Bert Jones
Encyclopedia
Bertram Hays "Bert" Jones (born September 7, 1951, in Ruston, Louisiana
) is a former LSU
and NFL
quarterback
who played for the then Baltimore Colts
and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School
, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle". He is the son of former NFL running back, Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns
.
in Baton Rouge, where he played for LSU's football team
. He was also a member of the Kappa Sigma
fraternity
(Gamma chapter). While at LSU, Jones only started
two games prior to the end of his junior year, but he started every game after that, leading LSU to a 12-2-1 record. During his senior year (1972), LSU went 9-2-1. Except for one week, LSU spent that entire season ranked in the AP
Top 10. That year, Jones became the first quarterback in LSU history to be awarded consensus All-American
honors. Jones also finished 4th in the vote for the Heisman Trophy
and was voted the National Collegiate Player of the Year by the Cleveland Touchdown Club.
One of Bert Jones' most famous moments came in the 1972 LSU-Ole Miss
game, when he led LSU to a 17-16 last-second victory by hitting RB
Brad Davis in the end zone
for a touchdown as time expired. Jones's other major victories included #14 LSU's 28-8 victory over #7 Notre Dame
in 1971 (televised by ABC
) and #8 LSU's 35-7 victory over #9 Auburn
in 1972.
During his 17 games at LSU, Bert Jones completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 3,225 yards and 28 touchdowns, which at the time was the most career passing yards and touchdowns of any quarterback in LSU history.
by the Baltimore Colts to be the Colts heir apparent to Johnny Unitas, who was later traded to San Diego. His debut came on September 16, 1973 in a loss against the Cleveland Browns. During his eight year tenure as the Colts' starting QB, Jones and his teammates enjoyed three consecutive AFC East
division titles (1975–77). But in each of those years, the Colts lost in the first round of the playoffs. The 1977 playoff game (known as Ghost to the Post
) is famous as the 4th longest game in NFL history; the Colts fell to the Oakland Raiders
, 37-31. The Colts' fortunes seemed to rise and fall with Jones; he missed most of 1978 and 1979 with a shoulder injury, and the Colts fell to last place in the AFC East those two seasons.
The 1976 regular season was Bert Jones's finest as a professional as he threw for 3,104 yards and a career high 24 touchdown
s compiling a passer rating of 102.5. Jones was one of only three quarterbacks to achieve a 100+ passer rating
during the entire decade of the 1970s, joining Dallas'
Roger Staubach
(1971) and Oakland's Ken Stabler
(1976). Jones was thus honored by the Associated Press
as 1976's NFL Most Valuable Player
and NFL Offensive Player of the Year
, selected All-Pro and named to the Pro Bowl
team. Jones was also selected 2nd Team All-Pro following the 1977 season.
In 1982, his final season, Bert Jones played in four games for the Los Angeles Rams before a neck injury forced him to retire.
In 1990, Jones participated in the first NFL QB challenge. He finished 1st in the retiree category and 3rd in the regular competition. (The regular competition taking the top 3 finishers from the alumni competition and adding them to the regular field of current QBs). Given his strong performance, Bobby Beathard, then the GM of the Chargers, wanted Jones to come out of retirement. Bert was 39 at the time and chose not to try a comeback.
The widely respected scout Ernie Accorsi is quoted as saying that if Bert Jones had played under different circumstances, he probably would have been the greatest player ever. John Riggins has been quoted as saying Bert was the toughest competitor he has ever witnessed. On the eve of Super Bowl XLII
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
, in discussing his choices for the greatest quarterbacks of all time, described Jones as the best "pure passer" he ever saw.
treatment facility about fifteen miles (24 km) from his home in Simsboro
, also in Lincoln Parish west of Ruston.
Jones once hosted Suzuki's Great Outdoors on the ESPN
network. He invited his friend Grits Gresham
to appear on three episodes of the series, and Gresham hosted Jones on two episodes of his own The American Sportsman
on ABC
.
Jones is a former appointee to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and is active in environmental and outdoors activities.
Ruston, Louisiana
Ruston is a city in and the parish seat of Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 20,546 at the 2000 census. Ruston is near the eastern border of the Ark-La-Tex and is the home of Louisiana Tech University. Its economy caters to its college population...
) is a former LSU
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
and NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who played for the then Baltimore Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
and, briefly, the Los Angeles Rams. At Ruston High School
Ruston High School
Ruston High School is a 4 year public high school located in the Lincoln Parish School District of Ruston, Louisiana, United States. The school has an enrollment of approximately 1200 students with 85 faculty members; the mascot is the bearcat. The school colors are red and white. Black students...
, he was given the nickname, "The Ruston Rifle". He is the son of former NFL running back, Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
College
Jones went to the Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, where he played for LSU's football team
LSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
. He was also a member of the Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
(Gamma chapter). While at LSU, Jones only started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
two games prior to the end of his junior year, but he started every game after that, leading LSU to a 12-2-1 record. During his senior year (1972), LSU went 9-2-1. Except for one week, LSU spent that entire season ranked in the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
Top 10. That year, Jones became the first quarterback in LSU history to be awarded consensus All-American
1972 College Football All-America Team
The 1972 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
honors. Jones also finished 4th in the vote for the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
and was voted the National Collegiate Player of the Year by the Cleveland Touchdown Club.
