Thomas Jones (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Thomas Jones

Jones with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010
No. 26, 22, 20
Position:	Running back
Personal information
Born:	(1978-08-19) August 19, 1978 (age 47) Big Stone Gap, Virginia, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:	212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:	Powell Valley (Big Stone Gap)
College:	Virginia (1996–1999)
NFL Draft:	2000 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (2000–2002) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2003) Chicago Bears (2004–2006) New York Jets (2007–2009) Kansas City Chiefs (2010–2011)
Career highlights and awards
Pro Bowl (2008) Consensus All-American (1999) 2× First-team All-ACC (1998, 1999) Virginia Cavaliers Jersey No. 6 retired
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards: 10,591 Rushing average: 4.0 Rushing touchdowns: 68 Receptions: 308 Receiving yards: 2,023 Receiving touchdowns: 3
Player stats at PFR

Thomas Quinn Jones (born August 19, 1978) is an American actor and former professional football player. He played as a running back for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

Jones played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers. He was recognized as an All-American in 1999. The Arizona Cardinals chose him seventh overall in the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Kansas City Chiefs.

When he retired, Jones was among the top 25 players in NFL history for rushing yards. He is also a member of the 10,000 rushing yards club. In September 2019, he was nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020.

In 2013, Thomas Jones started an acting career. He uses the name Thomas Q. Jones for his acting roles. He appeared in the 2015 movie Straight Outta Compton. He also had a regular role in the TV series Luke Cage.

Early Life and High School Football

Thomas Jones was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. His mother, Betty, worked hard in a Virginia coal mine for almost 20 years. She raised seven children, including Thomas and his younger brother, Julius Jones.

His father encouraged the children to learn new words every day. He also made them read the front page of the newspaper before they could read the sports section. Jones says his parents taught him to be ambitious and work hard. These qualities helped him in his professional football career.

High School Achievements

While playing for Powell Valley High School in Big Stone Gap, Thomas led his team to win state championships in 1994 and 1995. He still holds the VHSL record for the most rushing yards in a season, with 3,319 yards.

In 1994, he broke his late uncle's (Edd Clark) record for most rushing yards in a single game. He gained 462 yards against John I. Burton High School. He also tied the record for most career touchdowns (104) with Terry Kirby. Sports Illustrated featured Thomas in its "Faces in the Crowd" section in January 1996.

College Football Career

Jones attended the University of Virginia. He played for coach George Welsh's Virginia Cavaliers football team from 1996 to 1999. During his four years, he set many records for both his team and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

He finished his college career as the Cavaliers' all-time leading rusher with 3,998 yards. This broke the old record set by Tiki Barber. His total rushing yards were the fourth highest in ACC history. Jones also set records for single-season rushing (1,798 yards) and single-season all-purpose offense (2,054 yards).

In one game against the University at Buffalo, Jones became the first player in ACC history to gain 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving. He set a school record with 331 all-purpose yards in that game. He had six games where he rushed for over 200 yards, which was an ACC record. He ended his college career with 4,698 all-purpose yards, ranking fourth all-time at Virginia.

Awards and Recognition

As a senior in 1999, Jones was named a first-team All-American by several major sports organizations. He finished 8th in the voting for the 1999 Heisman Trophy. He was the first ACC running back since 1978 to be a consensus All-American. Jones led the conference in rushing and receiving yards among running backs. He finished third in the nation for rushing and all-purpose yards.

Even with his football success, Jones also focused on his studies. He earned his bachelor's degree in psychology in just three years.

Professional Football Career

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals picked Thomas Jones in the first round of the 2000 NFL draft. He was the seventh player chosen overall. In his three years with Arizona, he rushed for 1,264 yards and 9 touchdowns. He had some injuries during this time. He also shared playing time with another running back, Michael Pittman. In 2003, Jones was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In Tampa Bay, Jones was not the main running back. However, he played a season without injuries. He gained 627 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns. He averaged 4.6 yards per carry.

Chicago Bears

In 2004, Jones became a free agent and signed with the Chicago Bears. This gave him the chance to be the main running back. In his first season with Chicago, he rushed for 948 yards and 7 touchdowns.

