JONES BRINGS GREY CUP HOME
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| @CFL |
South Pittsburg, TN – (WDEF) South Pittsburg native Chris Jones won the Super Bowl of the Canadian Football League last fall.
He captured the Grey Cup as the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos. And this weekend, the former UTC player brought the Grey Cup to his hometown for a little show and tell at the Richard Hardy School.
Bringing the 103 year-old Grey Cup back to your elementary school, that was a pretty cool feeling for Chris Jones.
Said Jones-“My mother has taught here for 30 years. I grew up just a mile from here. To come back and be able to bring something of this significance for people to see. It’s meaningful.”
So how does a guy from South Pittsburg Tennessee get into the Canadian Football League?
Said Jones-“I wanted to be a professional football coach. There weren’t any opportunities in the NFL to crack in as an intern. So I interned in Canada. Paul Jones, a buddy of mine, was the personnel director at the time at Edmonton. He gave me an opportunity. I got to go up and just put the wheels in motion.”
Jones success in the CFL might rival Bill Belechick’s success in the NFL.
Said Jones-“I’ve been up there 14 years. We’ve won the division ten times. Been to seven Grey Cups. Won four.”
Jones won 3 Grey Cups as a defensive coordinator and his last came as a head coach. And he admits he has to educate Americans about the Grey Cup.
Said Jones-“They don’t really know quite honestly exactly what it is until you tell them what this big trophy is, they really have no idea. It’s more of a people’s trophy. People can have it in their cars. I’ve had the good fortune of having it four times. It has been in the trunk of my car. It has been in my trucks. It has been everywhere you know.”
http://www.wdef.com/2016/04/22/south-pittsburgs-chris-jones-brings-cfls-grey-cup-back-hometown/
Grey cup proudly on display on the scavenger hunt table. Looky what I found!
I've always admired Chris Jones from a distance. His defensive strategies in the CFL are well known. I have been a little skepticle of his business practise in the way he left Calgary for Toronto. As John Huffnagel knew nothing of the discussions between Toronto and Chris Jones while he was under contract. Toronto was capped in the knees with a $5 grand fine. Peanuts really to get a dynamite d-coordinator. Why Barker didn't ask Hufnagel for permission to speak to Chris Jones is beyond me. I'm thinking Barker and Huffnagels business relationship is null and void. I understand Chris… Read more »
@ Reginald: Wow, you were all over the place in that little thesis but I think I know what you were trying to say… and that is not to get too cozy with Jones cause he won't be here long. What we fail to remember is that the CFL is a "minor" league. But it is OUR minor league. In minor leagues there is lots of personnel movement no different than AAA Baseball or the AHL, etc. There will always be movement. Go back the past 25 years and I'm betting the average Rider Head Coach lasted maybe 2 years.… Read more »
I love that he's wearing a Rider shirt
Regardless of when or if Chris Jones leaves Saskatchewan the organization will be far better of than it was when he arrived. That said, with Trestman's failed stint as Bears HC it's probably unlikely that the NFL comes looking for a CFL HC candidate anytime soon. Don Mathews' name would pop up for almost every NFL job that was available during his career, and the closest he came was a spring league job in Orlando. If he does leave the most likely path for him to emulate would be Mike Reilly's NCAA career after he left Winnipeg. However, it would… Read more »
It would seem the vagabond will come back full circle sooner or later to his hometown roots where family are entrencheed. Roughriders Football will have him for as long as he's wants to stay here before another opportunity presents itself.
When I heard that he was doing this, I immediately wondered what logo he would display. I couldn't imagine him wearing Edmonton gear now that he is with the Riders, but also thought it would be difficult to celebrate last years Grey Cup victory while wearing Rider gear.
I was expecting him to display a CFL logo, or no logo at all.
Good for him for wearing the Rider stuff, but I assume the Eskimo fans wear stirred up a bit when they saw it, or more likely their sports reporters likely never even bothered with the story.
WOW….. Sorry about that everyone. I started writing my thoughts and feelings about Chris Jones from his time in the league up to present day. I didn't realize I was going to write a novel. At least I wasn't disrespectful to anyone or any team. In the future I will try not to get into a personal zone and taking those who chose to read it on an around the bend roller coaster read.
Mad respect to Rod and his site.
Reginald of Regina