Jimmy Jones (quarterback)
Jimmy Jones (born June 23, 1950) is a former all-star quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Jones was a graduate of the University of Southern California (USC). He moved to Canada in 1973, and played for the Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Ottawa Rough Riders, and helped lead the Alouettes to a Grey Cup win in 1974.
| Born: | June 23, 1950 Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| CFL status | American |
| Position(s) | QB |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg) |
| College | USC |
| High school | John Harris (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.) |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1973–1975 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 1976–1978 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| 1979 | Ottawa Rough Riders |
| CFL East All-Star | 1974 |
Early years
Jones played football at John Harris High School in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he became one of top rated quarterbacks in the nation.
He won the starter job during his junior year, passing and running for over 2,300 yards and 20 touchdowns, then 2,400 yards with 40 touchdowns in his senior year.
Jones was named to the first team All-American High School team in 1968 and had numerous scholarship offers.
He was such a dominant player at this level, that the school retired his number No. 10 jersey after his last game. John Harris High School was merged with William Penn High School in 1971, becoming Harrisburg High School.
College career
Jones attended the University of Southern California and became one of the few African American starting quarterbacks of that era in Division I (NCAA), influencing during his college career the breaking of different color barriers.
As a sophomore in 1969, he helped lead USC to an undefeated season (10-0-1), a Rose Bowl win over the University of Michigan and a third-place ranking. During that season the team became known as the "Cardiac Kids", because of their last-minute comebacks. Jones was also the first African American quarterback to appear on a Sports Illustrated Cover (9/29/1969).
In 1970, he was part of USC's "all-black" backfield (the first one of its kind in Division I (NCAA) history), that included fullback Sam Cunningham and running back Clarence Davis. Jones was one of the five USC African American starters (along with Sam Cunningham, Clarence Davis, Charlie Weaver and Tody Smith), that played against an all-white University of Alabama football team, winning 42–21 in Birmingham on September 12, 1970. This game was historically significant, because it played a key role in convincing the University of Alabama and its fan base to accelerate the integration of its football team.
For his career he compiled a 22-8-3 record and established school marks at:
- Career passing attempts (602)
- Career passes completed (382)
- Career passing yards (4,902)
- Career rushing attempts (842)
- Career touchdown passes and rushing (42)
- Passing yards in a season (1,877)
- Touchdown passes in a season (13)
- Most passes attempted in a season
- Total yards in a season (1,936)
- Most passes attempted in a game (36)
- Most passes completed in a game (21)
CFL career
Montreal Alouettes
In the spring of 1972 he went undrafted after not receiving much interest from NFL teams as a quarterback. After a year out of football, in 1973 he signed to play in the Canadian Football League for the Montreal Alouettes.
In 1974 he helped his team win the 1974 Grey Cup and was named an East All-Star. This would become his finest season with 2297 yards passing, 18 touchdown passes, 577 yards rushing and 5 TDs. He was selected as the Eastern All-Star at quarterback.
In 1975 the Alouettes once again reached the 1975 Grey Cup, but this time they lost to the Edmonton Eskimos. Unfortunately, on a bitterly cold day Jones mishandled the snap on a last second Don Sweet field goal and the Als lost the game by one point.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Jones signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the 1976 season, and played 3 years there.
Ottawa Rough Riders
In 1979, he signed with the Ottawa Rough Riders. Jones spent his final season as a back-up to Condredge Holloway, seeing limited playing time.[1]
Career regular season statistics
| CFL Statistics | Passing | Rushing | |||||||||||
| Year | Team | GP | Att | Com | % | Yds | TD | Int | # | Yds | Ave. | Lg | TD |
| 1973 | Montreal Alouettes | 14 | 117 | 72 | 61.5 | 912 | 6 | 5 | 43 | 269 | 6.3 | 31 | 4 |
| 1974 | Montreal Alouettes | 16 | 311 | 163 | 52.4 | 2297 | 18 | 22 | 90 | 577 | 6.4 | 25 | 5 |
| 1975 | Montreal Alouettes | 16 | 233 | 120 | 51.5 | 1865 | 10 | 11 | 59 | 301 | 5.1 | 32 | 1 |
| 1976 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 14 | 290 | 144 | 49.7 | 1773 | 12 | 9 | 44 | 96 | 2.2 | 16 | 1 |
| 1977 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 16 | 302 | 174 | 57.6 | 2156 | 9 | 14 | 58 | 342 | 5.9 | 39 | 5 |
| 1978 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | 16 | 269 | 159 | 59.1 | 2060 | 9 | 11 | 43 | 204 | 4.7 | 28 | 1 |
| 1979 | Ottawa Rough Riders | 16 | 199 | 118 | 59.3 | 1342 | 8 | 12 | 27 | 112 | 4.1 | 19 | 1 |
| Totals | 1721 | 950 | 55.2 | 12405 | 72 | 84 | 364 | 1901 | 5.2 | 39 | 18 | ||
References
- "Jimmy Jones now a Rough Rider". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. April 20, 1979. p. 23. Retrieved July 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
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