A family reunion may not be the likeliest of places to find a man who used to be a part of a group nicknamed “The Bruise Brothers,” but that’s where Leroy Jones has been this weekend.
Jones, 59, a former defensive end for the San Diego Chargers, grew up in Greenwood and came home for the Jones-Towers-Tidwell-Sudduth reunion. He said he tries to make it back to his hometown a few times per year.
“It’s good to come back and see some of my old friends,” Jones said.
Jones was a part of the “Bruise Brothers” the Chargers defensive line also composed of All-Pro's Fred Dean, Gary "Big Hands" Johnson, and Louie Kelcher.
Jones said he would have went All-Pro that year as well, but was withheld because his coaches had not voted for him.
“They explained it to me and said I would get to play next year,” Jones said. “But, I got hurt the next year.”
Despite an injury that kept him from playing a few more seasons, Jones said he recorded 81 career sacks and averaged about 12 per season. He also had three touchdowns, five interceptions and nine blocked field goals.
He said that when he played, from 1976-1983, defensive players were given more attention.
“Now it’s about the offense, the glamour-boys,” he said. “They glamorize a few defensive players, but it’s mostly about the receivers and the quarterbacks.”
Jones said that the game has also become less about a love for taking the field and more about the money the players spend off the field.
“Back when I played only a few guys were making over a million dollars,” he said. “When they signed me for $400,000 for four years, I thought I was a king.”
Mississippi Valley State University tried to recruit Jones, but he ultimately chose to play at Norfolk State, where he told the staff he wanted his sister to have a contract to play basketball. The school agreed.
He said that part of the reason he played at Norfolk was a trick pulled by a local coach and Norfolk alum when they went to visit the campus.
“He took me to Old Dominion’s campus,” he said. “When I came back to campus I was confused because there were only four buildings.”
He said one of his favorite NFL moments was playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in 1979. Events during that game earned Jones the nickname of “Wrong Way Jones.”
“I was rushing the quarterback and I tapped the ball,” he said. “When I picked it up I ran the wrong way for about 20 yards.”
The play ended well, as Jones soon heard “wrong way,” being shouted from the sidelines. He got himself oriented, reversed direction and scored a touchdown.
Jones is now living in Orlando, but maintains rental houses here. He now helps with the homeless and spends time fishing the ocean for whatever is in season.
He routinely travels about to visit family.
“Family is everything,” Jones said.
They alternate the site of their reunion from Greenwood, to Chicago, St. Louis and Florida. He said next year they are considering a reunion in Texas.
He said that kids interested in heading toward a life of professional sports, or any sort of success in life need to stay focused. He said he thinks computers and cell phones are ruining modern children.
“Without school you can’t do anything,” he said. “When you’re looking at a 200 page playbook and the offense makes a shift you have to be able to think quick.”
He said that kids today need more recreational programs and summer training to keep them active and out of trouble.
“Training starts at home,” he said. “They kids need something they can do in their communities.”
Cassandra Jones, Leroy’s niece, is heading up the Greenwood reunion this year. She has a trophy that she plans to give to him on Sunday.
“So many people wait to honor people when they are dead,” she said. “I wanted to let him know how much we appreciate him now.”
• Contact Taylor Kuykendall at tkuykendall@gwcommonwealth.com.
