 Jones in 2008 | |||||||||
| No. 71 | |||||||||
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| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1974-01-19)January 19, 1974 (age 51) Aliceville, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Aliceville | ||||||||
| College |
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| NFL draft | 1997: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Walter Junior Jones (born January 19, 1974) is an American former professionalfootball player who was anoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. Born inAlabama, he playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles.[1]
Jones played his entire professional career with theSeattle Seahawks, where he was a seven-timeAll-Pro selection and eventualNFL 2000s All-Decade Team honoree. Starting in each of his 180 games in Seattle, the Seahawks attempted more than 5,500 passes with Jones on the field, while Jones gave up a total of only 23quarterback sacks, and was penalized for holding just nine times. On February 1, 2014, Jones was selected to thePro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Jones attendedHolmes Community College for two seasons, where he was named Mississippi Junior College Player of the Year by theJackson Clarion-Ledger in 1994. Then 6′5″ (1.96 m) and 265 pounds (120 kg), Jones played both offensive tackle and tight end. He allowed one sack in two seasons.
After transferring toFlorida State University, Jones played for coachBobby Bowden'sSeminoles teams in 1995 and 1996. He had toredshirt the 1995 season. As a junior in1996, Jones started 11 games and theSugar Bowl for the Seminoles and allowed one sack, subsequently earning second-teamAll-ACC honors. He decided to forgo his final year of college eligibility and enter the1997 NFL draft.[2]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 301 lb (137 kg) | 34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 5.09 s | 1.84 s | 3.05 s | 4.73 s | 8.23 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Jones was drafted by the Seahawks in the first round with the sixth overall pick in the1997 NFL draft.[5] He started every game in which he played, beginning with his rookie season. Jones was a member of the 2005 Seahawks team that lostSuper Bowl XL to thePittsburgh Steelers. In 2006, Jones topped the list of the 101 best NFL players by the Sporting News.
Jones was a nine-timePro Bowl selection and seven-timeAll-Pro. Jones was perhaps the best at his position in the NFL during the early part of the decade, exemplified by being voted to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team.[6] From 1998 through 2000, he helpedRicky Watters achieve three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons for the Seahawks and, later, paved the way forShaun Alexander's NFL record-setting success.
Jones was recognized byJohn Madden as the best player in the NFL in 2004 in a broadcast. Madden recognized Jones in numerous broadcasts as the best left tackle in the NFL and possibly one of the best of all time.
Seahawks coachMike Holmgren has called Jones the best offensive player he had ever coached.[7]
On Thanksgiving 2008, Jones succumbed to a knee injury playing against the Cowboys in his 180th and final game.[8] The injury required microfracture surgery to repair and immediately ended his season. Jones tried to play again in 2009 but was unsuccessful. On October 28, 2009, Jones was placed on injured reserve by the Seahawks. In a press conference the same day, Jones stated his intention to play in 2010.[9] On April 29, 2010, Jones announced on his Twitter account that he would retire.
The Seahawks announced the retirement of his number, 71, and governorChristine Gregoire declared April 30 to be "Walter Jones Day" in the state ofWashington.[10]
On December 5, 2010, in a game versus the Carolina Panthers, in front of a crowd of over 66,000, the Seahawks honored the career of Jones by retiring his #71 jersey. This was only the second player number (#80Steve Largent was the first) to be retired by the Seahawks (they have also retired #12 in honor of thefans).
On January 8, 2011, Jones lifted the 12th Man flag at Qwest Field before the Seahawks' wild card matchup against theNew Orleans Saints.[11] The 7–9 Seahawks went on to defeat the defending Super Bowl champion Saints41–36.
On February 2, 2014, Jones served as the Seahawks' honorary captain atSuper Bowl XLVIII atMetLife Stadium inEast Rutherford, New Jersey, prior to their 43–8 victory over the Broncos. This coincided with his election onto the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also helped formerGiant and fellow Hall of FamerMichael Strahantoss the coin to end the pregame ceremonies.
Media related toWalter Jones at Wikimedia Commons