JIMMY Johnson caught wind of Erin Andrews’ tribute after his decision to retire.
And the Dallas Cowboys icon, 81, sent a message back to his long-time Fox NFL Sunday colleague.
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Johnson announced his shock retirement this week with immediate effect.
He has been with the Fox NFL team ever since 1994.
Johnson was a two-time Super Bowl champion as Dallas Cowboys coach in the 1990s.
And his broadcasting career was just as legendary.
Andrews, 46, is Fox’s lead sideline reporter and often appears on Fox NFL Sunday.
She paid tribute to Johnson in a touching message on Instagram.
Andrews shared two photos alongside the 81-year-old icon.
And she wrote, “My favorite part about working with Jimmy Johnson will always be my check-ins with Fox NFL during breaks.
“Coach is always the first one to say how much he liked my outfit, asked me about the crowd, or about the weather at the stadium.
“His speeches were legendary at our dinners.
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“And his humor, laugh, and smile were the best part about being around him!
“Cheers to you Coach! Love you so much! Proud to be your forever teammate.”
Johnson was moved by the tribute from his colleague.
He replied, “Erin always has a smile & her wit is second to none.
“Going to miss the entire group.”
Johnson announced his retirement decision live on The Herd with Colin Cowherd on Monday.
“As you know, probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my career, and that’s counting Super Bowls and National Championships, was at Fox Sports,” Johnson told Cowherd.
“I have an absolute ball with my friends on the set, and the best friends I’ve ever had there with Fox.
“And I’ll tell you on top of that, I love working for Eric Shanks, our CEO, and our producer Bill Richards.
“But I’ve made an extremely difficult decision.
“I’ve been thinking about it for the last four or five years, and I’ve decided to retire from Fox, and I’m going to miss it.
“I’m going to miss all the guys, and I’ll see them occasionally, but it has been a great run starting back 31 years ago.”
