Jerry Jones' role as Arkansas booster credited for helping to hire John Calipari
On a day when college basketball eclipses football for the attention of American sports fans, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is playing a big part in the college hoops world.
Jones' alma mater, Arkansas, has hired coach John Calipari away from Kentucky, and Jones’ status as a booster has been cited as one of the reason that Calipari walked away from a college basketball blue blood to coach the Razorbacks.
Jones played college football at Arkansas and remains involved as a donor, and in the new world of college sports where so much success hinges on convincing players that wealthy donors will hook them up with lucrative NIL deals, a booster like Jones is attractive to players and coaches alike.
Broncos co-owner Rob Walton is also an Arkansas graduate, and he too has been named as an Arkansas booster whose presence makes Arkansas attractive to Calipari. Walton and his family, the owners of Wal-Mart, have deep ties to the state and the university.
Jones hasn't spent a lot of money on free agents for the Cowboys this offseason, but his ability to spend money may have played a role in one of the biggest stories of the year in another sport.
