Leroy Jones (September 29, 1950June 11, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

. He played the majority of his 11-year career with the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles) in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Jones played both

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

and football in high school, and continued with both sports while attending college at

Norfolk State University Norfolk State University (NSU) is a public historically black university in Norfolk, Virginia. It is a member of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Virginia High-Tech Partnership. History The institution was founded on September 18, 1935 ...

. He began his professional career in 1973 with the Edmonton Eskimos (now the Elks) in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL), where he spent three seasons. Jones was selected in the second round of the

1975 NFL Draft The 1975 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkows ...

by the Los Angeles Rams, who traded him in 1976 to San Diego, where he played through 1983.

Early life

Jones was born and raised in

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...

. He already stood in the seventh grade. At

Amanda Elzy High School Amanda Elzy High School (AEHS) is a high school in unincorporated Leflore County, Mississippi, south of Greenwood, and part of the Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District. , it had 488 students in grades 9–12 and 36.37 teachers (fu ...

, he was a standout at both football and

, leading his teams to multiple championships. In 2011, ''

The Greenwood Commonwealth ''The Greenwood Commonwealth'' is a newspaper serving in and operating out of Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta ...

'' named him one of the top 25 sports figures in the Greenwood area's history.

College career

Jones attended

after being recruited by a coach who was a Greenwood native. Jones was the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

on three

Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. CIAA institutions mostly consist of historically black coll ...

(CIAA) tournament basketball teams. He was named to the All-CIAA Tournament team each year. As a sophomore in 1972, he was named to the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

All-State first-team, and was named to the second-team as a junior. Jones also played football for the

Spartans Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

, and he was named All-CIAA as a

in 1971 and 1972. Before the 1973 football season, he learned that he would be academically ineligible to play due to poor grades. Jones dropped out of Norfolk State and signed a three-year contract to play football professionally in Canada. In 1983, he was a member of the inaugural class of Norfolk State's sports hall of fame.

Professional career

Jones joined the Edmonton Eskimos in the

(CFL) as a

taxi squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

member in 1973, before being placed on a five-day tryout prior to the

61st Grey Cup The 61st Grey Cup game was played at Toronto's CNE Stadium on November 25, 1973. The Ottawa Rough Riders defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 22–18, before a crowd of 36,653. Game summary Edmonton scored quickly in the first quarter when running b ...

. The following year, he led the team in

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

and sacks that season, as well as in the

62nd Grey Cup The 62nd Grey Cup was played on November 24, 1974 before 34,450 fans at Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The Montreal Alouettes beat the Edmonton Eskimos 20–7 on a slick, wet field. Many balls were fumbled and passes dropped on a rainy Vancouver da ...

championship game. Having left Norfolk State early, Jones was not eligible for the

1974 NFL draft The 1974 NFL draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York, on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams were granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks. Many experts consider the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers to have ha ...

. In the summer of 1973, pro scouts had projected him as a first-round pick in 1974, rating him near or on par with

Ed "Too Tall" Jones Edward Lee Jones (born February 23, 1951), commonly known as Ed "Too Tall" Jones due to his height, is a former American football player who played 15 seasons (1974–1978, 1980–1989) in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys ...

, who became the first overall pick in 1974. Ruled eligible for the

1975 NFL draft The 1975 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkows ...

, Leroy Jones was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Rams with the 48th overall pick. He became the highest-drafted player in Norfolk State football history. Jones reportedly wanted to play for the Rams, but the Eskimos had an option year remaining on his contract. He missed the start of Edmonton's training camp before reporting three days later. In 1975, the Eskimos placed him on the

injured reserve list The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

in October. He was cut in November before the Western Football Conference championship game while still on the injured list. Edmonton won the

63rd Grey Cup The 63rd Grey Cup was played on November 23, 1975, before 32,454 fans at McMahon Stadium in Calgary. In a tight, defensive battle, the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Montreal Alouettes 9–8. Just before the contest began, a young woman was "str ...

that season with Bill Stevenson taking over Jones' former position at left defensive end. The San Diego Chargers acquired Jones from the Rams in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

for a future draft choice. In 1980, he teamed with

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

Fred Dean Frederick Rudolph Dean (February 24, 1952 – October 14, 2020) was an American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). A twice first-team All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler, he won two Super ...

Gary "Big Hands" Johnson Gary Lynn "Big Hands" Johnson (August 31, 1952 – August 4, 2010) was an American professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was a four-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. He p ...

, and Louie Kelcher on the

defensive line In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numb ...

as the Chargers led the NFL in sacks (60). The foursome was nicknamed the Bruise Brothers. Jones that season had 12 sacks, second on the team behind Johnson's , and was named an alternate for the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

. Don "Air" Coryell's Chargers teams of that era are mostly remembered for their high-scoring, pass-oriented offense. The Chargers won the

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...

from

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

–

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

and also qualified for the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...

in 1982. During the 1981 season, Jones blocked a 35-yard field goal by

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

kicker

Uwe von Schamann Uwe Detlef Walter von Schamann (born April 23, 1956) is a former professional American football placekicker. He played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, from 1979 to 1984. Early life Von Schamann was born in Berlin, West ...

at 11:27 into overtime, allowing San Diego to drive for its own field goal and win 41–38 in the playoff game known as the

Epic in Miami The Epic in Miami was the National Football League AFC divisional playoff game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins that took place on January 2, 1982 in the Miami Orange Bowl. The game, won by the Chargers in overtime, 41–38, is ...

, considered by many to be among the greatest NFL games ever. Jones played as a backup in his final season in

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

. He ended his career ranked third all-time in Chargers' history in career sacks with .

Personal life

Jones died at age 70 on June 11, 2021, in Casselberry, Florida.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Leroy 1950 births 2021 deaths People from Greenwood, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi American football defensive ends Canadian football defensive linemen American players of Canadian football Norfolk State Spartans football players San Diego Chargers players Edmonton Elks players Norfolk State Spartans men's basketball players American men's basketball players Centers (basketball)