Clint Murchison Jr., co-founder and first owner of the Dallas Cowboys and an oil-business magnate, laid the foundation of the franchise. The team won two championships and appeared in five Super Bowls under his leadership. The 2026 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame might finally honor the first Cowboy.

“Money is like manure. If you spread it around, it does a lot of good, but if you pile it up in one place, it stinks like hell,” Clint Murchison Jr. said, according to DMagazine. Murchison Jr. is one of 21 individuals up for consideration in this year’s Contributors category.

Murchison spent $600,000 in 1959 to acquire a Dallas NFL expansion franchise. In 1958, to force Redskins owner George Preston Marshall to vote for an NFL expansion team in Dallas, he also bought the rights to the Washington Redskins’ fight song for $2,500 from the song’s composer, Breeskin.

He won a territorial war with AFL founder Lamar Hunt and the team that would become the Kansas City Chiefs, which moved from Dallas to Kansas City in 1963. Murchison was the driving force for the team’s early name change from the “Steers” and “Rangers” to the “Cowboys.”

Murchison’s achievements went beyond branding and commercial rights. After appointing Gil Brandt as director of personnel, Tom Landry as head coach, and Tex Schramm as general manager. Murchison allowed them freedom to create the team’s identity and roster. He signed collegiate standouts before the 1960 draft and quickly assembled the founding roster as part of his early recruiting efforts.

His vision extended beyond the team; he created the NFL’s first landmark Texas Stadium in Irving, which has the famous “hole in the roof” design, and relocated team operations to the Valley Ranch site.

The franchise recorded 20 straight winning seasons (1966–1985), reached the postseason nearly every year in that stretch, and reached five Super Bowls, winning two, during the Landry-Murchison era. Murchison’s significance as the creator of a dynasty and the modern football team is officially acknowledged, with him being finally up for consideration in 2026.

Sale, downturn, and passing of Clint Murchison Jr.

Under pressure from a decline in oil prices and a collapsing real estate market. Clint Murchison Jr. sold the Dallas Cowboys franchise to Harvey Roberts “Bum” Bright in 1984 for about $83 million. A year later, Murchison filed for bankruptcy.

Murchison’s health declined alongside his financial ruin. He was confined to a wheelchair due to a rare nerve condition, and pneumonia made his situation worse. He passed away in 1987 at the age of 63. 

“It’s just a very, very sad ending for a great guy. He’s what kept the whole thing here together and was the glue. Our 25-year record is a tribute to him,” the then-Cowboys president, Tex Schramm, told LATimes on April 1, 1987.

Bright’s ownership tenure was unsustainable, and Jerry Jones purchased the Cowboys from him in 1989. He quickly made the team a three-time Super Bowl champion in 1993, 1994, and 1996.

The team is currently ranked among the NFL’s most successful in terms of legacy and championships. The Cowboys have a winning percentage of.500 this season, according to the latest stats. But their long-term record is still among the best in the league.

Murchison’s direct influence ended when he decided to sell. However, the franchise’s championship heyday under Jones was made possible by the foundations he established.