Jerry Jones’ Net Worth: How the Cowboys Owner Cracked $8 Billion

If everything is bigger in Texas, it’s probably because Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones owns it. You could start with his $250 million yacht that’s longer than a football field (good luck parallel parking that in the marina). One might also mention that he paid $875 million to construct AT&T Stadium in Arlington to house the NFL’s most valuable franchise in the Dallas Cowboys.

Born Jerral Wayne Jones to J.W. “Pat” Jones and Armenita Pearl Clark Jones in Los Angeles, California, Jones is the fourth richest person in the state of Texas and one of the richest NFL owners. He is a very powerful man is one of the most controversial team owners, right up there with Redskins’ Dan Snyder and Patriots’ Robert Kraft.

Jones played running back at North Little Rock High School and played guard at the University of Arkansas, where he was a co-captain of the 1964 National Championship Razorbacks team. He earned his Master’s degree in business in 1970.

After graduating, Jones worked as the executive vice president at the bank his father owned — Modern Security Life Insurance Company — which Pat sold in 1971 after turning it into a multi-million-dollar business in the 1960s.

Jones’ early wealth can be attributed to the oil industry. His oil and gas company, Jones Oil and Land Lease, became successful after striking oil in his first drillings.

Jones finally got his NFL team when he bought the Cowboys from H.R. “Bum” Bright for a record $140 million in 1989 when the NFL franchise was losing $1 million a month.

He immediately fired head coach Tom Landry, who was the only coach the Cowboys had ever had. He brought in his guy, Jimmy Johnson, who played football alongside Jones at Arkansas and endured success coaching the Miami Hurricanes. General manager Tex Schramm resigned months later and Jones assumed his duties. Jones went on to fire multiple people that had been with the organization for years.

The Cowboys became a dynasty on the field in the 1990s, winning three Super Bowls and owning the NFC during the decade with players such as Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith. Jones and Johnson had a falling out, though, and he was replaced in 1995 by Barry Switzer.

According to Forbes, Jerry Jones’ net worth is $8.5 billion. Obviously, much of that can be attributed to the Dallas Cowboys, which have helped make him the 56th richest person in the United States.The billionaire, who’s married to Eugenia “Gene” Jones and had three children — Stephen, Charlotte and Jerry Jr. — may never fully seize control of his darling sports team, even if they’ve endured years of playoff futility.

Signs of him slowly handing over the reigns to Stephen — who Sports Illustrated says is “Jerry’s right-hand man” — have surfaced over the years. For now, though, it’s Jerry’s World and, Texans or not, we’re all just living in it.

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