Rod Jones (tight end)

Roderick Earl Jones (March 3, 1964 – December 8, 2018)[1] was a professional American football tight end for three seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League (NFL).

Rod Jones
Personal information
Born:(1964-03-03)March 3, 1964
Richmond, California, U.S.
Died:December 8, 2018(2018-12-08) (aged 54)
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:El Cerrito (CA)
College:Washington
Position:Tight end
NFL Draft:1987 / Round: 8 / Pick: 223
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Born in Richmond, California, Jones attended El Cerrito High School, a public school in nearby El Cerrito, played defensive end and tight end on the football team,[2] and graduated in 1982.

Career

Jones played college football at the University of Washington in Seattle under head coach Don James. He was part of the 1984 team that beat Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl and finished the season at 11–1, earning a national title.[3]: 169  A team captain in his senior season of 1986,[4] he left with the all-time receiving record for a UW tight end, with 81 receptions.[5]

Selected by the New York Giants in the eighth round of the 1987 NFL Draft,[6] Jones played two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and one with the Seattle Seahawks in 1989. He then returned to the University of Washington, earning a degree in Ethnic Studies in 2000.[7] Jones went on to spend nearly two decades within the athletic department as an academic coordinator.[1][7]

Death

Following a recent diagnosis of early-onset dementia at age 54, Jones shot himself in the head in his Seattle home and died several hours later at Harborview Medical Center.[8] His family decided to donate his brain to the Boston University School of Medicine for CTE research.[1][4]

References
  1. "Husky Athletics Mourns The Loss Of Rod Jones". GoHuskies.com. December 9, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  2. Arthur, Ben; SeattlePI (December 11, 2018). "Ex-Husky tight end Rod Jones dies by suicide at age 54". seattlepi.com. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  3. "2016 Washington Football Information" (PDF). GoHuskies.com. University of Washington Athletics. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 13, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  4. Jude, Adam (December 9, 2018). "Rod Jones, standout tight end on Huskies' 1984 Orange Bowl team, dies from suicide at age 54". Seattle Times. Retrieved December 9, 2018.
  5. Thiel, Art (December 9, 2018). "Ex-Huskies TE Rod Jones dies by suicide at 54". Sportspress Northwest. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  6. "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  7. Condotta, Bob (August 31, 2004). "Rod Jones was once student, now teacher". Seattle Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  8. "Former Washington TE Jones dies by suicide". ESPN.com. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
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