
| 1984 | Miami | 8–5 | Fiesta Bowl L | 18 | ||
| 1985 | Miami | 10–2 | Sugar Bowl L | 9 | ||
| 1986 | Miami | 11–1 | Fiesta Bowl L | 2 | ||
| 1987 | Miami | 12–0 | Orange Bowl W | 1 | ||
| 1988 | Miami | 11–1 | Orange Bowl W | 2 |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Steve WalshFourth in the 1988 Heisman vote
Alonzo HighsmithNo. 3 pick, 1987
Jerome BrownConsensus All‑American, 1986
Eddie BrownConsensus All‑American, 1984
Bill HawkinsConsensus All‑American, 1988
Willie SmithConsensus All‑American, 1985
Danny StubbsConsensus All‑American, 1987
Cleveland GaryNo. 26 pick, 1989
Every player from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 40 | 20–20 | 50% |
| Against top-10 teams | 22 | 11–11 | 50% |
| Against rivals | 21 | 13–8 | 62% |
| Conference games | 35 | 17–15–3 | 53% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 7 | 3–4 | 43% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 37 | 17–17–3 | 50% |
| At home | 58 | 39–16–3 | 70% |
| On the road | 50 | 36–14 | 72% |
| At neutral sites | 10 | 6–4 | 60% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 84 | 65–16–3 | 79% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 34 | 16–18 | 47% |
His own 118 games on file, 1979–1988, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Switzer 1979–1987 | 3–5 | Oklahoma | 8 | |
| Tom Osborne 1979–1988 | 1–5 | Nebraska | 6 | |
| Dave Currey 1984–1988 | 5–0 | Cincinnati | 5 | |
| Jim Dickey 1979–1983 | 4–1 | Kansas State | 5 | |
| Bobby Bowden 1984–1988 | 4–1 | Florida State | 5 | |
| Warren Powers 1979–1983 | 3–2 | Missouri | 5 | |
| Art Baker 1985–1988 | 4–0 | East Carolina | 4 | |
| Donnie Duncan 1979–1982 | 3–1 | Iowa State | 4 | |
| Don Fambrough 1979–1982 | 2–0–2 | Kansas | 4 | |
| Lou Holtz 1979–1988 | 1–3 | Arkansas, Notre Dame | 4 |
Jimmy Johnson’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahomaseries | 8 | 3–5 |
| Cincinnatiseries | 6 | 6–0 |
| Missouriseries | 6 | 4–2 |
| Nebraskaseries | 6 | 1–5 |
| Florida Stateseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| Iowa Stateseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| Tulsaseries | 5 | 4–1 |
| Kansas Stateseries | 5 | 4–1 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1986 Miami (FL): Walter Camp Coach
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Louisiana Tech | Assistant coach | |
| 1966 | Picayune Memorial HS (MS) high school | Assistant coach | |
| 1967 | Wichita State | Assistant coach | |
| 1968–69 | Iowa State | Assistant coach | |
| 1970–72 | Oklahoma | Defensive line coach | |
| 1973–76 | Arkansas | Defensive coordinator | |
| 1977–78 | Pittsburgh | Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | |
| 1979–83 | Oklahoma State | Head coach | |
| 1984–88 | Miami (FL) | Head coach | |
| 1989–93 | Dallas Cowboys NFL | Head coach | |
| 1996–99 | Miami Dolphins NFL | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Johnny MajorsIowa State
- Chuck FairbanksOklahoma
- Frank BroylesArkansas
- Jackie SherrillPittsburgh
Assistants who became head coaches
- Butch DavisMiami, North Carolina, Florida International, Cleveland Browns
- Dave WannstedtPittsburgh, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins
- Pat JonesOklahoma State
- Steve LoganEast Carolina, Hutchinson
- Houston NuttBoise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Murray State
- Reggie HerringArkansas
- David RossKemper, Bacone
- Larry CokerMiami, UTSA
- Marc TrestmanMontreal Alouettes, Chicago Bears, Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Vipers
- Mike KnollNew Mexico State, Upper Iowa
- Chuck PaganoIndianapolis Colts
- Tommy TubervilleOle Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, Cincinnati
