Early Years
Jones was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He was a standout in football when he came to Cardinal O'Hara High School as a freshman. Coach Stratts had no choice but to put him in as a freshman. Jones broke many records at O'Hara and finished his career up with a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship. In that game he scored four touchdowns.
He was the No. 1 overall recruit in the nation, and could not decide between Penn State and Virginia Tech, eventually choosing to be a Hokie to the surprise of many. He said, "If you're a blue-chipper from Pennsylvania, you go to Penn State. But I've always been a little contrary. On the day of my press conference, I still hadn't decided between Virginia Tech and PSU. As I sat down in front of everybody, I had both jerseys with me. I pulled the Penn State jersey out of a bag and said, "I will ... not be attending Penn State." Then I ripped off my sweater and had a Mike Vick jersey on underneath. The entire room was flabbergasted. Afterward, I got plenty of hate mail, lots of it racial. People weren't afraid to use the N-word."
Read more about this topic: Kevin Jones (American Football)
Famous quotes related to early years:
“Parents ... are sometimes a bit of a disappointment to their children. They don’t fulfil the promise of their early years.”
—Anthony Powell (b. 1905)