One thing we don’t do well at this blog is updating. We are always looking ahead, which is actually looking behind. So we stand still. But this came to my attention at the end of last week. J.J. Jones #11, backup quarterback for the New York Jets in 1975, died in a house fire in Seattle on July 9. The fire is suspected to have been arson, and a nephew is in custody.
At JetNation, the news was joined with an update that Jones himself gave back in March 2008 in reply to the question, “What happened to JJ Jones?” What may have made Jones unique enough to the questioners was the fact that he was the first African-American quarterback for the Gotham Football Club. We recalled him here when we were at #11. To the left you see Jones in relief for Namath in a 37-6 rout of the Jets by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975. Dad was at the game. According to lore, Jones also took over at quarterback for the last game of the season in 1975 when interim coach Ken Shipp benched Namath for missing curfew (I’m sure that’s the only time that ever happened.) But Jones himself, when replying to JetNation’s all-points request, made a provocative comment about Lou Holtz that’s worth reading.
Our thoughts go out to JJ Jones’ family.
