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Player Spotlight – James Jones

March 24, 2004 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Black Hills Red Dogs News Release


When a team takes the field it is known they want to exploit their opponent's weak spot, and at a glance James Jones looks like the easy target. Standing an intimidating 5'6", Jones shows that true skill has no height requirement. "When I was six years old I wanted to play basketball, but my grandmother told me I was playing football instead. As it worked out, grandma knew best," said Jones. When asked about receiving player of the week honors, Jones stated that he was extremely honored. In his indoor football debut, Jones racked up 15 combined tackles against Lincoln. The El Rino, Oklahoma native has been playing football for 18 years now, including his college years at the University of Northern Colorado.

After college, Jones got into playing semi-pro eleven-man football in Colorado. He had never heard of the NIFL, until he was approached by Defensive Coordinator Damon Ware to try out for the Black Hills Red Dogs. "When I found Jones," Coach Ware says, "He was trying out for a semi-pro team, and I knew he was better than that. I pulled him to the side and told him it was time to take the next step up on the ladder. James may be the smallest player on our roster, but he has one of the biggest hearts. He is extremely talented, and that is the very reason he is here. It will not surprise me to see James Jones playing at an even higher level in the future, because he is that talented, despite his size."

At the age of six, Jones promised his grandmother that he would play this game at the pro level. His grandmother promised not to die until he did. Having been sick the past two years, James' grandmother held on long enough to see her beloved grandson sign a professional contract. "My grandma passed shortly before we had to report to training camp, and that was a difficult time. My grandma believed in me, and she taught me a lot about life. I miss her every day, but I know she is still watching me play."

In his chosen career as a kindergarten teacher, James gets the opportunity to work with children, which he loves very much. Being a proud father of one child of his own, a beautiful 3 year old daughter named Aubree, working with children comes naturally. James misses his daughter immensely, as she still resides in Greeley, Co. with her mother. When not away playing football Jones likes to spend as much time, as well as money, as he can with his little princess. "Going out into the community is so much fun. It is exciting to interact with the kids, especially now that I have a pro football career. It is really cool when I get to sign autographs for the children and take pictures with them."

When asked what he thought made him most notable to the public, Jones smiled and said, "I wish I could say that it is just because of my good sportsmanship, but it has a lot to do with my height. All the time people say to me, ‘I know you, your that little #33.' Just for a change I wish I could hear them say, ‘Hey I know you, you're that #33.' But as long as they know me, that's all that really matters." By the seasons end, everyone could know him as "Big 33", if he plays as good or better over the next 14 weeks.

After starting the first two games of the season, Jones has quickly risen above all others on defense. He has 23 tackles (17 assisted), 2 break-ups, and 4 kick returns for 27 yards (second on the team behind Mike Scott). "The losses bother me, especially the latest one, but I'm just going to go out there and keep playing this game that I love. My teammates and I, we are from all across the U.S., but we have a common goal, we want to win. We are going to win."

Your next opportunity to see Jones and his teammates in action at home will be at 7:00pm on Saturday, April 10th, at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. All Red Dogs players encourage you to bring a friend, and to be as loud as you can when the Red Dogs are on defense. For ticket information please call 394-4111 or 1-800-GOT-MINE.



National Indoor Football League Stories from March 24, 2004


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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