Jimmy Johnson

James William "Jimmy "Johnson was the famed retired NFL coach and current NFL commentator. He was a contestant on Survivor: Nicaragua where he placed 18th.

Profile
Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Johnson graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School (renamed Memorial High School) in Port Arthur, where one of his classmates was singer Janis Joplin.

He went to college at the University of Arkansas and was a member of the 1964 National Championship football team, where he was an all-SWC defensive lineman for Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles, and a teammate of future Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Other teammates were Ken Hatfield; Jim Lindsey; Ronnie Caveness; and Loyd Phillips. Several future head coaches were assistant coaches for Frank Broyles and the Razorbacks during Johnson's career in Fayetteville: Hayden Fry; Johnny Majors; and Barry Switzer. Johnson was nicknamed "Jimmy Jumpup" because he never stayed down on the ground for long during football practices or games as it was said his determination was boundless.

Johnson's coaching tree includes a number of future head coaches such as Butch Davis, Norv Turner, Tommy Tuberville, and Dave Wannstedt. Johnson is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a Super Bowl. The other is Barry Switzer, his college teammate and rival head coach.

Jimmy was married to Linda Kay Cooper on July 12, 1963, with whom he had two sons. They divorced in January 1990.

On July 18, 1999, he married Rhonda Rookmaker. He resides in South Florida.

Johnson owns a restaurant named "Three Rings" (after the three championships he's won on both collegiate and professional level), located in Miami, Florida. He previously owned a second restaurant (under the same name) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; however, it has since closed. Johnson's fishing boat, which is docked behind his oceanfront home in Islamorada, Florida, is also called "Three Rings". He also owns a restaurant in Key Largo, Florida called "JJ's Big Chill".

Survivor: Nicaragua
Being the oldest among the Survivor: Nicaragua castaways, Johnson was placed in the Espada tribe. The rival La Flor tribe even stated their disappointment not having the legendary NFL coach as a tribemate.

His leadership role may not be on the competition side, but his compassionate approach to his tribemates earned their respect. Tribemate Yve Rojas even confessed that she was still starstruck towards Jimmy J. every time they have a conversation. Though the females adore his presence, his other male tribemates became skeptic about him, most notably Marty Piombo, who doesn't like the fact that they have a celebrity on their tribe and doesn't want to do anything with him. His celebrity status became an issue for the tribe, with his male tribemates wanting to oust him immediately, stating that no one from the Jury will give him a vote on Day 39, stipulating his wealthiness, though Jimmy J. already declared that he only wanted to compete just for the experience, but was eager to help his tribemates to make sure that the winner will come from Espada. Additionally, Johnson threw up on their first night after overworking at camp, adding more reasons to eliminate him, though he was more livelier the next day. The other Espada males' were put on hold when they decided to eliminate a weaker tribemate and then winning the second Immunity Challenge.

After Marty revealed his Hidden Immunity Idol, he used to lure his tribemates to do whatever he wanted. When Espada lost the third Immunity Challenge, they decided to follow Marty's lead, and Jimmy Johnson was eliminated after a 8-1 vote.

Trivia

 * Jimmy Johnson was supposed to be slated in Survivor: Gabon, but he failed a medical test after doctors discovered two blocked arteries.
 * Johnson lost 18 pounds after his eight-day stint on Nicaragua.
 * He was the second person in the history of the show who was affiliated in the NFL before doing Survivor. The first was Gary Hogeboom from Guatemala.
 * He was the oldest contestant on Nicaragua.
 * He is the third celebrity on the show following Danni Boatwright, Ashley Massaro and then Whitney Duncan

Links
Jimmy Johnson's CBS Profile

Jimmy Johnson's Wikipedia article