One of Bert Jones' most famous moments came in the 1972 LSU-Ole Miss
Ole Miss Rebels
University of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school...
game, when he led LSU to a 17-16 last-second victory by hitting RB
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
Brad Davis in the end zone
End zone
In gridiron-based codes of football, the end zone refers to the scoring area on the field. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on an opposite side of the field...
for a touchdown as time expired. Jones's other major victories included #14 LSU's 28-8 victory over #7 Notre Dame
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football
Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is the football team of the University of Notre Dame. The team is currently coached by Brian Kelly.Notre Dame competes as an Independent at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, and is a founding member of the Bowl Championship Series coalition. It is an...
in 1971 (televised by ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) and #8 LSU's 35-7 victory over #9 Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
in 1972.
During his 17 games at LSU, Bert Jones completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 3,225 yards and 28 touchdowns, which at the time was the most career passing yards and touchdowns of any quarterback in LSU history.
NFL
In 1973, Jones was chosen in the first round (2nd overall) of the NFL draftNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Baltimore Colts to be the Colts heir apparent to Johnny Unitas, who was later traded to San Diego. His debut came on September 16, 1973 in a loss against the Cleveland Browns. During his eight year tenure as the Colts' starting QB, Jones and his teammates enjoyed three consecutive AFC East
AFC East
The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
division titles (1975–77). But in each of those years, the Colts lost in the first round of the playoffs. The 1977 playoff game (known as Ghost to the Post
Ghost to the Post
Ghost to the Post is a significant play in NFL history. It refers specifically to a 42-yard pass from Ken Stabler to Dave Casper, nicknamed "The Ghost" after the cartoon character, that set up a game tying field goal in the final seconds of a double-overtime playoff game played between Casper's...
) is famous as the 4th longest game in NFL history; the Colts fell to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, 37-31. The Colts' fortunes seemed to rise and fall with Jones; he missed most of 1978 and 1979 with a shoulder injury, and the Colts fell to last place in the AFC East those two seasons.
The 1976 regular season was Bert Jones's finest as a professional as he threw for 3,104 yards and a career high 24 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s compiling a passer rating of 102.5. Jones was one of only three quarterbacks to achieve a 100+ passer rating
Passer rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
during the entire decade of the 1970s, joining Dallas'
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
(1971) and Oakland's Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler
Kenneth "Kenny" Michael Stabler , is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Oakland Raiders , the Houston Oilers , and the New Orleans Saints...
(1976). Jones was thus honored by the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
as 1976's NFL Most Valuable Player
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
and NFL Offensive Player of the Year
NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
, selected All-Pro and named to the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
team. Jones was also selected 2nd Team All-Pro following the 1977 season.
In 1982, his final season, Bert Jones played in four games for the Los Angeles Rams before a neck injury forced him to retire.
In 1990, Jones participated in the first NFL QB challenge. He finished 1st in the retiree category and 3rd in the regular competition. (The regular competition taking the top 3 finishers from the alumni competition and adding them to the regular field of current QBs). Given his strong performance, Bobby Beathard, then the GM of the Chargers, wanted Jones to come out of retirement. Bert was 39 at the time and chose not to try a comeback.
The widely respected scout Ernie Accorsi is quoted as saying that if Bert Jones had played under different circumstances, he probably would have been the greatest player ever. John Riggins has been quoted as saying Bert was the toughest competitor he has ever witnessed. On the eve of Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick
Bill Belichick
William Stephen "Bill" Belichick is an American football head coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. After spending his first 15 seasons in the league as an assistant coach, Belichick got his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns in 1991...
, in discussing his choices for the greatest quarterbacks of all time, described Jones as the best "pure passer" he ever saw.
Later years
Jones now owns and operates a woodWood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
treatment facility about fifteen miles (24 km) from his home in Simsboro
Simsboro, Louisiana
Simsboro is a village in western Lincoln Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 684 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Ruston Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Simsboro is located at ....
, also in Lincoln Parish west of Ruston.
Jones once hosted Suzuki's Great Outdoors on the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
network. He invited his friend Grits Gresham
Grits Gresham
Claude Hamilton "Grits" Gresham, Jr. was an internationally-known American sportsman, author, photographer and television personality who hosted ABC's The American Sportsman series from 1966-1979...
to appear on three episodes of the series, and Gresham hosted Jones on two episodes of his own The American Sportsman
The American Sportsman
The American Sportsman was a television series from 1965 to 1986 on ABC which presented filmed highlights of hunting and/or fishing trips involving the program's hosts and celebrities. It was typically presented on Sunday afternoons, frequently following coverage of live sporting events...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
Jones is a former appointee to the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission and is active in environmental and outdoors activities.
External links
- An '80s beer commercial featuring L. C. GreenwoodL. C. GreenwoodL.C. Henderson Greenwood is a former American football defensive end for the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers.-College career:...
& Bert Jones.