Swagger

Super Bowls, Brass Balls, and Footballs - A Memoir

By: Jimmy Johnson, Dave Hyde

Narrated by: Chris Henry Coffey

Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

FOX NFL Sunday analyst and legendary Hall of Fame head football coach Jimmy Johnson—the first to win both a college football championship and a Super Bowl—shares his long-awaited, intimate, no-regrets memoir recounting his extraordinary life and insightful lessons on winning, at every level.

Hall of Fame football coach Jimmy Johnson’s house isn’t on the way to anything. Yet, his private sanctuary on the Florida Keys’ Islamorada islands is a popular destination to which college and professional coaches, general managers, and team owners regularly trek to seek advice—how to build a positive team culture, draft elite players, balance work and family life, and lead a team to win. Why? Because Jimmy Johnson has done it all—rising through the college coaching ranks to lead the University of Miami Hurricanes to a national championship, winning two consecutive Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, and handling public triumphs while dealing with private adversity. Now, written with veteran sports journalist Dave Hyde, Johnson shares a candid account of his life experiences that have turned him into a legend in the coaching world.

From his early days on the college football fields at Louisiana Tech to his arrival as the Cowboys’ coach in 1989, Swagger traces the history of Johnson’s career, and his lifelong mission to win. His larger-than-life personality and hard-driving, tough-talking coaching style led him to become one of only six coaches in NFL history to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Swagger shows the behind-the-scenes details of his professional conflict with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his personal revelations following his mother’s death and his son’s struggle with addiction. It reveals Johnson’s formula for winning, including his criteria for identifying talent, his core beliefs, how he replaced legendary coaches like Tom Landry and Don Shula, coached stars from a young Troy Aikman to an aging Dan Marino, and established the ever-elusive sense of “culture” that every team leader hopes to achieve. More than a highlight reel, Swagger reveals the hard-won lessons Jimmy Johnson has learned both as a man and as a coach through a lifetime dedicated to excellence.

©2022 James W. Johnson. All rights reserved. (P)2022 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Excellent

Jimmy is my favorite coach of all-time. His personality came across perfectly in the book. The narrator represented Jimmy with with both pace and accent. I love Jimmy’s humanity as he discusses mistakes and regrets.

One very small thing l noticed (and I can’t imagine this was the case in the book) was two references to “Oakland” were pronounced as “Oklahoma.”

Highly recommend if you are a Hurricane, Cowboy, or Jimmy fan.

Loved It!

I bleed Cowboys blue. This was a great book. It was surprising that Jimmy broke down and cried at times during his life. It's a must read especially for Cowboys fans. There are a lot of great stories.

Greqt book. Love Jimmy

Great book. Jimmy didn’t lie or leave anything out
My favorite all time coach good read

Very enjoyable listen

What can I say this was an enjoyable listen from start to finish if you’re a fan of football or the Dallas Cowboys, this is a must listen and gives you an inside glimpse into that Jess Jimmy Johnson’s mind in life, but his dynamic is Jerry Jones

Excellent story

A good explanation of one coaches method of success and how the drive for that success impacted his life.

Great life Great Coach

As a life long Dallas Cowboys fan, I was so happy to get this! Jimmy represented a time in Dallas when optimism and discipline ruled the roost. Loved hearing Jimmy tell his story, only thing that would of made it better if he read it to us himself!

Excellent and easy read. Definitely entertaining.

Well written and gives great insight into JJ and his leadership style. It’s not just about football though, I was amazed on how much he opened up about his personal life. The chapter on his son Chad is very very touching. Even if you’re not a Canes, Cowboys or even football fan, you will still love this book. As someone who works 70 hours a week in corporate America, it has me rethinking things.

Great book!! Couldn’t stop listening

It starts off pretty good but by then end you can’t stop listening. Packed full of action ans seems like it could totally be a true story.

Lessons for Everyone

Nobody is perfect and Jimmy was no exception. But he was good at many things and great at being confident. Anyone needing a lesson in being confident in your ability to ‘win’ can take a lot from this book.

Great book.

I only knew about Jimmy but I heard on the news or the papers His book very entertaining always been a Cowboys fan in love college football it was the best of both.