Jones' Work Ethic Took Him From Richards to Iowa and the NFL

Former Richards football coach Gary Korhonen made a habit out of being the first person on the practice field and last one to leave in the evening.

That wasn’t necessarily the case when offensive lineman Mike Jones played for the Bulldogs.

“I remember being in the car getting ready to leave, thinking everyone was gone and then all of a sudden I would hear noises,” Korhonen said. “I couldn’t see anything because it was dark, but I could hear voices. It was just Mike out on the field working with his brother Jim.”

That kind of work ethic served the Jones brothers well.

Mike went on to start three-and-a-half seasons at the University of Iowa, while Jim was a two-year starting right guard at Notre Dame. Both also got a taste of NFL life.

“They were without question the two best linemen in Richards’ history, and I’m not sure that will change down the road,” Korhonen said. “They are great young men that came from a great family. Their work ethic was above and beyond anything I could’ve imagined. They were two absolutely great kids on and off the field.”

Mike, a 2002 Richards graduate, always knew he was going to follow in the footsteps of his brother Jim, who made the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster in 2004, and played football for the Bulldogs.

A little nudge from his older sibling, who graduated in 1995 and later coached at Richards, helped Mike make history for the Bulldogs, however.

“I was 6-3, 180 pounds my freshman year and just an average player,” said Jones, who was 6-5, 302 pounds his senior year at Iowa. “My brother put the idea in front of me that I could play varsity as a sophomore, which is something that had never been done before at Richards for an offensive lineman.

"He would teach me whatever he learned at Notre Dame or in the NFL. Just having him around benefited me a lot. He pushed me to get bigger and stronger.”

Richards finished 35-3 during Mike Jones’ three-year varsity career, including reaching the Class 6A state championship game in 2001 before losing to Providence Catholic 41-0.

The Bulldogs, who were averaging 38 points a game, played the title game without injured Jason Orozco, who rushed for a school-record 2,031 yards and had 26 touchdowns thanks in part to the blocking of Jones and the offensive line.

“I remember every week, he’d give us the credit, and we’d give him the credit,” Jones said. “We had a nice group of offensive linemen, but no one ran as hard as he did. He wasn’t the fastest or biggest kid, but he loved playing football.

"He was a huge part of the team and losing him definitely hurt. I was fortunate enough to have a great run when I was there. We had a lot of talent and great coaches. We accomplished a lot, being state runners-up.”

Winning Ways Continue at Iowa

The success continued for Jones at Iowa.

Jones was redshirted his freshman season, but an injury created an opportunity for him to play, and he never left the starting lineup the rest of his collegiate career, including playing in four bowl games and earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a senior.

Iowa beat Florida in the Outback Bowl 37-17 in 2004 and LSU 30-25 in the Capital One Bowl the next season, finishing eighth in the final Associated Press Poll both years.

“As soon as I stepped on the field at Iowa, I realized I was not the biggest or strongest kid anymore,” Jones said. “I had to adjust to the speed of the game. I really had to push myself. I tried to continually improve from year one until year four and I think I did. It was an exciting career.”

Close But No NFL Cigar

Despite his collegiate success, Jones went undrafted by the NFL but signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 2007. He was released after the third preseason game, but was picked up by the Bears and was on their practice squad until a week after the 2008 NFL Draft.

He later signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but on the fifth play of the first preseason game, Jones suffered a third-degree shoulder separation and was placed on injured reserve.

Soon after that, Jones started studying at Trinity Christian College to be a special education teacher, a position he currently holds at Bolingbrook High School.

“It was tough to say the least,” Jones said. “I was kind of considered damaged goods after that. It was hard not knowing what was next. There are ups and downs in life, but I continued to work and believed in myself.”

COMING THURSDAY: Log on at 6 a.m. Thursday to find out what former Richards football standout Mike Jones is doing nowadays.