Walter Jones
Pickens County native Walter Junior Jones (1974- ) was a star offensive tackle who played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and professional football for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He is considered one of the greatest athletes to ever play offensive tackle at the professional level. Jones played at left tackle for the Seahawks for 12 seasons, started in Super Bowl XL, and received nine Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections. In 2014 Jones was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Jones was born on January 19, 1974, in Aliceville, Pickens County, to Walter Ray Jones and Earline Jones. The second youngest of eight siblings, Jones was raised primarily by his mother in Aliceville and attended Aliceville High School. He began playing football when the head football coach recruited him to play on the offensive line because of his large size. Jones was a standout player but was forced to leave the team after struggling academically, which led him to attend French Camp Academy in Mississippi to complete his high school education. Because his grades at graduation weren’t high enough to qualify him to play at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level, Jones attended Holmes Community College in Mississippi on a football scholarship for two seasons. There, he improved his grades and had a successful two-season run as one of Holmes’ starting offensive tackles. After being named Mississippi Junior College Player of the Year in 1994, Jones committed to play for the Florida State Seminoles under head coach and Birmingham, Jefferson County, native Bobby Bowden.
Jones played only one year for the Seminoles, his junior year, but became one of the most coveted NFL draft prospects and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Florida State football players of all time. During the 1996 season he started 11 games, allowed only one sack, and was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference and second-team All-American. Jones forfeited his senior year eligibility to enter the 1997 NFL draft as one of the top prospects. The Seahawks traded up to the sixth pick in the first round to select Jones, who played all 180 of his NFL games with the team and became one of the franchise’s most decorated players.
Jones had a strong rookie season as he became the team’s starting left tackle, was named Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, and was named to the 1997 NFL All-Rookie Team. In the 1999 season, he became the Seahawks’ first offensive lineman to be selected for the Pro Bowl and helped the team to its first playoff appearance since 1988. From there, Jones’s blocking contributed to eight consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons for the team’s starting running backs: Ricky Watters, from 1998 to 2000, and former University of Alabama Crimson Tide running back Shaun Alexander, from 2001 to 2005. In the 2005 season, Jones helped pave the way for Alexander to set a career high in rushing yards (1,880), which also led the league and set a team record. Alexander also led the league and set a team record for total touchdowns (28) on his way to winning the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. That year, the Seahawks offense recorded the most points in the league (452) and second-most yards (5,195) as they made their first Super Bowl appearance in team history. Jones started in Super Bowl XL against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which the Seahawks lost 21-10.
Throughout his 12 seasons, Jones allowed only 23 sacks and recorded only 33 penalties, set the franchise record for Pro Bowl selections with nine, and set the franchise record for postseason starts with ten. Jones played his last season in 2008 and earned his sixth All-Pro selection despite an injury-shortened season. He returned to the team in 2009 for a 13th season but was unable to play due to a lingering knee injury. On April 29, 2010, Jones announced his retirement from professional football. For Jones’s contributions to the Seahawks, Washington governor Christine Gregoire declared that April 30, 2010, was “Walter Jones Day.”
In 2005, Jones moved his family to Harvest, Madison County, after visiting family in Harvest and realizing how much he loved the area. He split his time between Alabama and Seattle for several years before settling in Seattle. However, he has since maintained ties with the Harvest area through charity work. Following retirement, Jones became the second Seahawks player to have his number (71) retired. Jones was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014, his first year of eligibility, and was the first Seahawks offensive lineman inducted. That same year, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and was added to the Seahawks Ring of Honor. He was also named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team and the NFL 100 All-Time Team.
