William Stigler Jones (October 26, 1938 â March 12, 2014) was an American basketball player and coach from Washington D.C. known for his flamboyance as a championship college basketball coach. He was known for his coaching tenures at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) and Norfolk State University.
As a star at Dunbar High School (DC), he was known as Willie Jones and developed into Washington D.C.âÂÂsàfinest jump shooter and led the city in scoring in 1956.
In 1957, Jones joined former Spingarn H.S star Dick Wells on DCâÂÂs first racially integrated college basketball team under Mexican American coach David Carrasco at American University.
Wells and Jones led the American University Eagles (AU) to three consecutive Mason-Dixon and Eastern Regional championships. àDuring the summers, Willie held his own on the DistrictâÂÂs competitive playgrounds against such future NBA Hall of Famers as Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor. One observer remembers âÂÂWillie Jones, whose skills and verbosity made him a D.C. playground legend in the 1950s â heâÂÂs known as the cityâÂÂs original trash talker â is remembered as the most colorful performer in the Baylor and Chamberlain games.â He had tremendous self confidence and once told the Washington Post, âÂÂWhen I went to a tournament the first thing I asked was, âÂÂWhereâÂÂs the MVP trophy? Because thatâÂÂs gonna be in my case tomorrow.âÂÂâÂÂâÂÂ
Jones repeatedly broke AU and conference scoring records and in 1959 his court wizardry gave AU its greatest athletic hour when he pumped in 30 points to lead CarrascoâÂÂs team to their first victory over Georgetown, 94âÂÂ67.
In the elite eight 1960 NCAA tournament Willie set a record in scoring an astonishing 54 points (before the 3 point line was installed) against National Champion (Division II) Evansville on their home court.
Jones was named to the first-team, All-American College Division squad that year and invited to the Olympic Trials in Denver, Colorado. The Eagles retired his number after his career was over, joining Kermit Washington N.B.A star as the only other AU player with that honor.
Following his college career, he played for the Baltimore Bullets of the Eastern Professional Basketball league along with Bill Spivey and Sherman White. Georgetown coach John Thompson said of his ability âÂÂThe tiny scoring guard Wil Jones could have been great in the N.B.A. Little Wil was a shooterâÂÂs shooter, talked a whole lot of trash, and always backed it up.âÂÂ
Following his playing career, he became winning a high school coach for Robinson Secondary School., as the first African American coach in Northern Virginia. According to one journalist he became âÂÂthe most entertaining coach in the history of Northern Virginia, or of the whole area for that matter.âÂÂ,
After a stint as an assistant for Lefty Driesell at Maryland, where he recruited excellent African American players, Jones was named head coach at the University of the District of Columbia in 1979 and won the 1982 Division II national title. Sports Illustrated noted Wil Jonesâ recruiting talent, "In the most amazing recruiting coup the college game has seen in recent years, the coach persuaded 6'11", 215-pound Earl Jones (no relation), the most highly publicized high school player in the nation last season, to forsake the glamorous heavyweights of Division I for Division II UDC." Earl Jones had been recruited by the top programs in the country, but had an uncertain academic future.
Wil Jones is appreciated for hiring NCAAâÂÂs first Female Assistant Basketball Coach Cheryl Roberts at UDC in 1981.
Coach Jones also recruited leaper Michael Britt who teamed with Earl Jones to lead the UDC FirebirdsÃÂ back to backÃÂ NCAA Division II Final Fours, where they were runners-up in 1983.
In 1988, eligibility irregularities were found in Jones' UDC program. The school had to forfeit 11 games for playing an ineligible transfer and he was reassigned and then fired. However, after five years Jones was reinstated as head coach by legal order.
In 1999, Jones moved to Norfolk State, citing a desire to coach at the Division I level. He was head coach for the Spartans for three seasons, compiling a record of 34âÂÂ52.
Wil Jones died of Pancreatic cancer in Virginia Beach, Virginia on March 12, 2014. John Thompson sums up Wil Jonesâ personality and basketball status in the Washington D.C. area when he told Sports Illustrated in 1980, âÂÂHe was the Muhammad Ali of basketball. He was an extremely confident person on the court, and he could be very aggravating, but I like him.âÂÂ
Jones' brother Frank Jones, Sr. resides in Maryland. His wife Gail Tate-Jones resides in Virginia Beach. He has one son William S. Jones Jr. and three grandsons (Los Angeles California) and nephews Frank Jones Jr, Frank Jones III, nieces Tia Jones and Kristy Jones of Maryland.