Who owned the Dallas Cowboys before Jerry Jones?

H.R. "Bum" Bright was the owner of the Dallas Cowboys football team before Jerry Jones. He was the owner of this team from 1984 until 1989.

Bright purchased the team for $85 million. He had 11 partners who had limited authority in regard to the team. Bum Bright was a businessman and a well-known philanthropist. He had a degree in engineering from Texas A&M University. He also served in the Army during World War II.

Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million. Jones immediately made changes to the structure of the team, which included firing head coach Tom Landry.