No. 40, 86 | |||||||||||
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Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Arcadia, Louisiana, U.S. | December 29, 1924||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 202 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Ruston (Ruston, Louisiana) | ||||||||||
College: | LSU Tulane | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 1946 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||||
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As a coach: | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
William Augustus "Dub" Jones (born December 29, 1924) is an American former professional football player who was a halfback for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and the old All-America Football Conference (AAFC) in the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily for the Cleveland Browns. He shares the NFL record for touchdowns scored in a single game, with six.
Jones was born into an athletic family in Louisiana and played a variety of sports, including football, at his high school in Ruston. The team won the state championship in 1941, his senior year. Jones attended Louisiana State University on a scholarship for a year before being transferred to Tulane University in New Orleans as part of a World War II-era U.S. Navy training program. He played football at Tulane for two seasons before joining the Miami Seahawks of the new AAFC in 1946.
The Seahawks traded Jones at the end of the 1946 season to the AAFC's Brooklyn Dodgers, who subsequently sent him to the Browns before the 1948 season. That year, the Browns won all of their games and the AAFC championship. The team repeated as champions in 1949, but the AAFC dissolved at the end of the year and the Browns joined the NFL. A tall flanker back who was both a running and receiving threat, Jones was a key part of Browns teams that won NFL championships in 1950, 1954 and 1955. He was twice named to the Pro Bowl, the NFL's all-star game, including in 1951, when he set his touchdown record.
Jones retired after the 1955 season, but returned to the Browns as an assistant coach in 1963. The Browns won the NFL championship the following year. Jones left football for good in 1968 and went back to Ruston, where he worked with one of his sons in a general contracting business. Jones is a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame.
Jones was born in Arcadia, Louisiana, but moved with his mother and three brothers to nearby Ruston after his father died when he was three years old. [1] He played Little League Baseball as a child and went to watch boxing matches and baseball and football games at the nearby Louisiana Tech University. [2]
Jones attended Ruston High School starting in 1938, and played football under head coach L.J. "Hoss" Garrett. [2] [3] He was small in stature and did not make the first team until his senior year in 1941. Ruston's Bearcats football team won its first-ever state championship that year, with Jones playing left halfback and tailback. [4] Jones also played baseball and basketball and boxed in high school. [5]
After graduating, Jones got a scholarship to attend Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge, where one of his brothers played football. [6] He stayed there for a year before joining the U.S. Navy as American involvement in World War II intensified. The Navy transferred him to a V-12 training program at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he played as a halfback and a safety in 1943 and 1944. [7]
Jones carried the football for a total of 700 yards of rushing and scored four touchdowns in 1944, his junior year, and was named an All-American and an All-Southeastern Conference player by sportswriters. [8] He trained as a fireman aboard submarines while in the Navy, and in 1945 he played football for a military team at the Naval Submarine Base New London in New London, Connecticut. [9] [10] Before beginning his professional career, he played in the 1946 Chicago College All-Star Game, a now-defunct annual contest between the National Football League champion and a squad of the country's best college players. [11] Led by quarterback and future teammate Otto Graham, the college players beat the Los Angeles Rams 16–0 that year. [12]
Jones was selected by the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) with the second pick in the 1946 NFL Draft, but did not sign with the team as he pondered returning to LSU to finish his studies. [13] [14] When the Miami Seahawks of the new All-America Football Conference (AAFC) offered him a $12,000 contract, however, he accepted it and joined the team. [3] [5] The Seahawks won just three games in 1946, the AAFC's first season of play, and Jones was traded along with two other players to the Brooklyn Dodgers, another AAFC team, in December. [15] The Seahawks, meanwhile, folded and were moved to Baltimore after the season because of poor attendance and shaky finances. [16] [17] Jones played sparingly for the Dodgers in the last three games of the 1946 season, rushing for 62 yards on 19 carries. [18]
The Dodgers traded for Jones in part to replace Glenn Dobbs – a star tailback in Brooklyn's single-wing offense – because Dobbs was suffering from injuries. [11] Jones himself was hurt early in the 1947 season, however, when he was hit by Bill Willis of the Cleveland Browns. Injuries to his knee, hip and clavicle forced him to sit out for several weeks. [19] He broke his hand when he returned and had to play exclusively on defense for the rest of the season. [19]
Paul Brown, the head coach of the Browns, was impressed with Jones's defensive play for Brooklyn, and traded away the rights to University of Michigan star Bob Chappuis to acquire him in June 1948. [14] [20] [21] Jones began his career with the Browns as a defensive back, but was switched to halfback early in the 1948 season because his performance on defense wasn't up to Brown's standards. [22] Jones played on offense alongside Graham, the team's quarterback, and star fullback Marion Motley as the Browns won all of their games in 1948 and beat the Buffalo Bills for their third straight AAFC championship. [23] He ended the year with 149 rushing yards on 33 carries. [24]
