2013/08/31

Howard Harding Jones (1910)



As of 2013, Ohio State has six former head coaches enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. The first of those six dates back to the Buckeyes' 1910 head coach, the legendary Howard Jones.

Jones, born in Excello, Ohio in 1885, played football at Yale from 1905-1907. The Bulldogs never lost a single game during his days in New Haven, claiming three straight National Championships.

Following his playing career, he got his coaching start at Syracuse in 1908 (6-3-1). He spent the next season at his alma mater, leading Yale to a 10-0 record and the National Championship. Following the season, he moved to Columbus to takeover the Buckeyes football program in 1910.

During his only season at Ohio State, Jones led the Buckeyes to a 6-1-3 record. One of those three ties was playing Fielding Yost's powerhouse Michigan team to a 3-3 final score.

Coach Jones would spend five of the next six years in private business, returning to the gridiron again as the Yale coach in 1913 (5-2-3).

In 1916, Jones headed back to the sideline for good when he was hired as the head coach at Iowa. He'd spend the next eight seasons creating a powerhouse in Iowa City. His Hawkeyes posted back-to-back undefeated seasons in 1921 and 1922, led by College Football Hall of Fame tackle Duke Slater.

College football historian Parke H. Davis later deemed the Hawkeyes as his National Champion for the 1921 season.

Iowa compiled a 42-17-1 record with Howard Jones leading their program.

Jones' wife didn't particularly feel at home in Iowa City, so Jones tried to rework his contract following the 1923 season. The terms that he would only live in Iowa City during the football season led to a conflict between he and the Athletics Board at Iowa, ultimately, leading to his resignation as coach and Athletic Director.

It didn't take long for him to find a new job as he was hired by Trinity College, now known as Duke University. After a one-year stint that resulted in a 4-5 mark, Jones found his permanent home in Southern California.

Howard Jones would spend the next 16 seasons as the USC head coach, leading the Trojans to seven conference crowns and four national titles (1928, 1931, 1932, and 1939).

In the summer before the 1941 season, Jones unexpectedly suffered a heart attack and passed away on July 27, 1941, at the age of 55. Several thousand attended his funeral before he was buried back in Middletown, Ohio.

He finished his coaching career with an impressive 194-64-21 record, 121 of those wins coming at Southern Cal.

Howard Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a part of the inaugural class in 1951.

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