In 2005, the Bears drafted another running back, Cedric Benson. But Benson held out for a long time, so Jones continued to play a lot. After a slow start, Jones had a great season with 1,335 yards and 9 touchdowns. He gained 61 first downs and averaged 4.3 yards per carry. Jones also helped the offensive line by blocking for the quarterback, Rex Grossman.

2006 Season and Playoffs

In 2006, Jones injured his hamstring, and it looked like Cedric Benson might take his starting spot. However, Benson then injured his shoulder, and Jones returned to being the main running back.

The Bears used both Jones and Benson in their rushing attack. Jones, who was quicker, found holes in the defense. During the regular season, Jones gained 1,210 yards, and Benson gained 647 yards. Both averaged over four yards per carry. Thomas and his brother Julius made history that year. They became the first brothers in the NFL to each rush for over 1,000 yards in the same season.

During the 2006 playoffs, Jones helped the Bears win games. He rushed for 66 yards and two touchdowns against the Seattle Seahawks. The next week, he rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints. This helped the Bears reach the Super Bowl. Jones's 123 rushing yards against the Saints set a Bears postseason record.

In Super Bowl XLI, Jones rushed for 112 yards and had 18 receiving yards. He had a 52-yard run, which was Chicago's longest run of the season. Even though he averaged 7.5 yards per carry, the Bears only ran the ball 15 times in their 29–17 loss to Indianapolis.

New York Jets

Thomas Jones and Brett Favre in 2008.

On March 5, 2007, the Bears traded Jones to the New York Jets. The Jets then signed Jones to a four-year contract.

In the 2007 season, Jones carried the ball 310 times for 1,119 yards. This was his third straight season with over a thousand rushing yards. He also scored his first career receiving touchdown.

Jones had his best season in 2008. He was chosen as the starting running back for the AFC in the Pro Bowl. Jones scored 15 total touchdowns, including two from catches. He rushed for 1,312 yards, leading the AFC.

On October 18, 2009, in a game against the Buffalo Bills, Jones rushed for a Jets team record of 210 yards and a touchdown. On December 3, 2009, Jones reached 1,068 rushing yards for the 2009 season. This marked his fifth season in a row with over 1,000 rushing yards.

On January 17, 2010, Jones helped the Jets win a playoff game against the San Diego Chargers. This win meant the Jets would play the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship game. On March 1, 2010, the Jets announced they would release Jones. He was officially released on March 5.

Kansas City Chiefs

Jones signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on March 9, 2010.

In Week 15 against the St. Louis Rams, Jones ran for 62 yards and one touchdown. In this game, he reached the 10,000-yard rushing mark. At that time, he was only the 25th player in NFL history to do so.

NFL Career Statistics

New York Jets Team Records

• Most rushing touchdowns in a single season (14 in 2009)

Football Career Awards and Highlights

• Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Nominee
• Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (2018)
• Member of the NFL's 10,000 Rushing Yards Club
• Pro Bowl (2008)
• First-team All-Pro PFWA (2008)
• First-team All-AFC (2008)
• Consensus All-American (1999)
• First-team All ACC (1999)
• First-team All ACC (1998)

Life After Football

Thomas Jones has decided to donate his brain to the Sports Legacy Institute after his death. This institute studies the connection between sports and brain injuries. In January 2017, Jones said that if he could go back in time, he would not play football because of the physical effects on his body.

Jones is also the founder and CEO of a technology company called Castar Applications Inc.

Acting Career

After his football career, Jones became a film and television actor. He performs under the name Thomas Q. Jones.

Jones owns a production company called Independently Major Entertainment Films (IME Films). This company produced A Violent Man (2019) for Sony Pictures, in which he starred. He also played a main role in the independent film Runaway Island (2015). He appeared in Straight Outta Compton (2015), a movie about the hip-hop group N.W.A.

In 2016, Jones produced and acted in a movie based on the graphic novel Loyalty. He also acted in the short film Love and the Line and the feature film 9 Rides.

In television, Jones is well-known for playing the Marvel character "Comanche" in the Netflix series Luke Cage. He also appeared in the BET Network series Tales. He had a recurring role in Seasons 2 and 3 of the BET drama series Being Mary Jane. On the TV ONE comedy series Born Again Virgin, Jones played a guest role as a commercial pilot. He also appeared in the Showtime series Shameless and IFC's Comedy Bang! Bang!. Jones has a recurring role in the Starz series P-Valley (2020).

Filmography

Film Roles

Television Roles