10 things to know about Cowboys COO Stephen Jones

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10 things to know about Cowboys COO Stephen Jones, including when he tried to talk Jerry out of buying the Cowboys

SportsDayDFW.com Follow @SportsDayDFW Email websports@dallasnews.com

Published: June 30, 2015 9:49 pm


10 things to know about John Stephen Jones, the Cowboys’ chief operating officer, executive vice president and director of player personnel, who was born June 21, 1964, in Little Rock, Ark., and has four kids with his wife, Karen (Jessica, Jordan, Caroline and John Stephen).

1. Dealing with cornerstone Cowboys

Jones has been with the club since his father, Jerry Jones, bought the Cowboys in February of 1989. Between September of 1993 and September of 1995, Jones helped negotiate contracts with running back Emmitt Smith, quarterback Troy Aikman, fullback Daryl Johnston, wide receiver Michael Irvin and cornerback Deion Sanders. – dallascowboys.com

2. Following dad to UA

An All-State quarterback, who ranked in the top 10 percent of his class academically, Stephen Jones’ choice of colleges came down to Princeton or Arkansas. His father leaned toward the Ivy League, but Stephen wanted to fulfill a boyhood ambition to play for the Razorbacks. Recruited as a quarterback by Lou Holtz, he switched to safety after Holtz left for Minnesota and the new coach advanced a running-oriented offense. “I was not a wishbone quarterback, I was more of a throwing quarterback,” Stephen Jones says. His only start came in the 1987 Orange Bowl game – ironically, it was against Barry Switzer’s Oklahoma University. Arkansas lost 42-8. Jones played four years on Arkansas teams that went to four consecutive bowl games.

3. Late night, gets later

In 2000, Stephen and Jerry Jones worked into the night negotiating a deal for receiver Joey Galloway. When Stephen got home about 1 a.m., he went in to check on his kids. His youngest, John Stephen, wasn’t breathing well. Soon, his wife Karen was in an ambulance on the way to Children’s Medical Center with young John Stephen. As it turned out, John Stephen was having some minor respiratory difficulty. He was released later that morning. A day that had begun early trying to secure a receiver ended in the wee hours; Stephen and Karen didn’t return to their house until about 3 a.m.

4. Here son, you give it a try

Having gone through a difficult, sometimes venomous public battle trying to sign Emmitt Smith in 1993 (Smith held out for two regular-season games before signing and helping the Cowboys win another Super Bowl), Jerry Jones left the negotiations on another deal for Smith up to Stephen. “I told Stephen that no matter what else he does, his legacy will depend on what happens with Emmitt,” Jerry said. “Maybe I didn’t say it clear enough. If Stephen doesn’t get him signed, I’m running him off.” But Stephen did get Emmitt signed to a $48 million deal. – From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

5. Dignified demeanor

Eugene Parker, the agent for Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders, has sat across the table from both Jerry and Stephen Jones. Parker says Stephen Jones has a negotiator’s demeanor. “He understands the rules and financial elements, and on top of that he has a very good feel for people. He can separate the issues from the personalities. He does it in a very classy and dignified way. It minimizes the opportunity for things to break down.” – From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

6. Mom’s influence

Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones walk onto the field prior to the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles NFL football game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Dec,14, 2014. (Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News)
Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones walk onto the field prior to the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles NFL football game at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA on Dec,14, 2014. (Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News)

“Obviously,” Carmen Policy, the former San Francisco 49ers president, has been quoted as saying, “Stephen takes after his mother.” “That’s what I like to say when I get in front of a tough crowd,” Stephen Jones says. “You know, with people who have been tough on Jerry. I just say ‘Hey, give me a chance. I’m a lot more like my mother than I am my father.’ ” – From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

7. Dad was right

Stephen Jones had been out of school 1 1/2 years working with his father’s oil and gas company when the Cowboys were offered for sale. Jerry Jones dispatched his son and his accountant to check out the financially beleaguered football club. “It was not a pretty picture from a financial standpoint,” Stephen Jones says. “I was green and my assessment was, ‘It’s a disaster. We wouldn’t want to touch that.’ Well, that’s what you learn in business – that where it’s at now is not necessarily where it can be.” - From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

8. Near disaster

Stephen Jones wasn’t a mischievous child, his father says. But he did occasionally get into trouble. “He was out in a wooded area that was surrounded with expensive homes. He went out to play with matches, and it got away from him,” Jerry Jones recalls. The fire department rushed to the scene to contain the blaze, which threatened to destroy the homes. Another time, Stephen Jones was suspended from school for three days after getting caught drinking beer in the eighth grade. Jerry Jones drove his son to the University of Arkansas campus and took him to the school’s football stadium. “I stood him out there beside the field and explained to him: `If you plan on playing football, you can’t do that and associate in any way with alcohol.’ ” - From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

9. Honey, I gotta take this

Stephen Jones spends the better part of the day with a telephone in his ear. He talks to football agents, the league office, Cowboys coaching staff, other franchises, scouts. He carried a phone right into the hospital when he and his wife, Karen, had their first child, Jessica, on Aug. 24, 1992. “Stephen is wheeling me out of the hospital and talking on the phone. He was right in the middle of these negotiations. He was never so stressed,” Mrs. Jones says. Their second daughter, Jordan, was born on Oct. 8, 1993, under much calmer circumstances. She was the coup de grace to a championship season. “We conceived her at the first Super Bowl,” Mrs. Jones says. - From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996

10. Superstitions and Super Bowl rings

Stephen Jones is a bit superstitions. “If you’re riding in a car and a black cat crosses the road,he’ll stop and turn around. He won’t cross that path no matter what,” Karen Jones says. He adheres to an elaborate routine during Cowboys games, always taking the same lucky items to the stadium. “He’ll take a cross in his pocket that his high school priest gave him. And his Super Bowl rings – he’ll put these on at different times during the games. Last year, he wore the same blue sports jacket to every game.” - From a Dallas Morning News story by David Tarrant on Sept. 1, 1996
 

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Must be some slow days at Sportsdays.
 
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