Over the next two seasons, Jones developed into a star flanker, a position he helped invent. [22] He was both a running threat and a receiver – his tall stature was well-suited to receiving – and helped complement a passing attack that featured the Browns' two main ends, Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie. [25] Jones often went in motion behind the line of scrimmage before the snap at a time when few players did so, causing confusion and mismatches on defense. [26] He had 312 rushing yards and 241 receiving yards in 1949, when the Browns won another AAFC championship. [24] [27]
Jones came into his own in the 1950 season, when the Browns joined the NFL following the dissolution of the AAFC. [28] Cleveland won the NFL championship against the Rams that year, helped by Jones's skill receiving short passes underneath opponents' coverage. [29] Jones had 31 receptions and 11 rushing and receiving touchdowns in 1950. [24]
Jones continued to excel in 1951, scoring 12 touchdowns and amassing a career-high 1,062 yards from scrimmage. [24] He tied an NFL record in a November 25 game by scoring six touchdowns - 4 rushing, 2 receiving - in a 42-21 win over the Chicago Bears, a single-game record he shares with Ernie Nevers (1929), Gale Sayers (1965), and Alvin Kamara (2020). [30] The Browns finished the season with an 11–1 win–loss record and advanced to the championship game, but lost this time to the Rams. [31] Jones came in second in the NFL in touchdowns scored and was named to the Pro Bowl, the league's all-star game. He was also selected by sportswriters as a first-team All-Pro. [24] [32] "Dub has the speed, the guts and the know-how of a great player," Paul Brown said at the time, calling him "the most underrated player in the league." [33]
Jones made the Pro Bowl again in 1952, when he had 952 total yards and six touchdowns. [24] Cleveland advanced to the NFL championship for the third time in a row that year, losing 17–7 to the Detroit Lions. [34] In 1953, Jones's production declined: he had just 401 total yards and no touchdowns, and he decided to retire after the Browns reached and lost another championship game. [24] [35] [36] He went back to Ruston to work at a lumber business he ran in the offseason, but Brown asked him to return in 1954, saying the team needed him. [37] [38] Jones played for two more years, winning two more championships with the Browns before retiring for good. [24] [39] He pulled his hamstring in an exhibition game before the 1955 season, an injury that caused him to miss several games and bothered him all season. [38] [40]
Jones spent seven years working at his business in Ruston after leaving the Browns. [38] He worked briefly as a special instructor for the Houston Oilers and an occasional advisor to college programs in Louisiana, but otherwise was out of football. [41] He returned to the Browns as an assistant coach, however, in March 1963 after Paul Brown was fired by team owner Art Modell. [42] Blanton Collier, Brown's long-time deputy, became head coach and put Jones in charge of the receivers. [42] Jones and Collier had been close during his playing days, and Collier considered him an astute student of the game. [41]
Under Collier, Jones supervised the offensive backfield and the ends, but was also the Browns' offensive play-caller. [43] He directed the team from the press box on Collier's behalf because Collier was hard of hearing and could not do so himself. [38] [44] The Browns won their first six games at the beginning of Jones's coaching career in the 1963 season, although a late slump cost them a spot in the championship game. [45] The team regrouped the following year, ending with a 10–3–1 win–loss–tie record and winning the NFL's eastern division. [46] Cleveland went on to win the championship game against the Baltimore Colts in 1964. [46] The Browns advanced to the championship game again the following year, but lost to the Green Bay Packers. [47] During his tenure as a coach, Jones was the primary position coach for running backs Jim Brown and Leroy Kelly, both of whom are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [48] [49] [50] He also coached receiver Paul Warfield, another hall of fame member who helped propel the Browns to the 1964 championship. [51] [52]
Jones stayed with the Browns until early 1968, when he quit and was replaced by Nick Skorich. [53] The Browns had offered him a part-time coaching job but made clear that he could not stay on as offensive coordinator; Jones declined the reduced role. [54] After leaving the Browns, Jones moved back to Ruston and did occasional scouting for the team at the nearby Grambling State University. [55] He was also a volunteer coach of receivers on Grambling's football team. [56] Later in life, he worked for his son Tom's general contracting business in Ruston. [57]
Jones was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Greater New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. [3] [58] He is the father of former NFL quarterback Bert Jones, who played 10 seasons in the 1970s and 1980s for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams and won the NFL's most valuable player award in 1976. [59] [57] Jones and his wife, Schump, have seven children, including four sons who played college football. [3] [60]
William Karnet Willis was an American football middle guard and guard who played for eight seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). Known for his quickness and strength despite his small stature, Willis was one of the dominant defensive football players of the 1940s and early 1950s. He was named an All-Pro in every season of his career and reached the NFL's Pro Bowl in three of the four seasons he played in the league. His techniques and style of play were emulated by other teams, and his versatility as a pass-rusher and coverage man influenced the development of the modern-day linebacker position. When he retired, Cleveland coach Paul Brown called him "one of the outstanding linemen in the history of professional football".
Leonard Guy Ford Jr. was an American professional football player who was an offensive and defensive end from 1948 to 1958. He played college football for the University of Michigan and professional football for the Los Angeles Dons, Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1976 and the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1996.
