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Well-Known Member
A&M to get bite back, Jones vows
01/25/02
SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR.
News staff writer
HUNTSVILLE Anthony Jones didn't grade himself against the football teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Conference or even the rest of Division II when he was at Morehouse College. The former Maroon Tigers coach used a taller measuring stick.
"When you start looking at the Sheridan Black College Poll, I wanted to be in the top 10 when I was at Morehouse," said Jones, who was introduced Thursday as the new football coach at Alabama A&M. "Last year, I think we were seventh, something like that, and this year we were tied for 10th.
"There were only three or four teams in there that were Division II programs," he recalled. "Everyone else was I-AA. I'd go after I-A and I-AA student-athletes. That's how we were successful in turning our program around."
Bulldog faithful hope Jones can pull off a similar turnaround with an A&M team that finished 4-7 in 2001 after playing in the HealthSouth SWAC Championship Game a season earlier.
Athletics Director James Martin Sr. fulfilled one bit of paperwork as Thursday's conference began, handing Jones a contract to sign.
"Don't read it, just sign it," Martin joked. "Now that's the mark of a good head football coach."
Jones, signing the document, completed Martin's thought: "Follow my athletic director's lead."
The new coach agreed to a four-year contract with a base value of about $100,000. He can make more money with incentive clauses, including making it to the SWAC championship game and winning classic games.
Jones makes additional money through his weekly TV and radio shows. He also gets a new car every year, the first one being a Ford Expedition.
"I'm going to tell my kids how we're going to work and I'm going to roll up my sleeves, just like they are, and we're going to work," the coach said. "I think (fans) can expect to see an offense that is very diverse. The ball will be thrown all over the field (but) we're going to go into the fight with both hands. We're going to be a team that can run the ball and throw the ball."
The 41-year-old declined to say which of the current assistant coaches at A&M would remain on his staff. Citing the importance of loyalty, he said his staff will likely be a mixture of current assistants and those who coached with him at Morehouse.
Jones becomes the latest to walk through the near revolving door to the head football coach's office. He becomes the sixth coach in the past 12 years, following Ron Cooper (22-23 in four seasons), Ken Pettiford (19-14 in three seasons), Reggie Oliver (4-7 in one season), Ray Bonner (9-17-1 in 2? seasons) and George Pugh (17-12 in 2? seasons).
But the former Maroon Tigers coach has experience walking through a revolving door. He was the fourth coach in four years and the seventh hired in the'90s when he took over at Morehouse.
"You take an 0-11 program and whip it into shape, I don't care if you're in peewee ball, you've done a great job," Martin said.
The Maroon Tigers won two games in Jones' first season. They followed that with back-to-back eight-victory campaigns and he won back-to-back coach of the year honors in the SIAC.
01/25/02
SOLOMON CRENSHAW JR.
News staff writer
HUNTSVILLE Anthony Jones didn't grade himself against the football teams in the Southern Intercollegiate Conference or even the rest of Division II when he was at Morehouse College. The former Maroon Tigers coach used a taller measuring stick.
"When you start looking at the Sheridan Black College Poll, I wanted to be in the top 10 when I was at Morehouse," said Jones, who was introduced Thursday as the new football coach at Alabama A&M. "Last year, I think we were seventh, something like that, and this year we were tied for 10th.
"There were only three or four teams in there that were Division II programs," he recalled. "Everyone else was I-AA. I'd go after I-A and I-AA student-athletes. That's how we were successful in turning our program around."
Bulldog faithful hope Jones can pull off a similar turnaround with an A&M team that finished 4-7 in 2001 after playing in the HealthSouth SWAC Championship Game a season earlier.
Athletics Director James Martin Sr. fulfilled one bit of paperwork as Thursday's conference began, handing Jones a contract to sign.
"Don't read it, just sign it," Martin joked. "Now that's the mark of a good head football coach."
Jones, signing the document, completed Martin's thought: "Follow my athletic director's lead."
The new coach agreed to a four-year contract with a base value of about $100,000. He can make more money with incentive clauses, including making it to the SWAC championship game and winning classic games.
Jones makes additional money through his weekly TV and radio shows. He also gets a new car every year, the first one being a Ford Expedition.
"I'm going to tell my kids how we're going to work and I'm going to roll up my sleeves, just like they are, and we're going to work," the coach said. "I think (fans) can expect to see an offense that is very diverse. The ball will be thrown all over the field (but) we're going to go into the fight with both hands. We're going to be a team that can run the ball and throw the ball."
The 41-year-old declined to say which of the current assistant coaches at A&M would remain on his staff. Citing the importance of loyalty, he said his staff will likely be a mixture of current assistants and those who coached with him at Morehouse.
Jones becomes the latest to walk through the near revolving door to the head football coach's office. He becomes the sixth coach in the past 12 years, following Ron Cooper (22-23 in four seasons), Ken Pettiford (19-14 in three seasons), Reggie Oliver (4-7 in one season), Ray Bonner (9-17-1 in 2? seasons) and George Pugh (17-12 in 2? seasons).
But the former Maroon Tigers coach has experience walking through a revolving door. He was the fourth coach in four years and the seventh hired in the'90s when he took over at Morehouse.
"You take an 0-11 program and whip it into shape, I don't care if you're in peewee ball, you've done a great job," Martin said.
The Maroon Tigers won two games in Jones' first season. They followed that with back-to-back eight-victory campaigns and he won back-to-back coach of the year honors in the SIAC.