Ed Jones (American football)
Encyclopedia
Ed Lee "Too Tall" Jones is a retired American football
player in the NFL
for the Dallas Cowboys
. By the end of his 15 years with the Cowboys, he was officially credited with 57 quarterback sack
s. Unofficially, his career sack total is 106 (sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982). His highest single-season sack total was 13 (in 1985). He was a member of the famed "Doomsday Defense" squad of the 1970s. Jones was given the nickname "Too Tall" because of his height, 6 in 9 in (205.74 cm).
He graduated from Jackson Central-Merry High School
in Jackson and attended Tennessee State University
. Jones was the first overall draft choice in the 1974 NFL Draft
.
he practiced basketball
and baseball
, because there wasn't a football
program until his senior year (he played only three football
games in high school
).
Jones was an outstanding basketball
player, that earned All-America
honors and had scholarship offers from most major college programs. He was also a fine first baseman
that received offers to sign professional contracts.
His first and only Golden Gloves
boxing
match came during his senior year, knocking out
his opponent in 36 seconds. His high school
basketball
coach saw the article in the newspaper and made him choose between boxing
and basketball
.
to play basketball
, but quit that sport after two seasons to devote himself to playing football
under the tutelage of head coach
John Merritt
.
It was during his first football
practice that Jones received his famous nickname "Too Tall", when a teammate noting that his football pants were too short, told him he was “too tall to play football
”.
Playing as a defensive lineman, he became a two time All-America
n and his team lost only 2 games during those years, winning the Black college football national championship
in 1971 and 1973.
Jones currently ranks third in school history in sacks
in a season (12) and fifth in career sacks
(38).
He played in the Senior Bowl
and was voted to the 50th Anniversary Senior Bowl
All-Time Team.
, for the first time in their history, the Dallas Cowboys
had the first overall draft choice. The No. 1 pick came from the Houston Oilers in exchange for Tody Smith
and Billy Parks
. The Cowboys ended up selecting
Jones, making him the first and only football
player from a Historically Black College and University to accomplish that feat.
He became a starter at left defensive end
during his second season in 1975
. By 1977
he had helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XII
.
After five years playing defensive end
for the Cowboys from 1974
through 1978
, Jones at 28 years old and in the prime of his NFL career, quit football
to attempt a professional
boxing
career.
in just three months from November 1979 through January 1980, winning all of his 6 bouts, all but one by knockout http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=33709&cat=boxer. His opponents were mostly marginal fighters, with the exception of future heavyweight
champion of Mexico Fernando Montes, whom Jones knocked out in the first round. So much of a curiosity item was Jones that CBS
nationally televised every one of his bouts.
His last ring appearance was on Jan. 26, 1980. Shortly thereafter, he announced he would resume his NFL career, but he has always refused to discuss his reasons for returning to play football
.
, and to this day, some experts argue that he came back as a better player.
In 1982
he was named NFL Defensive MVP.
Jones earned All-Pro
honors three times from 1981
to 1983
, and his success batting down passes at the Line of scrimmage
convinced the league to record pass deflections
as an official stat.
He is tied with Mark Tuinei
and Bill Bates
for the most seasons in a Cowboy uniform—with 15. He never missed a game, playing in 232 consecutive games and retired at the end of the 1989 season
.
Jones was one of the most dominant defensive players of his era, playing in 16 playoff games, including three Super Bowl
s. He was part of three NFC chamionship
teams and the Super Bowl XII
winner. He was officially credited with 57 quarterback sacks
. Unofficially, his career sack
total is 106 (sacks
did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982
).
fraternity, and has made appearances on the American television shows Diff'rent Strokes
and Married... with Children
.
Jones was a guest referee at the World Wrestling Federation
's WrestleMania 2
pay-per-view
in 1986. He refereed from outside of the ring during the 20-man battle royale which included American football stars of the day.
Jones starred in a GEICO
commercial that initially aired in late 2009. The commercial rhetorically asks
if Jones is indeed "too tall," then confirms it by showing a nurse attempting to measure his height, but breaking the medical scale's height rod when it doesn't reach high enough. The nurse then mutters, "I'm just going to guesstimate
."
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the 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...
for the Dallas Cowboys
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...
. By the end of his 15 years with the Cowboys, he was officially credited with 57 quarterback sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
s. Unofficially, his career sack total is 106 (sacks did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982). His highest single-season sack total was 13 (in 1985). He was a member of the famed "Doomsday Defense" squad of the 1970s. Jones was given the nickname "Too Tall" because of his height, 6 in 9 in (205.74 cm).
He graduated from Jackson Central-Merry High School
Jackson Central-Merry High School
Jackson Central-Merry High School is a public four-year high school located in Jackson, Tennessee, USA...
in Jackson and attended Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
. Jones was the first overall draft choice in the 1974 NFL Draft
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
.
Early years
At Jackson Central-Merry High SchoolJackson Central-Merry High School
Jackson Central-Merry High School is a public four-year high school located in Jackson, Tennessee, USA...
he practiced basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, because there wasn't a football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
program until his senior year (he played only three football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games in high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
).
Jones was an outstanding basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player, that earned All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors and had scholarship offers from most major college programs. He was also a fine first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
that received offers to sign professional contracts.
His first and only Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
match came during his senior year, knocking out
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
his opponent in 36 seconds. His high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach saw the article in the newspaper and made him choose between boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
College career
He signed with Tennessee State UniversityTennessee State University
Tennessee State University is a land-grant university located in Nashville, Tennessee. TSU is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennessee.-History:...
to play basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, but quit that sport after two seasons to devote himself to playing football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
under the tutelage of head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
John Merritt
John Merritt
John Ayers Merritt was a head football coach at Jackson State University and Tennessee State University...
