The Greatest Cub Fan of All Time... or At Least One of Them!

From the time he was born, Bill Jones Sr was introduced or perhaps more accurately indoctrinated by his father to the addiction called Chicago Cubs Baseball! At age three Bill began listening to Cub games with his father on WGN Radio. On July 28th, 1939, just one month before his 5th birthday, Bill Jones Sr was heading to the first of many visits to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field!

What should have been a very happy visit to Wrigley Field on that July afternoon turned out to be a big disappointment. When the New York Giants took the field, young Bill was very upset. His father of course wondered why. Young Bill vehemently explained his frustration by telling his dad “Those aren’t Giants, they’re just regular size guys”! The Cubs tried to save the day by pulling out the win 5-4. But it took a little time for this 5-year-old to get over the disappointment of not seeing real giants! With time and a couple more trips to Wrigleyville, Bill Sr became a die hard, blue bleeding Chicago Cubs fan.

Bill’s connection to the Cubs nurtured his love of baseball. A graduate of Gary Emerson High School, Bill played multiple sports on the varsity level, but baseball was his passion. Bill played first base and was a talented left-handed pitcher. One of his great thrills was being invited to throw batting practice at Wrigley during his senior year of high school. He continued to follow the Cubs after joining the Army and even played on the post baseball team at Fort Carson. Coincidentally one of his teammates was none other than Cub outfielder George Altman. Bill had hopes of playing in the big league, but a broken collar bone took some speed off the fastball, so he moved on to the next chapter of life. Bill became a successful insurance professional, who volunteered as a Little League and Biddy Basketball Coach. Bill also volunteered as an umpire at Junedale Little League, He and his late wife raised three children in a household where Cubs Baseball was taught as a family value!

On September 8th Bill Jones Sr. along his son Bill Jr., God Son James Burns of Napierville and a few friends will make another visit to Wrigleyville! The trip is part of a celebration of Bill’s 90th birthday! The Jones clan is blessed because Bill has aged very gracefully. He is still in excellent physical condition, plays golf a few times a year, travels to see family around the country and still drives! His physical health plays second fiddle to his mind. Bill’s memory of the Cubs, Bears, Blackhawks, Notre Dame football and his children’s youth is better than anyone in the family. His mantra for years has been “I’m going to live to 100”. And when Bill says live, he has always meant living life to the fullest. His family thinks a lot of that comes from Bill’s admiration of the late Cub first baseman Ernie Banks. Bill always enjoyed hearing Ernie say, “let’s play two”!