Bert Jones

Born September 7, 1951, in Ruston, Louisiana, Bertram Hays Jones grew up as the son of Dub Jones, a halfback who played ten years in the All-America Football Conference and National Football League for the Cleveland Browns. Jones attended Ruston High School, where he earned the nickname "the Ruston Rifle" for his powerful throwing arm. He attended Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, starting only two games prior to the end of his junior year but then starting every game thereafter, leading LSU to a 12-2-1 record. Despite splitting time with Paul Lyons in 1971 due to conflicts with head coach Charlie McClendon, Jones took over as full-time starter in 1972.

During the 1972 season, Jones threw for 1,446 yards with fourteen touchdowns while leading LSU to a top-ten ranking for the entire season. His most famous college moment came against Ole Miss when he hit running back Brad Davis in the end zone for a touchdown as time expired, giving LSU a 17-16 last-second victory. He became the first quarterback in LSU history to earn consensus All-American honors, finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting, and was named Sporting News Player of the Year. Jones completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 3,225 yards and twenty-eight touchdowns in seventeen games at LSU—the most career passing yards and touchdowns in school history at the time. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2016.

The Baltimore Colts selected Jones with the second overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft as heir apparent to Johnny Unitas. Strengths included a cannon arm, exceptional field vision, pinpoint accuracy, and fierce competitiveness that earned him respect throughout the league. He led the Colts to three consecutive AFC East division titles from 1975 to 1977, though Baltimore lost in the first round each year, including the famous 1977 "Ghost to the Post" playoff game to Oakland, which remains the fourth-longest game in NFL history.

Jones's 1976 season stands as one of the greatest quarterback performances of the decade. He threw for a league-leading 3,104 yards with twenty-four touchdowns and compiled a 102.5 passer rating—one of only three quarterbacks to achieve a 100+ rating during the entire 1970s alongside Roger Staubach and Ken Stabler. He was named NFL Most Valuable Player, NFL Offensive Player of the Year, first-team All-Pro, and selected to the Pro Bowl. New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick later called Jones the best "pure passer" he ever saw.

Shoulder and neck injuries curtailed Jones's career after 1977. He retired in 1982 with 18,190 passing yards and a 78.2 passer rating across 102 games.