Jerry Jones

Owner, General Manager, Dallas Cowboys 

Jones is the longtime boss of the seminal big-league franchise in North Texas. He bought the Dallas Cowboys for $140 million in 1989 and its valuation has climbed to $9 billion as of 2024. 

He got into real estate by spearheading the development of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which is nicknamed “Jerry World.” His development arm, called Blue Star Land, is behind high-profile projects across Dallas-Fort Worth, including The Star in Frisco, Starwood, Star Trail and Gates of Prosper. The headquarters for the Dallas Cowboys is located at The Star, a 91-acre campus that includes the team’s practice facilities as well as shops, restaurants and an Omni Hotel. 

He’s drawn the ire of fans for disputes with Black players over money and social issues. His reputation has been tarnished by a variety of legal issues, including an ongoing sexual assault case stemming from a lawsuit filed against him in 2018. He also caught flack for financially benefitting from Texas’ February 2021 freeze, which killed more than 700 people. The billionaire owns the majority of shares in publicly-traded energy company Comstock Resources, which enacted surge pricing during the freeze. 

— Jess Hardin