Kevin Jones (American football) facts for kids
Jones with the Bears in 2008
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| No. 34, 27, 25 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | August 21, 1982 Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 227 lb (103 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Cardinal O'Hara (Springfield, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Virginia Tech | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Kevin S. Jones, born on August 21, 1982, is a former American professional football player. He was a talented running back in the National Football League (NFL). Kevin played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He was even named an All-American in 2003, which means he was one of the best college players in the country! The 2004 NFL draft picked him in the first round. He played in the NFL for six seasons, from 2004 to 2010, with the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Kevin Jones was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. From a young age, he was a very strong athlete. His father helped him train hard. Kevin played many sports in high school, from 1997 to 2001. He was so good that he played on the main team as a freshman at Cardinal O'Hara High School.
Track and Field Star
Kevin was also an amazing track and field athlete. He was very fast in short races, like the 60 meters and 100 meters. He was also great at jumping events. These included the long jump and the triple jump.
Football Success in High School
Kevin's high school football coach, George Stratts, started him as a freshman. Kevin quickly became a star player. He played all four years and broke many school records. In his senior year, he led his team to win the Philadelphia Catholic League Championship. He also became the Catholic League's all-time leading rusher. This means he ran for more yards than any other player in the league's history!
Kevin was the first person to win the U.S. Army Player of the Year Award. This award, called the "Hall Trophy," goes to the best high school football player in the entire country. Other famous players like Adrian Peterson have also won this award.
Choosing a College Team
In 2000, Kevin Jones was the number one high school football recruit in the nation. Many colleges wanted him to play for them. Kevin narrowed his choices down to Penn State and Virginia Tech.
Most people thought he would choose Penn State. But Kevin surprised everyone! He announced his decision the day after a visit from Virginia Tech's head coach, Frank Beamer.
Kevin explained his choice later. He said that most top players from Pennsylvania go to Penn State. But he liked to be different. At his press conference, he had both jerseys with him. He pulled out the Penn State jersey and said he would not be attending Penn State. Then, he ripped off his sweater to show a Mike Vick jersey underneath! Everyone in the room was shocked.
Kevin's college choice was a huge deal. It was even shown on TV news stations across the country. After that, many other high school recruits started using props like hats or shirts to announce their college decisions. Kevin Jones was the first to do this back in 2000.
College Football Career
Kevin Jones played for the Virginia Tech team from 2000 to 2003. His coach was Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer. Kevin was the highest-rated player ever to join the Virginia Tech football program.
In his first year, Kevin became the starting running back after another player got hurt. He set a new school record for rushing yards by a freshman. In 2002, Kevin and another player, Lee Suggs, shared playing time. Fans even called them "The Untouchables" because they were so good together!
Kevin finished his college career with 3,475 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. He also caught 24 passes for 229 yards. His rushing yards and touchdowns are both second-highest in Virginia Tech's history. In 2016, he was added to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
College Statistics
- 2001: 175 carries for 957 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also had 6 catches for 47 yards.
- 2002: 160 carries for 871 yards and 9 touchdowns. He also had 4 catches for 21 yards.
- 2003: 281 carries for 1647 yards and 21 touchdowns. He also had 14 catches for 161 yards.
Professional Football Career
Detroit Lions
Kevin Jones had a great first year, called a rookie season, with the Detroit Lions. He was only the third running back in the team's history to rush for over 1,000 yards in his rookie year. This put him in the same group as famous players like Billy Sims and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.
He got a foot injury at the end of the 2006 season. In 2007, Kevin started the season as a backup player. But he became the main starter in Week 7. He rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown in a game against the Chicago Bears. However, he got another injury that ended his season. The Lions released him in March 2008.
Chicago Bears
On July 15, 2008, Kevin Jones signed a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears. He signed a new two-year contract with them in March 2009. He was supposed to be the main backup for Matt Forte.
But on September 3, 2009, Kevin got hurt during a preseason game. He tore ligaments in his left ankle. This injury meant he missed the entire 2009 season. The Bears released him in March 2010 after signing another player.
Hartford Colonials
On September 27, 2010, Kevin Jones signed with the Hartford Colonials of the UFL. He played in two games for the Colonials. He rushed for 41 yards before he was placed on injured reserve in October 2010.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2004 | DET | 15 | 14 | 241 | 1,133 | 4.7 | 74 | 5 | 28 | 180 | 6.4 | 34 | 1 |
| 2005 | DET | 13 | 13 | 186 | 664 | 3.6 | 40 | 5 | 20 | 109 | 5.5 | 28 | 0 |
| 2006 | DET | 12 | 12 | 181 | 689 | 3.8 | 52 | 6 | 61 | 520 | 8.5 | 26 | 2 |
| 2007 | DET | 13 | 10 | 153 | 581 | 3.8 | 34 | 8 | 32 | 197 | 6.2 | 16 | 0 |
| 2008 | CHI | 11 | 0 | 34 | 109 | 3.2 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2.5 | 3 | 0 |
| Career Totals | 64 | 49 | 795 | 3,176 | 4.0 | 74 | 24 | 143 | 1,011 | 7.1 | 34 | 3 | |
Life After Football
Kevin Jones retired from football in 2011. Later that year, he went back to Virginia Tech as a student. He studied industrial design, which is about designing products and systems. He earned his bachelor's degree in 2014.
While working at a furniture design company in Switzerland, Kevin also joined a racing yacht crew. He was the only American on the 22-person team. He worked as a "grinder" on the 68-foot yacht called Caol ila R. By the summer of 2014, Kevin had raced with the team five times.
In 2014, Virginia Tech hired Kevin as a "Special Assistant to the Athletic Director." He helped the school's sports department. He left this job in 2016.
In 2015, Kevin co-founded a design company called Void Design Haus in Blacksburg, Virginia. He started it with Alex Barrette. In 2016, they changed the company name to JoBa, combining parts of their last names.
On June 3, 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers football team brought Kevin in as a Bill Walsh Coaching Fellow. This meant he worked as a running backs coach for their mini-camp that year.