Dante Bert Joseph Lavelli, nicknamed "Gluefingers", was an American professional football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL) from 1946 to 1956. Starring alongside quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley, kicker Lou Groza and fellow receiver Mac Speedie, Lavelli was an integral part of a Browns team that won seven championships during his 11-season career. Lavelli was known for his sure hands and improvisations on the field. He was also renowned for making catches in critical situations, earning the nickname "Mr. Clutch". Browns head coach Paul Brown once said of him: "Lavelli had one of the strongest pairs of hands I've ever seen, when he went up for a pass with a defender, you could almost always count on him coming back down with the ball."
Anthony Adamle was an American professional football player who was a linebacker and fullback in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns before retiring to pursue a medical degree.
Mac Curtis Speedie was an American professional football end who played for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and the National Football League (NFL) for seven years before joining the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Canada. He later served for two years as head coach of the American Football League's Denver Broncos. A tall and quick runner whose awkward gait helped him deceive defenders and get open, Speedie led his league in receptions four times during his career and was selected as a first-team All-Pro six times. His career average of 800 yards per season was not surpassed until two decades after his retirement, and his per-game average of 50 yards went unequalled for 20 years after he left the game.
Thomas Laverne James, Jr. was an American football defensive back and punter who played for Ohio State University and the Cleveland Browns in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Canton, Ohio and attended Massillon Washington High School, where he played as a back on the football team under head coach Paul Brown. James was a key part of a Massillon team that went undefeated in 1940. After graduating, he followed Brown to Ohio State and played there as a halfback. Ohio State won its first national championship in 1942 when James was on the team.
The 1946 Cleveland Browns season was the team's first in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns, coached by Paul Brown, ended the year with a record of 12–2, winning the AAFC's Western Division. Led by quarterback Otto Graham, fullback Marion Motley and ends Dante Lavelli and Mac Speedie, the team won the first AAFC championship game against the New York Yankees.
The 1947 Cleveland Browns season was the team's second in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). Led by head coach Paul Brown, Cleveland finished with a 12–1–1 record, winning the Western division and the AAFC championship for the second straight year. As in 1946, quarterback Otto Graham led an offensive attack that featured fullback Marion Motley, ends Dante Lavelli, and Mac Speedie.
The 1948 Cleveland Browns season was the team's third in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). After winning the AAFC crown in 1946 and 1947, the league's first two years of existence, the Browns repeated as champions in 1948 and had a perfect season, winning all of their games.
The 1949 Cleveland Browns season was the team's fourth and final season in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The Browns finished the regular season with a 9–1–2 win–loss–tie record and beat the San Francisco 49ers to win their fourth straight league championship. In the season's sixth game on October 9, the 49ers stopped the Browns' professional football record unbeaten streak at 29 games. It began two years earlier on October 19, 1947, and included two league championship games and two ties.
The 1950 Cleveland Browns season was the team's first in the National Football League (NFL) after playing the previous four years in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC), which folded after the 1949 season. The Browns finished the regular season with a 10–2 win–loss record and beat the Los Angeles Rams to win the NFL championship. It was Cleveland's fifth consecutive championship victory, the previous four having come in the AAFC.
Warren Emmett Lahr was an American professional football player who was a defensive back who played for the Cleveland Browns for 11 seasons, mainly in the 1950s. When he retired, he had the most career interceptions in Browns team history with 44.
Horace Albert "Big Horse" Gillom was an American professional football player who was a punter and end in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL). He played ten seasons for the Cleveland Browns between 1947 and 1956. Cleveland head coach Paul Brown, who coached Gillom in high school, college and professionally, called him his best all-around high school player and once said there "has never been a better punter than Horace".
Thomas Anthony Colella was an American professional football halfback, punter and safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) and All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Detroit Lions, the Cleveland Rams, the Cleveland Browns and the Buffalo Bills.
Rex Keith Bumgardner was a halfback in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and the Cleveland Browns in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
Raymond Willard Terrell was a professional American football halfback and defensive back who played two seasons for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC).
Edward Franklin Ulinski was a professional American football guard who played four seasons for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and went on to a career as an assistant coach for the Browns that lasted more than three decades.
Robert George Cowan was an American football halfback who played three seasons in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) between 1947 and 1949. Cowan played for the Cleveland Browns and the Baltimore Colts.
Angelo Robert Gaudio was an American football guard who played four seasons for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and National Football League (NFL) between 1947 and 1951.
Edward J. "Foozy" Sustersic was an American football fullback and linebacker who played one season in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) for the Cleveland Browns.
... Dub Jones, the man who sends the plays down from upstairs.
Dub Jones, offensive back and ends coach ...
In Jones' case he actually wasn't given a pink slip. He was told he could stay on in a part-time coaching capacity, but not as chief of the Browns' offensive unit. He didn't like that arrangement so he quit and when his departure was announced yesterday he replied with some bitterness that he didn't appreciate the manner in which the news was given out.
It's not that Dub and Schump, his wife, don't still enjoy football. But watching the fourth of their seven children participate these days can be more agony than ecstasy.