Chris Jones was a Parade All-American at Danville who picked UK over Oklahoma only to have a knee injury end his football career. (Larry Vaught Photo)
When Chris Jones was honored before Danville played Washington County in its homecoming football game, it had been almost 50 years since he was unstoppable at times when he played at Admiral Stadium.
“The years have kind of flown by,” said Jones. “When I went off to college (at Kentucky) and started my career I just didn’t get back here (Danville) as much as I wanted to but I followed the Admirals the whole time. They’ve had a lot of good years and unfortunately a few down years recently but we’re back and I’m just glad to be part of it.”
While Danville High School had produced numerous elite athletes, Jones was one of the best. He was a Parade Magazine All-American in football in 1977, the nation’s premier All-American team then, and voted the state’s best running back. He was a third-team all-state selection in basketball who scored over 1,200 points in his career. He won the 1978 Class AA 100-yard dash in 9.8 seconds and was second in the 200 in 22.5 seconds when Danville barely missed winning the state team title.
Jones said his best Danville football memory actually came on defense where he was also a 190-pound terror.
“We were playing Woodford County and we were both undefeated. I broke through the line wide open, nobody blocked me, and I hit their quarterback and put him out of the game. I know him and sometimes he still won’t talk to me about that,” Jones said.
The 6-foot-3 Jones was actually highly recruited in basketball — even if he didn’t know it until after he had signed to play football at Kentucky.
“I was pretty good in basketball and I got a lot of letters and interest from schools but my coach didn’t give any of it to me until after the season ended,” Jones laughed and said. “I told the coach if I had known that all season I might have done even more. I definitely did not have a 3-point shot even if there had been a 3-point line then but growing up in Batewood Homes I played ball about every day.”
Kentucky waged a fierce recruiting battle with Oklahoma for Jones – who was nicknamed the “Danville Bull” because of his size, strength and speed – and UK coach Fran Curci compared Jones to NFL great Chuck Foreman. Jones redshirted in 1978 due to a preseason hamstring injury. He finished seventh in the Southeastern Conference in rushing in 1979 and led UK in scoring.
Curci had big expectations for Jones going into the 1980 season but he tore ligaments in his right knee in the third game. That injury ended his career.
“You do not find many guys with his size, speed and strength,” Curci told me several years ago when he was back in Kentucky. “He was a pro. There’s no question he would have been a pro. He had the dedication, too. He wanted to be good and then that leg just went right in half right in front of me. It was the Indiana game. I will never forget that. I truly think he would have been one of the greatest football players that we had here if he had not been hurt.
“The night he finally said he was coming to Kentucky I was so excited — and I’ll never forget this — I am driving home faster than I should. A state trooper stopped me and gave me a ticket,” Curci said. “Chris was a special athlete. You always have to have that one guy that the other team has to find a way to stop him. There has to be one guy on the team. Chris was one of those guys that could be spectacular. He would make other teams have to find ways to stop him.”
Jones will now admit he was “depressed forever” after his injury and surgery did not help. He still will not discuss specifics of what happened with his surgery and why he was never able to play again.
“I struggled with all that happened for a long time,” Jones said. “Then you had (former UK/NFL running back) George Adams coming up and those other guys who wore my number. I love George to death and he told me I was his idol. But it did hurt me just standing and watching other guys play. I tried everything. I had five surgeries.
“I had got off to a great start. I scored a touchdown against Indiana and Lee Corso. It was tough not playing but God gave me a path and I am glad to be here now.”
Even if Jones had wanted to play at Oklahoma, he knew his mother wanted him at Kentucky.
“I had so much support through some people in town that wanted me to go to Kentucky, so I just went that route for my mom,” Jones said.
Jones’ granddaughter, Ivy Turner, was a standout basketball player at Danville who played at Northern Kentucky University and then Eastern Kentucky University. He had family members with him when he was recognized before the Danville-Washington game along with Bobby Fowler, co-captain of Danville’s 1951 team that led the state in scoring and was also a basketball and track standout.
“It was just great to be back here and I appreciate being invited,” Jones, who has worked at Fifth Third Bank in Lexington since 1994, said. “I hope to be back more, too, because this team is fun to watch and I want to do what I can to support the program. I still want Kentucky to win, too. Once you play for a team, you just want those teams to do well.”
3 Responses
The 10-1 season under Curci could have been really special if it had not been for all of the ball and chains the players were dragging around behind them.
That team under Curci had some outstanding players & produced the best season UK ever had since Bear Bryant.
You got that right Little Baron