- and 9 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnny Majors | Iowa State | 1968–69 | Assistant coach | |
| Chuck Fairbanks | Oklahoma | 1970–72 | Defensive line coach | |
| Frank Broyles | Arkansas | 1973–76 | Defensive coordinator | |
| Jackie Sherrill | Pittsburgh | 1977–78 | Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator |
Coached under him, later head coaches (21)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butch Davis | Oklahoma State, 1979–83: tight ends and wide receivers coach; Miami, 1984–88: defensive line coach; Dallas Cowboys, 1989–92: defensive line coach; 1993: defensive coordinator | Miami, North Carolina, Florida International, Cleveland Browns | |
| Dave Wannstedt | Oklahoma State, 1979–82: defensive line coach; Miami, 1986–88: defensive coordinator; Dallas Cowboys, 1989–92: defensive coordinator; Miami Dolphins, 1999: assistant head coach | Pittsburgh, Chicago Bears, Miami Dolphins | |
| Pat Jones | Oklahoma State, 1979–83: assistant coach; Miami Dolphins, 1996–99: tight ends coach | Oklahoma State | |
| Steve Logan | Oklahoma State, 1980: tight ends coach | East Carolina, Hutchinson | |
| Houston Nutt | Oklahoma State, 1981–82: graduate assistant | Boise State, Arkansas, Ole Miss, Murray State | |
| Reggie Herring | Oklahoma State, 1981: graduate assistant; 1982–83: linebackers coach | Arkansas | |
| David Ross | Oklahoma State, 1983: graduate assistant | Kemper, Bacone | |
| Larry Coker | Oklahoma State, 1983: offensive coordinator | Miami, UTSA | |
| Marc Trestman | Miami, 1984: quarterbacks coach | Montreal Alouettes, Chicago Bears, Toronto Argonauts, Tampa Bay Vipers | |
| Mike Knoll | Miami, 1984: defensive backs coach; 1985: linebackers coach | New Mexico State, Upper Iowa | |
| Chuck Pagano | Miami, 1986: graduate assistant | Indianapolis Colts | |
| Tommy Tuberville | Miami, 1986–88: assistant coach | Ole Miss, Auburn, Texas Tech, Cincinnati | |
| Dave Campo | Miami, 1987–88: defensive backs coach; Dallas Cowboys, 1989–90: defensive assistant; 1991–93: defensive backs coach | Dallas Cowboys | |
| Ed Orgeron | Miami, 1988: defensive line coach | Ole Miss, USC, LSU | |
| Joe Avezzano | Dallas Cowboys, 1990–93: special teams coach | Oregon State, Dallas Desperados | |
| Norv Turner | Dallas Cowboys, 1991–93: offensive coordinator | Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers | |
| Jim Eddy | Dallas Cowboys, 1993: secondary and pass defense assistant | Saskatchewan Roughriders, Montreal Alouettes | |
| John Blake | Dallas Cowboys, 1993: defensive line coach | Oklahoma | |
| Bill Lewis | Miami Dolphins, 1996–99: nickel package | Wyoming, East Carolina, Georgia Tech | |
| Larry Beightol | Miami Dolphins, 1996–98: offensive line coach | Louisiana Tech | |
| Randy Shannon | Miami Dolphins, 1998–99: defensive assistant | Miami, Florida |
Other assistants under him (10)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Bill Miller | Oklahoma State, 1979–80: graduate assistant | |
| Bob Leahy | Oklahoma State, 1979–82: offensive coordinator | |
| Jim Helms | Oklahoma State, 1980: defensive coordinator | |
| Bill Trout | Miami, 1984: defensive coordinator | |
| Gary Stevens | Miami, 1984–88: offensive coordinator | |
| Tom Olivadotti | Miami, 1984: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Paul Jette | Miami, 1985: defensive coordinator | |
| Willie Martinez | Miami, 1985–86: graduate assistant | |
| George Hill | Miami Dolphins, 1996–99: defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | |
| Les Koenning | Miami Dolphins, 1997: offensive assistant |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Films and books
On film
Films: Wikidata (CC0) and Wikipedia’s lists and categories (CC BY-SA). Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.



