For the majority, fame is wishful thinking. It is a dream stored away in a far off distance and put on the back burner for the reality of a desk job- one that will pay the bills and provide for a family. Better yet, fame specifically through football sits at the striking statistic of 0.09 percent.
Imagine breaking those odds. Imagine playing wide receiver. Imagine playing for the Baltimore Ravens along with other NFL teams. Imagine winning the Super Bowl. Imagine hearing the screaming fans after sprinting 109 yards for a kickoff return touchdown. Imagine returning a countless number of punts and claiming the title of the league’s best “return specialist.” That imagining became a reality for New Orleans native, Jackson resident and Lane College football coach, Jacoby Jones.
But despite titles, football success and fame, Jones is a man clothed in humility, radiating the confidence of who he is and where he came from.
Union University journalism professor, Ted Kluck, who currently coaches alongside Jones at Lane College (Jones’ Alma mater), began to probe Jones with the question of what it was like to go from five-star hotels and opulence to the grit and grind of Division II football in Jackson, Tenn., only to be immediately cut off as Jones said, “But look, the thing about me is I am at home for real.”
His humility was not only transparent through his words but through his appearance. Sitting back in a rugged, maroon office chair, Jones wore a white t-shirt under a light brown sweatshirt that was cut off at the shoulder blades. His shoes made the statement in his outfit being an off-white gold, but it was clear they had their use.
“It don’t bother me,” Jones continued in response to Kluck. “I don’t wear jewelry. I am not a fashion person. Look I made these shorts,” said Jones, tugging on the end of this left pant sleeve indicating exactly where he cut them.
Lane College may not be the ideal spot for most athletes to land, but it is the embodiment of Jones. Lane was the start of his career, and, unlike most colleges, they gave him a chance. He was given the chance to change his future after walking on at Lane with a 0.0 GPA. Jones played without a scholarship until his junior year, proving he did not take for granted his ticket to an opulent life.
“To this day, I go up to the senior board and thank them for giving me a chance at life,” Jones said, welling with gratitude knowing he did not deserve the opportunity they had bestowed upon him. “When you are given opportunities, you gotta take advantage of them.”
Jones is proud to have had the confidence to pursue each opportunity placed in front of him. He placed each memory in the form of a tattoo on both of his legs.
Gazing down and examining the intricate designs on his calves, Jones said, “They all mean something to me. They are every team I played for. This is my sister on my dad’s side. My aunt here. And here I got Hebrews 11:1.”
While recollecting each memory, Kluck asked Jones, “When did you get your first one?”
“When I was 18,” said Jones with a cracked grin. “And I got a cross with my mama’s name in it, so she would not whoop my a**.”
Out of everyone, Jones’ mother is his role model. She is the woman who raised him to be the humble, confident man he is today.
“My mother, she was the backbone,” said Jones. “She is all I had, and it is still like that.”
His mother would grind day in and day out just to provide for Jones. They did not have a lot, but they had each other. And that was enough.
Her work ethic molded Jones into a model of diligence- diligence that bled into his own family and career.
With the absence of a father figure throughout his childhood, Jones wants different for his son and therefore, chooses to be the model his father never was. After briefly encountering his father for the first time a couple years ago, Jones only had one desire.
“I just wanted to look him in his face. Nah, I wasn’t mad at him. I’m a grown man. Nah, I am successful, and I have not talked to him since that day.”
His face was emotionless at that moment as if seeing his father had no effect on him other than the reality of being a father himself. After acknowledging that his father knew of his success, Jones shook his head and said, “Nah, I got my own son to worry about. That is your seed. So when I had my son, all I said was ‘let him see his daddy and see what success is.’ ”
He not only serves his son by teaching him what success looks like, but he serves the Lane football community as an assistant coach (specifically a wide receivers coach).
Be humble. Be confident. And take advantage of opportunities. Three mottos that Jones ingrains into the rising football stars that are stepping into the same shoes he put on back in the day.
“I have one kid who is just a sophomore and is leading the conference in receiving, but I keep him humble. Mentally I keep telling him, ‘stay right here, stay right here,’” said Jones, emphasizing that humility is the key.
Jones was forced to learn the art of confident humility early in his career which is why he is so adamant on instilling it on those younger than him.
“First quarter. First series. We lost by seven, and they blamed it on me okay. FIRST quarter. FIRST series. Oh, I had death threats. People egging my house. All kinds man,” said Jones, emitting a nonchalant demeanor- no fear. But the truth is, in that moment, Jones was grounded in his background, his upbringing and his goal: beating the odds (as he did).
He did not strive for fame, he strove to prove those who doubted him wrong. And with that, he wants his players at Lane College to pick his brain and have the confidence to pursue their goals.
“Jacoby brings a crackle of energy wherever he goes, and his passion for the game is infectious,” Kluck says. “He still gets his ankles taped and still wears gloves for every game he coaches! There was never a second of doubt in Jacoby…never a moment where he thought he wouldn’t make it. He is proud of where he’s been and proud of what he accomplished, and I don’t blame him for a second. He has beaten the odds.”
He did not just beat the odds, Jones beat them with his confident humility.
Photo courtesy of Neil Cole
