Funeral services held for native son, Pro Bowl wide receiver Jacoby R. Jones
29th July 2024 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
New Orleans native Jacoby Jones, whose nine-year NFL career included a Pro Bowl appearance and a heroic performance in the Baltimore Ravens’ February 2013 Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the Superdome, passed away in his sleep at his home on July 14, just three days after his 40th birthday.
The Houston Texans drafted Jones out of Lane College, an HBCU in Jackson, Tenn., as a wide receiver and a return specialist in the 3rd round of the 2007 NFL draft. Jones is one of only three Lane players to be drafted into the NFL and one of only five to play even a single game in the NFL.
On July 10, Jones was inducted into the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Hall of Fame in recognition of his prowess displayed while at Lane College. During his tenure at Lane (2003-2006), he was recognized as offensive player of the year, special teams player of the year as well as being named all-conference.
After playing five seasons with the Texans, Jones signed with the Ravens before the 2012-13 season. It proved to be a magical season for both Jones and the Ravens. Jones would earn his only Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections as a return specialist that season. But Jones was not a one-dimensional threat. He also caught 30 passes for the Ravens that year.
In the playoffs, Jones shone his brightest. In the divisional round, the Ravens trailed the heavily-favored Denver Broncos by a touchdown on the road late in the fourth quarter. The Ravens were pinned deep in their territory, but quarterback Joe Flacco connected with Jones on a 70-yard touchdown pass with 31 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Ravens won in double overtime. After a convincing victory over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, the Ravens made the Super Bowl.
Jones put on a record-setting performance in that Super Bowl. He gained 290 all-purpose yards on returns and receptions. He also set an NFL postseason record with a 108-yard kickoff return touchdown to start the second half. That was his second touchdown of the game, following a 56-yard-touchdown catch in the second quarter. Jones also became the only New Orleans native to score a touchdown in a Super Bowl played in New Orleans. All records he set in that Super Bowl still stand today. After the Super Bowl, Jones played another two seasons with the Ravens before splitting a final season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers. He re-signed with the Ravens on a one-day contract before officially retiring from the NFL.
In a January 2020 YouTube interview with the “Bleacher Report’s” Master Tesfatsion, Tesfatsion said Jones should have been named Super Bowl MVP (the award was given to Ravens QB Joe Flacco). Jones said he did not feel slighted.
“It don’t bother me because I won at home,” Jones said to Tesfatsion. “How many people can say they won a Super Bowl in their own city?”
As a child growing up in New Orleans East, Jones was a regular in sports leagues at Pontchartrain Park.
“He was always competing, and it didn’t matter what sport it was. Coby could have played anything,” said Everett Jones, a close friend of Jacoby. “He was a natural born athlete but he excelled in football and track.”
Louisiana State Senator Royce Duplessis was a childhood teammate of Jacoby Jones’ where they played NORD football for the Pontchartrain Park Patriots for several seasons. Jones’ speed caught everyone’s attention. “If he got away from you, you weren’t going to catch him,” Duplessis said.
When Jones was in high school, he had blazing speed but a small 5’8, 160-pound frame. He transferred from St. Augustine to Abramson for his senior year of high school, but upon graduating his only scholarship offer was from Southeastern Louisiana University to run track. After a year at Southeastern, Jones transferred to Lane College.
The transfer originated from a conversation Everett Jones had with Lane’s then-football coach Darrin Hayes. Everett was playing basketball at Lane at the time. One day during a friendly chat, Coach Hayes told Everett he needed a “game-changer.”
“I’ve got one for you. He’s at Southeastern running track,” Everett Jones replied.
Coach Hayes called Jacoby’s mother, Emily Jones, who drove Jacoby to Tennessee for a walk-on tryout. At the tryout, “Coby did what he did best – put on a show,” Everett Jones said.
Jacoby Jones earned his spot on Lane’s football team, where he would have a growth spurt causing him to shoot up from 5’ 8 to 6’ 2 and a half. But he also improved thanks to what Everett Jones called a “work ethic like no other.”
In an April 2007 interview with The Times-Picayune shortly before the NFL Draft, Jacoby Jones described an incident at an early practice at Lane where a defensive back “grabbed me and shook me like a rag doll. I refused to ever let that happen to me again,” Jones said. Jones worked hard in the weight room, adding 30 pounds of muscle after his arrival at Lane.
Everett Jones said the Jones family remains grateful for the chance Coach Hayes took on Jacoby. “He (Coach Hayes) opened the world’s eyes to Jacoby Jones,” Everett said. “That was the real start of everything.”
While Jacoby Jones was a hard worker and a tough competitor, a common theme among those who have spoken of him is how playful and fun he was.
Duplessis called Jacoby Jones a “good, fun kid.” The enthusiasm was something Jones never lost even in the NFL. In a statement following Jones’ passing, Ravens Coach John Harbaugh fondly spoke of Jones’ “smiling face full of joy.” In the “Bleacher Report” interview, Jones recalled playing tag with fellow Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith on the Superdome field during the infamous power outage that occurred in the third quarter of the Ravens-49ers Super Bowl.
Everett said Jacoby’s sense of fun and his big heart even came through when he was working hard on the practice field. He was never one to point fingers when teammates were doing something wrong. If a teammate struggled with a drill, Jacoby would go on the field and help him.
“He wanted you to know he was in it with you,” Everett said. “He never wanted you to think you were alone.”
Jones’ talents were multi-faceted. He participated in season 16 of the hit television show “Dancing with the Stars” and finished 3rd. When his playing career ended, Jones served on the coaching staff of Lane College, Calvert Hall College High School, Morgan State University and Alabama State University (his employer at the time of his passing).
Many of the people who have spoken of Jacoby after his passing highlighted how much his Christian faith and his mother meant to him. In the “Bleacher Report” interview, Jacoby spoke of his mom cooking for the Ravens when they arrived in town for the Super Bowl.
“Mama Jones was his rock. His mother was everything to him. She was a mother and a father,” Everett said. “He couldn’t have asked as a young man for a better mother than her.”
Jacoby also gave back to his hometown. He never forgot his early days at Pontchartrain Park and he held several football camps there. Everett said Jacoby, a father to one son, loved children.
“He wanted to see those young kids (at Pontchartrain Park) get the same opportunity he got,” Everett said.
“He never forgot his roots…He is the classic example of never giving up and he showed how important it is to stay true to yourself and your dreams,” Duplessis said. “He didn’t just play in the NFL; he became a star in the NFL.”
A celebration of life in honor of Jacoby R. Jones was held on Saturday, July 27 at Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans.
This article originally published in the July 29, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
