1964 Arkansas Razorbacks national champs reunite as Jerry Jones welcomes Jimmy Johnson into Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor

From the 1960s Arkansas Razorbacks to the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, Jimmy Johnson's and Jerry Jones's mercurial friendship has achieved so much for the sport. It always seemed a pity that these two titans of the game couldn't, for over 30 years, see past what now looks like a petty feud to stand together and admire what they had achieved.

Saturday finally brought what seems like the long-overdue epilogue to one of the great working partnerships the sport has given us. During the halftime of the Cowboys' 20-19 victory over the Detroit Lions, owner Jerry Jones led the ceremony of Johnson's induction into the team's Ring of Honor. Surrounded by legends like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Roger Staubach, and Tony Dorsett, the legendary coach took his rightful place in the pages of the Cowboys' history books.

In a cathartic speech, Jerry Jones, as if admitting his mistake of breaking up with Johnson, paid a touching tribute to the coach:

"Not only did you inspire your players, and certainly you inspired our fans, but you need to hear how much you personally inspired me... Welcome to the Ring of Honor"

Johnson, clearly moved by the words of his old college friend and surrounded by the players with whom he built a dynasty, responded in kind:

"I don't think anybody can ever imagine what this means to me, this was a special time in my life. This was something that paid dividends for me the rest of my life. We took over the worst football team in the NFL. Not only did we win Super Bowls, but we were able to put together the team of the '90s."

It doesn't happen often, but from time to time, if only for brief moments, fair things seem to happen in the ruthless world of football. Jimmy Johnson's admission back into the fold of the Cowboys is one such moment.

What did Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones achieve together? From the 1964 Arkansas Razorbacks to the 1993 Dallas Cowboys

They first met back in the 1960s as freshmen at the University of Arkansas. They played football together in Fayetteville, where Jones went on to be one of the captains of the Arkansas Razorbacks, playing as an offensive lineman, and Johnson was an All-Southwest defensive lineman. With the Hogs, they achieved their first big success in football: helping the school get its first and so far only national title in 1964.

The Razorbacks famously rallied late in the fourth quarter of the 1965 Cotton Bowl, putting together an 80-yard drive in the game's waning minutes to beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers 10-7. Arkansas ended the season 11-0 and would claim its first national title. Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson's careers would go their separate ways until 1989.

After Arkansas, Jones became a successful oil businessman, and Johnson started a coaching career that saw him become the head coach of Oklahoma State and Miami. He would win the 1987 national title with the Miami Hurricanes.

In 1989, Jerry Jones bought the Dallas Cowboys and assumed the general manager role. When it came to selecting the new head coach, no one else would do but his old Arkansas pal Jimmy Johnson (Johnson was Jones's pick even before he bought the team). That same year, the pair decided to draft a young quarterback out of UCLA named Troy Aikman. What followed, as they say, is history.

A team led in offense by Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin would go on to win the 1992 and 1993 Super Bowls. With Jimmy Johnson on the sidelines and Jerry Jones up in the GM's boot. Then suddenly, as if a spell had broken, both men started fighting over who should have more control over the franchise. The Cold War between owner and coach ended with Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson coming to an agreement for the latter to leave the team in 1994.

What ensued was a 30-year feud that ended, poetically, with them watching their Dallas Cowboys punch their ticket to the postseason on Saturday night.

We have just two things to say: WOO PIG SOOIE! and HOW BOUT THEM COWBOYS!