JIMMY’S WORLD
3/28/2007 3:44:23 PM by Jorge Arauz
We traveled to Islamorada in the Keys for a rare look at the life and home of a legend. What we found was worth more than a sudden-death Super Bowl score — well, almost.
Photos by Jose Amigo
A lobster-populated saltwater pond, a Survivor totum pole, a shard of a beached sperm whale’s skeletal remains, a pink elephant, a yellow highlighter-colored giraffe, a cute little dog named Buttercup and a chicken-eating puff fish are just a few of the attractions at Jimmy Johnson’s exotic island-esque retreat in Islamorada.
Driving up the well-manicured ecosystem that is Johnson’s winding driveway, one doesn’t know what to expect when a statue of a yellow giraffe pops up out of the trees on the right shoulder. But what lies ahead is a home — well, two homes — that defines a man that lives his passion — on and off the field.
For most intents and purposes, Jimmy Johnson is living the American Dream. Born in Texas, Johnson graduated from the University of Arkansas where he was an all-SWC defensive lineman for Hall of Fame coach Frank Broyles. As head coach for Oklahoma State, the University of Miami, the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins, Johnson has earned two Super Bowl wins, two NFC Championships and one NCAA Championship. Currently retired from coaching, Johnson has a beautiful wife, successful children and a home that most could only dream of vacationing to. He also has enough celebrity friends to fill an entire football stadium.
Although for many it may be hard to imagine that this football aficionado has an equaled passion for fishing, Johnson’s been balancing the two most of his life. “I grew up on the coast in South Texas, and my parents would take us out fishing, boating and waterskiing when I was a kid,” he says. “Eventually, I bought a home on Crystal Beach right outside of Galveston. The moment I came to the Keys and saw how clear the water was, I sold my home in Crystal Beach because I didn’t want to go back there — that water was too dark for my taste!”
And he says he’s been at home in the Keys ever since. “I get offers to travel all year long from various ESPN groups and fishing shows, but I turn them all down,” he continues. “I tell them the most fun I have is fishing and diving right here in Islamorada, so I don’t need to go halfway around the world.”
With eight or nine boats under his belt, his favorite being a 34-foot SeaVee named Three Rings, his second favorite being his wife’s Contender aptly named The Hawk, after the watchful eye she keeps him under, Johnson has quite the boating tales to tell. But his most memorable moment at sea happened well below the surface. “I was learning to scuba dive and spearfish in Nassau with a dive master in about 60-70 feet of water when I ran out of air and everything that I had been taught I forgot and I panicked and dropped everything and started heading up,” he says. “Luckily, we were able to do some ‘buddy breathing’ all the way up to the surface.”
Today, Johnson doesn’t worry much about drowning. “Since moving to the Keys, I strap scuba tanks on 30 times a year, sometimes three to four times a day and the rest of the time I’m 30 miles off shore fishing.” In fact, Johnson enjoys fishing so much that he dedicated an entire room in his home to the subject. Spears, hooks, newspaper clippings and photos showcasing some of his most impressive catches adorn his rods-and-reels room adjacent to his tiki-hut-covered overflowing pool and private white-sand beach.
Fun facts? There’s plenty. Johnson was the first-ever football coach whose teams won both an NCAA Division 1A National Championship and a Super Bowl. He’s had regular stints as a TV studio analyst for Fox Sports and the NFL Pre-Game Show. He had a cameo in Adam Sandler’s Waterboy before retiring from his post as the Miami Dolphin’s head coach in 2000. He has also appeared on the TV series The Shield. He went to high school with Janis Joplin and admitted to have nicknamed her “Beat Weeds” in a 1992 Sports Illustrated interview. He’s revered for looking 30 well into his 60s and is rumored to have an IQ of 162, placing him in the high-genius status. He also made an animated cameo eating donuts with Homer on The Simpsons.
If you thought his Simpson’s voiceover took the cake, you ain’t seen nothing yet. His workout room is a who’s who of picture-framed celebrities, athletes, politicians, opinion leaders and influencial VIPs he’s hung out with over the years. George Bush, Sr., Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Rodney Barretto, Bill O’Brien, Rosie O’Donnell, Mickey Mantle, Tommy Lasorda, Harry Caray, Eric Dickerson, Arthur Ashe, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Marvin Hagler, Jay-Z, Bill Belichick, Kiefer Sutherland and Shaq are just a small fraction of those included in his collection. Autographed photos and footballs, trophies and magazine covers flaunting Johnson’s grandeur are among the memorabilia that decorate most of the rest of his home.
So why his own private sanctuary on Islamorada of all places? “We used to have a small house on the bay but we had a 53-foot sportfisher that was too big for the house,” he says. “Our realtor called and told us about this place with two different houses with woods in between. We had the idea of combining the two houses, putting in the pool and saltwater pond, fixing up the beach area and doing all the renovations and landscaping throughout the property.”
The $1 million overhaul seems to have been well worth it. Naturally, his spare house serves as a giant welcome mat for friends and family. “I have a revolving door at my guest house,” jokes Johnson. “My kids come and stay whenever they get a chance; Bill Belichick, head coach of the Patriots, brings his son over all the time; Terry Bradshaw stops by every now and then with his daughters…I’ve probably had one-third of the owners and general managers in the NFL come down and spend time here!”
So how does Johnson want all his fans — and foes — to remember him? The answer is signature Jimmy. 
“They can think whatever they want to think,” he laughs. “I have a great life and a great family and I enjoy every day of it.”