Harvey R. "Bum" Bright, the former Dallas Cowboys owner who sold the team to Jerry Jones, has died. He was 84. Bright died Saturday at his Highland Park home after a long illness.

"He was a close friend and a businessman that I respected and admired tremendously," Jones said in a statement Sunday. "Our agreement on the purchase of the Dallas Cowboys was finalized with a few notes on a napkin and a handshake. With Bum, his word meant everything. He was one of the most honorable men that I have ever had the privilege of knowing and working with."

Bright bought the Cowboys from founder Clint Murchison in 1984. He sold the team to Jones in 1989.

Bright was also a staunch supporter of Texas A&M, and was the chairman of the school's Board of Regents in 1982 when Jackie Sherrill was hired and made the highest-paid football coach in the country.

In 1997, Bright made an unrestricted endowment of $25 million to Texas A&M. At the time, it was the largest gift of its type the university had ever received.