.
It was during his first football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
practice that Jones received his famous nickname "Too Tall", when a teammate noting that his football pants were too short, told him he was “too tall to play football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
”.
Playing as a defensive lineman, he became a two time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n and his team lost only 2 games during those years, winning the Black college football national championship
Black college football national championship
The black college football national championship is a mythical national championship won by the best black college football team in the United States of America. There has been some criticism of this title on the grounds that the schools in the various polls compete in different levels of...
in 1971 and 1973.
Jones currently ranks third in school history in sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
in a season (12) and fifth in career sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
(38).
He played in the Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
and was voted to the 50th Anniversary Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
All-Time Team.
Dallas Cowboys (first stint)
In the 1974 NFL Draft1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
, for the first time in their history, the Dallas Cowboys
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...
had the first overall draft choice. The No. 1 pick came from the Houston Oilers in exchange for Tody Smith
Tody Smith
Lawrence Edward Smith was an American football defensive end in the National Football League.-High school career:...
and Billy Parks
Billy Parks
William James "Billy" Parks was a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League...
. The Cowboys ended up selecting
Jones, making him the first and only football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player from a Historically Black College and University to accomplish that feat.
He became a starter at left defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
during his second season in 1975
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
. By 1977
1977 NFL season
The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The Seattle Seahawks were placed in the AFC West while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were slotted in the NFC Central....
he had helped the Cowboys win Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
.
After five years playing defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
for the Cowboys from 1974
1974 NFL season
The 1974 NFL season was the 55th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl IX when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Minnesota Vikings...
through 1978
1978 NFL season
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference...
, Jones at 28 years old and in the prime of his NFL career, quit football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
to attempt a professional
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
career.
Boxing career
He fought six times as a heavyweightHeavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
in just three months from November 1979 through January 1980, winning all of his 6 bouts, all but one by knockout http://www.boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=33709&cat=boxer. His opponents were mostly marginal fighters, with the exception of future heavyweight
Heavyweight
Heavyweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Fighters who weigh over 200 pounds are considered heavyweights by the major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the World Boxing Association, the World Boxing Council, and the World Boxing...
champion of Mexico Fernando Montes, whom Jones knocked out in the first round. So much of a curiosity item was Jones that CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
nationally televised every one of his bouts.
His last ring appearance was on Jan. 26, 1980. Shortly thereafter, he announced he would resume his NFL career, but he has always refused to discuss his reasons for returning to play football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
Jones returned to play for the Cowboys in 19801980 NFL season
The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws...
, and to this day, some experts argue that he came back as a better player.
In 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
he was named NFL Defensive MVP.
Jones earned All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
honors three times from 1981
1981 NFL season
The 1981 NFL season was the 62nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVI when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals.-Major rule changes:...
to 1983
1983 NFL season
The 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
, and his success batting down passes at the Line of scrimmage
Line of scrimmage
In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...
convinced the league to record pass deflections
Pass deflected
In American football a pass deflected, also known as a pass defended, a pass defensed, a pass knock down, or a pass break up, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player...
as an official stat.
He is tied with Mark Tuinei
Mark Tuinei
Mark Pulemau Tuinei was an American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys...
and Bill Bates
Bill Bates
William Frederick Bates is a former American football safety in the National Football League who spent his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys.-Early years:...
for the most seasons in a Cowboy uniform—with 15. He never missed a game, playing in 232 consecutive games and retired at the end of the 1989 season
1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
.
Jones was one of the most dominant defensive players of his era, playing in 16 playoff games, including three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s. He was part of three NFC chamionship
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
teams and the Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
winner. He was officially credited with 57 quarterback sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
. Unofficially, his career sack
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
total is 106 (sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
did not become an official NFL statistic until 1982
1982 NFL season
The 1982 NFL season was the 63rd regular season of the National Football League. A 57-day long players' strike reduced the 1982 season from a 16-game schedule per team to an abbreviated nine game schedule...
).
Life after football
Ed is a member of the Omega Psi PhiOmega Psi Phi
Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
fraternity, and has made appearances on the American television shows Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes
Diff'rent Strokes is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from November 3, 1978 to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985 to March 7, 1986...
and Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
.
Jones was a guest referee at the World Wrestling Federation
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2
WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
pay-per-view
Pay-per-view
Pay-per-view provides a service by which a television audience can purchase events to view via private telecast. The broadcaster shows the event at the same time to everyone ordering it...
in 1986. He refereed from outside of the ring during the 20-man battle royale which included American football stars of the day.
Jones starred in a GEICO
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company is an auto insurance company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway that as of 2007 provided coverage for more than 10 million motor vehicles owned by more than 9 million policy holders. GEICO writes private passenger automobile insurance...
commercial that initially aired in late 2009. The commercial rhetorically asks
Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a figure of speech in the form of a question posed for its persuasive effect without the expectation of a reply. Rhetorical questions encourage the listener to think about what the answer to the question must be. When a speaker states, "How much longer must our people...
if Jones is indeed "too tall," then confirms it by showing a nurse attempting to measure his height, but breaking the medical scale's height rod when it doesn't reach high enough. The nurse then mutters, "I'm just going to guesstimate
Guesstimate
Guesstimate is an informal English contraction of guess and estimate, first used by American statisticians in 1934 or 1935. It is defined as an estimate made without using adequate or complete information, or, more strongly, as an estimate arrived at by guesswork or conjecture...
."