Wallace Jones facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | July 14, 1926 Harlan, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||
| Died | July 27, 2014 (aged 88) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
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| High school | Harlan (Harlan, Kentucky) | |||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Kentucky (1945–1949) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1949 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Washington Capitols | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1949–1952 | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 1949–1952 | Indianapolis Olympians | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 1,428 (10.2 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 408 (5.1 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 429 (3.1 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones (born July 14, 1926 – died July 27, 2014) was a famous American basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1949 to 1952. He was part of the Indianapolis Olympians team.
Wallace Jones was known for being a talented athlete in many sports. He achieved great success in both college and professional basketball. He even won an Olympic gold medal!
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Wallace Jones's Early Life and Sports Career
Wallace Jones was born in Harlan, Kentucky. He went to Harlan High School. There, he became a basketball star. He set a national scoring record and helped his school win a state championship. He was also an amazing player in football and baseball, earning "all-state" honors in all three sports.
College Years at the University of Kentucky
After high school, Jones went to the University of Kentucky. He continued to play football, basketball, and baseball for the university.
In football, he was chosen as an All-SEC player twice. In basketball, he was named an All-American three times. He was also an All-SEC player four times. He led the Kentucky Wildcats basketball team to win two NCAA Championships. These big wins happened in 1948 and 1949.
Jones was also part of the 1948 Olympic team. This team won a gold medal! He played alongside the famous "Fabulous Five" from Kentucky. During his four years at Kentucky, the basketball team had an amazing record of 130 wins and only 10 losses. They won the SEC championship every single year.
Unique Achievements in College Sports
Wallace Jones is special because he was an All-American in two different sports. He achieved this under two legendary coaches at Kentucky. One was Adolph Rupp for basketball, and the other was Bear Bryant for football. He is the only player in Kentucky's history to have his jersey number retired in both football and basketball. This means his numbers are honored and no other player can use them.
Life After Professional Sports
In 1953, Jones was elected as the sheriff of Fayette County, Kentucky. A sheriff is a law enforcement officer. In 1956, he ran for a political office in the United States House of Representatives. He was the Republican candidate for Kentucky's 6th congressional district. Even though his party's presidential candidate, Dwight Eisenhower, won in Kentucky, Jones did not win his election. He lost to Democrat John C. Watts.
In 1978, Jones started a bus company called "Blue Grass Tours." This company provides buses for the UK Athletics department. Today, his son Wallace (Wah) Jones and grandson Corey Jones run the company. They manage a fleet of coach buses for the athletic teams.
Why "Wah Wah"?
Wallace Jones got his famous nickname, "Wah Wah," when he was very young. His younger sister, Jackie, was just learning to talk. She couldn't say "Wallace" properly, so she called him "Wah Wah" instead!
When Wallace Jones Passed Away
Wallace Jones died in Lexington, Kentucky, on July 27, 2014. He was 88 years old.
