Survivor Nicaragua contestant Jimmy Johnson inducted into NFL Hall of Fame

Jimmy Johnson, iconic coach of the Dallas Cowboys and Survivor: Nicaragua contestant has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

It’s crazy to think that Survivor now has an NFL Hall of Famer in their ranks. Survivor: Nicaragua castaway Jimmy Johnson is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame! Johnson spent five years with the Dallas Cowboys (1989-1993), taking them from a hideous one win and fifteen loss season to winning back to back Super Bowl Championships in his final two outings.

He had the impossible task of filling in the footsteps of long-time coach Tom Landry, who is also in the Hall of Fame, becoming only the second coach in Dallas Cowboys franchise history. With the help of Jerry Jones, Johnson built one of the greatest teams in NFL history. Jimmy Johnson retired from coaching professional football twenty years ago, but NFL fans can still enjoy his passion for the game as an analyst on Fox NFL Sunday.

During the Fox Halftime Show in last night’s playoff game, the president of the football Hall of Fame Committee entered the studio and surprised Jimmy Johnson on live television, welcoming him into Canton. It was an emotional scene as Johnson teared up amongst his fellow Hall of Fame analysts. Johnson was extremely grateful for the recognition and thanked the players and coaches that helped him achieve a spectacular NFL career. A couple of Survivor contestants have already voiced their support.

Unfortunately for Johnson, his time on Survivor wasn’t as successful as his coaching career. He was only the third castaway eliminated from Nicaragua, but even in those 9 days, Jimmy left his mark on that season. At 67 years old, he is still the third oldest player in the show’s history. The fact that he is one of the most recognizable stars to ever play Survivor made Jimmy even more of an early threat.

Even if you’re not a football fan, you could tell Johnson had a strong ability to lead his tribe, oozing out with motivational encouragement. Taking on the leadership role is typically a death sentence in Survivor, but Jimmy’s humility and genuine desire to win proved to be a refreshing contrast to the many arrogant and egotistical players in that season.

Coach Johnson’s best moment has to be his pep talk with Holly Hoffman. After Holly succumbed to voting out someone she promised to work with, she felt guilty and the pressure of the game was getting to her. She seriously considered quitting, but Coach wasn’t going to let that happen.

He took Holly aside, heard her out and convinced her to stay in the game. Holly ended up having a solid performance lasting 38 of 39 days! However, his positive vibes weren’t enough to save him as Marty Piombo was excessively worried about Coach’s threat level and rallied the troops to vote him out. During his final episode, he admitted that Survivor was more difficult of a challenge than anything in his football career.

Jimmy Johnson probably won’t be remembered for his Survivor experience, but braving the harsh elements and the complex social politics of this game is something no other NFL Hall of Famer can claim. Congratulations to Jimmy Johnson for receiving an incredible honor that this two-time Super Bowl winning coach deserves.