Back in 1992, the Dallas Cowboys were building an empire. Under Jimmy Johnson, America’s Team turned into the NFL’s standard, lifting the Lombardi Trophy and then doing it again the very next year. However, behind those smiles at AT&T Stadium was a grind that tested limits. And if you ever want proof, just ask Jay Novacek.

Fast forward to today, and that old story finally got fresh air. During an episode of The Family Business Podcast with Norv and Steph, Cowboys legend Daryl Johnston peeled back the curtain. He explained how training in the 90s hit differently for them. Players did not just sweat it out; they dropped weight fast. And for Novacek, things went from extreme to alarming.

“Jay Novacek was probably the fittest guy in our team. And we’re sitting there at one of the meals, and he goes to cut his steak with his knife and fork. And I could see the cramp go into his arm, and you could see it starting to move,” he revealed.

Then, Johnston followed Novacek’s lead. The tight end needed pickle juice, and he needed it now. Johnston rushed to the back, grabbed the condiment cart, filled a large cup with pickle juice, and brought it back. Without hesitation, Novacek downed it in one go, hoping to stop the cramps before they spread. Still, things escalated.

“Then he’s like, ‘I’ve got about five or 10 minutes for you to get me down to the training room. And we got down there, and as soon as we started to walk in, he started to cramp again. And they put, gosh, I think they put five IV bags in him that night,” Johnston said.

Meanwhile, this was the heart of a dynasty. From 1990 through 1995, Novacek and Johnston powered the Cowboys’ offense together. Alongside Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin, they helped America’s Team win Super Bowls XXVII, XXVIII, and XXX, turning the silver and blue into a nightmare for the league.

Coming back to Jimmy Johnson, he coached from 1989 to 1993, a five-season tenure, and delivered back-to-back titles.

For example, after one two-hour practice in the 1992 offseason, he forced ten straight 110-yard wind sprints, all timed and unforgiving. And that was just one day. In the Big D, pain built champions.

Jimmy Johnson once cut off food for Jay Novacek and other Cowboys players

While America’s Team looked untouchable in 1992, one December night in Washington flipped the mood fast. The Cowboys rolled in at 11–2, playoff ticket already stamped, and still walked out with a flat 20–17 loss. Jimmy Johnson hated every snap of it.

According to Johnson, speaking on The Family Business Podcast with Norv and Steph, the frustration followed the team straight onto the charter flight back to the Big D. When the flight crew started serving food, Johnson stepped in immediately.

“We’d already made the playoffs, and we went there. We flopped around and just played horrible. I was so mad. I got on the plane, and the flight attendant started to serve the food, and I said, ‘No, no, no, no food. They don’t deserve to eat. They didn’t play well enough to eat,” he said.

Naturally, the punishment did not sit well with everyone. Several former Cowboys later blasted the move, with one even calling Johnson “a dictator.” The mood on the plane sank fast, and Johnson noticed it. When he caught one player smiling, he shut that down too.

Even Dave Campo, then the defensive backs coach, warned him he might have crossed a line. But Johnson did not budge.

“I said, Dave, listen, I don’t care if they’re pi–ed at me. I don’t care if they’re mad; I wanted to make a point. We’re not going to go out there and play like that. I don’t care if we’ve got the playoffs already made. We have an expectation to go out there and be at our best.”

Eventually, though, that hard edge shaped a champion. Johnson rebuilt the standard, and the Cowboys became the league’s measuring stick. When they failed to meet it, even once, he made sure they felt it. That same season ended with Dallas winning it all, proving the message landed.