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| Jerry Jones will take his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio this weekend. Photo credit: USA Today |
When oil wildcatter Jerry Jones paid his way into the NFL in 1989 it wasn't his first attempt to own a pro football team.
The new Hall of Fame owner of the richest sports franchise in the world was not always "Mr. Dallas Cowboys". In 1966, after graduating from the University of Arkansas, Jones made a bid to buy the San Diego Chargers for $5.8 million. The team is now #21 on the Forbes NFL list with a valuation just over $2 billion with a "B".
Jones had promises from investors in Missouri to secure the deal with AFL team, but his dad Pat Jones told him not to do it. This was pre-NFL-AFL merger and teams were losing money like crazy to stay afloat. Once the merger went through, the Chargers sold for $10 million.
What if Jerry never listened to his dad's advice?
The speculation was that he would have moved the Chargers to St. Louis although southern California was a premium market.
Cowboy fans should be grateful Jerry took someone's advice early on.
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