#Julius jones nfl professional#

In 2003, although he began the season as a backup to Ryan Grant, he became the starter after the fifth game when he set a single-game school record for rushing yards (262) against the University of Pittsburgh. In 2002, he was suspended from the team because of academic reasons. As a sophomore, he was a part of a three-back rotation that included Tony Fisher and Terrance Howard, which limited him to only three 100 rushing yards games. As a freshman, he was a backup, playing mainly on special teams, while leading the team in both kickoff and punt return yardage, he also recorded 146-rushing yards and one touchdown against Navy. Jones played college football at the University of Notre Dame from 1999–20. He also played safety and had 10 career interceptions. He finished his high school career with 614 carries for 5,803 yards and 86 touchdowns. He contributed to his school winning 28 straight games and the Virginia Group A-Division II state title in 19 while being named the Virginia Group A Offensive Player of the Year in both years. In football, as a senior he registered 2,564 yards and 36 touchdowns, earning honorable-mention USA Today All-American honors.

He attended Powell Valley High School, where he was a letterman in football, basketball, and track.

#Julius jones nfl professional#

Jones credits his parents with instilling the ambition and strong work ethic that he is known for in professional football. While in Appalachia, Virginia, his father encouraged the children to learn five new words per day and made them read the front page of the newspaper before they could read the sports section. His mother, Betty, worked the graveyard shift in a Virginia coal mine for nearly 20 years while raising seven children, including his big brother Thomas Jones. Jones was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.