Arrington Jones facts for kids

Arrington Jones III (born February 16, 1959) is a former American football player. He played as a running back, which is a player who runs with the football. He played one season in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers chose him in the fifth round of the 1981 NFL draft.

Jones played college football at Winston-Salem State University. He also went to John Marshall High School in Richmond, Virginia. Later, he was part of the Washington Federals team in the United States Football League (USFL). A major highlight of his playing career was being on the San Francisco 49ers team that won Super Bowl XVI. After his playing days, Arrington Jones became a coach for several college football teams.

Playing in College

Arrington Jones played college football for the Winston-Salem State Rams. He was a key player for their team from 1978 to 1981.

Professional Football Career

The San Francisco 49ers picked Jones as the 122nd player in the 1981 NFL draft. He played in one game for the 49ers during the 1981 season. In that game, he fumbled two kickoff returns. After that game, he was released and did not play another NFL game. Even though he played only one game, he was part of the 49ers team that won Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals in that championship game.

Jones also joined the Washington Federals in the USFL in 1983. However, he was released by the Federals in February 1983.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Arrington Jones became a successful football coach.

Virginia State Trojans

He worked as the special teams coordinator for the Virginia State Trojans. This was at Virginia State University from 1986 to 1990. From 1990 to 2000, he also served as the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator. The Trojans won the CIAA Championship in 1995 with Jones on the coaching staff.

Winston-Salem State Rams

From 2001 to 2003, Jones was the offensive coordinator for the Winston-Salem State Rams. He also helped with recruiting new players. The Rams played in the CIAA Championship Game in 2001.

Virginia Union Panthers

Jones became the head coach and offensive coordinator for the Virginia Union Panthers. He coached at Virginia Union University from 2004 to 2007. During his time there, his team had a record of 21 wins and 21 losses. In 2007, he led the Panthers to a great 9–1 regular season record. They won the CIAA Eastern Division Championship that year. The Panthers also played in the 2007 Pioneer Bowl, but they lost to the Tuskegee Golden Tigers. For his excellent work, Jones was named the 2007 CIAA Coach of the Year. He left his coaching role in March 2008 for personal reasons.

Delaware State Hornets

From 2011 to 2014, Jones coached the Delaware State Hornets. He was their offensive coordinator and also coached the quarterbacks.