 Jones with theChicago Bears in 2008 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 34, 27, 25 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Running back | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1982-08-21)August 21, 1982 (age 43) Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Cardinal O'Hara(Springfield, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Virginia Tech (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2004: 1st round, 30th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Kevin S. Jones (born August 21, 1982) is an American former professionalfootball player who was arunning back in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theVirginia Tech Hokies, earning consensusAll-American honors in 2003. Jones was selected in the first round of the2004 NFL draft.[1] He played in the NFL for six seasons from 2004 to 2009 with theDetroit Lions andChicago Bears.
Jones was born inChester, Pennsylvania. With his natural ability and his father's training regimen, he became a highly conditioned athlete at a very young age. Jones was a multi-sport athlete in high school (1997–2001) and competed at the varsity level as a freshman atCardinal O'Hara High School inSpringfield Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania.
Jones was a startrack and field athlete, excelling in the60 meters (6.79 sec),100 meters (10.59 sec),long jump (6.92 m) andtriple jump (14.57 m).
O'Hara Head football coach, George Stratts reluctantly started Jones as a freshman. Jones had immediate success on the field and was a four-year starter, breaking many school records.[2] As a senior, he led his team to aPhiladelphia Catholic League Championship and became the Catholic League's all-time leading rusher.
Jones is the inaugural winner of theU.S. Army Player of the Year Award, named the "Hall Trophy", which is presented to the best high school football player in the country. Other notable recipients of the award include:Adrian Peterson,Jimmy Clausen, andTerrelle Pryor.
In 2000, Jones was the No.1 overall recruit in the nation. Courted by many colleges, Kevin narrowed had his choices toPenn State andVirginia Tech. To the surprise of many, Jones chose to become a Hokie, making his decision the day after a home visit from Virginia Tech Head Coach,Frank Beamer.
Jones said of his decision, "If you're a blue-chipper from Pennsylvania, you go to Penn State. But I've always been a little contrary. On the day of my press conference, I still hadn't decided between Virginia Tech and PSU. As I sat down in front of everybody, I had both jerseys with me. I pulled the Penn State jersey out of a bag and said, "I will ... not be attending Penn State." Then I ripped off my sweater and had a Mike Vick jersey on underneath. The entire room was flabbergasted."[3]
Jones' college reveal was so highly anticipated that it was covered nationally, and televised by several localnews stations. Since then, the use of props (hats, shirts, gear, music etc.) by recruits to announce their college choice has become a staple of the recruiting experience. The phenomenon can be credited to Jones, who was the first to ever do so with his reveal in 2000.[4]
Jones played forVirginia Tech andHall of Fame coachFrank Beamer, from 2000 to 2003. He is the highest rated recruit to ever commit to the Virginia Tech football program.[5] During his freshman season, Jones assumed the starting job, after an injury to starter,Lee Suggs. Jones set a school record for rushing yards for a freshman. In 2002, Suggs and Jones split time at tailback, and were together called "The Untouchables" as a result of a fan contest for giving the duo a nickname.[6]
Kevin finished his college career with 3,475 yards and 35touchdowns on 616 carries (an average of 5.6 yards per carry), and 24 receptions for 229 yards (an average of 9.5 yards per reception). His 3,475 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns both rank second on the school's career-record list. He was elected to theVirginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 227 lb (103 kg) | 30+7⁄8 in (0.78 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 38 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | |||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine andPro Day[7] | ||||||||||||
Jones had a successfulrookie season with theDetroit Lions and became only the thirdrunning back in franchise history torush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season, joining the ranks ofBilly Sims andHall of FamerBarry Sanders. He was sidelined at the end of the2006 season with a foot injury.
In2007, Jones began the season in a backup role. He became the starter in Week 7 against theTampa Bay Buccaneers. He rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown in a Week 8 victory over the division rivalChicago Bears.[8] However, he suffered another season-ending injury. On March 13, 2008, the Lions released Jones.[9]
On July 15, 2008, Jones signed a one-year, $605,000 contract with theChicago Bears.[10]
He was re-signed to a two-year contract worth approximately $3.5 million on March 6, 2009. The deal includes a $1 million bonus and $2 million in the first season. He was intended to be the primary backup toMatt Forte.[11] On September 3, 2009, Jones was injured during a preseason game when he was hit out of bounds byCleveland Browns linebackerMarcus Benard. He was out for the 2009 season with torn ligaments in his left ankle.[12]
Jones was released on March 9, 2010, after the Bears signedChester Taylor during the free agency period.[13]
On September 27, 2010, Jones signed with theHartford Colonials of theUFL. In his only season with the Colonials, Jones played in two games where he rushed for 41 yards on 16 carries before being placed oninjured reserve on October 21, 2010.[14][15]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2004 | DET | 15 | 14 | 241 | 1,133 | 4.7 | 74 | 5 | 28 | 180 | 6.4 | 34 | 1 |
| 2005 | DET | 13 | 13 | 186 | 664 | 3.6 | 40 | 5 | 20 | 109 | 5.5 | 28 | 0 |
| 2006 | DET | 12 | 12 | 181 | 689 | 3.8 | 52 | 6 | 61 | 520 | 8.5 | 26 | 2 |
| 2007 | DET | 13 | 10 | 153 | 581 | 3.8 | 34 | 8 | 32 | 197 | 6.2 | 16 | 0 |
| 2008 | CHI | 11 | 0 | 34 | 109 | 3.2 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 0 |
| Career | 64 | 49 | 795 | 3,176 | 4.0 | 74 | 24 | 143 | 1,011 | 7.1 | 34 | 3 | |
Jones retired from football in 2011 and returned to Virginia Tech as a student later that year to studyindustrial design in theCollege of Architecture and Urban Studies. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in industrial design in 2014.[16]
While interning at a furniture design company inSwitzerland, Jones manned the position of"grinder" as the only American in a 22-man crew aboard the 68 ft.racing yacht,Caol ila R.[17] By the summer of 2014, Jones had worked five races with the team.
In 2014, Virginia Tech hired Jones as "Special Assistant to the Athletic Director". Jones stepped down from the position on June 12, 2016.[16]
In 2015, Jones co-founded the design firm Void Design Haus inBlacksburg, Virginia, with Alex Barrette. They changed the company name to JoBa in 2016, as a combination of their last names.[18]
On June 3, 2019, theTampa Bay Buccaneers introduced Jones as aBill Walsh Coaching Fellow, in a running backs coaching position role for the 2019 Mini-Camp.[19]
