NFL Countdown: Before Jerry Jones, a former US President had his eyes set on the Dallas Cowboys

We all know the story behind Jerry Jones and his beloved Dallas Cowboys. The 79-year-old purchased the NFL franchise back in 1989 for "only" $150 million. He has turned it into one of the most recognizable sporting organizations on the planet.

Bought from Harvey Bright as he claimed to be losing close to one million dollars a month on the embattled franchise, the former Arkansas alumni turned it around to where the billionaire owner now thinks he could get $10 billion for the team should he decide to sell.

It wasn't all smooth sailing. Jones' first order of business was to push out Tom Landry, the only coach the Cowboys had ever known, and put in Jimmy Johnson instead.

It only took three years for the new owner to taste Super Bowl glory. He was one of the main reasons for the Dallas Cowboys having one of the most dominant teams in the 90s as the franchise won three Super Bowls during that span.

For most Dallas Cowboys fans, and in particular the younger generation, having Jerry Jones as the owner, general manager and just about everything else off the field has become all we know.

But what might have slipped some people's minds is that a former president was so close to buying the Cowboys before Jones. That former president? Donald Trump.

The $50 million deal was reportedly all set to be finalized back in 1984 before Trump backed out of the deal. That allowed Jones to swoop in and get into one of the NFL owners' seats.

Donald Trump's misfortunes compounded with USFL failure

Donald Trump was close to buying the Dallas Cowboys but passed.

We know that Trump backing out of the deal allowed Jones to take control and secure the Cowboys, but what the former US president said right before Jones took the gamble (at the time) surely haunts him now.

Trump said via Front Office Sports:

"I feel sorry for the poor guy who is going to buy the Cowboys ... he'll be known to the world as a loser."

I think we can all agree that the current Cowboys owner definitely was not a loser out of that deal; in fact, he is quite the opposite. Trump might have turned out to be the "loser." After he lost out on the Cowboys, he turned his attention to the USFL.

Trump purchased the New Jersey Generals in 1984, but after the 1985 season, the league folded. It failed largely in part because of Trump's desire to try and pit the USFL against the NFL for ratings. It was something that was never going to work.

The 79-year-old took the Cowboys from cellar-dwellers to an NFL powerhouse in the space of three seasons.

While Dallas has not had any success on the field since, off the field, it is one of the most profitable and well-known sporting organizations on the planet and shows no signs of slowing down. Such is the reach of the team that, despite the lack of on-field success, the former Arkansas graduate still rakes in money from all the off-field deals he currently has going.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and if Trump had his time again, there is no doubt that he would have purchased Dallas without hesitation. Now, though, it appears the Cowboys owner is the one who is having the last laugh.