LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Dean Smith had Bill Guthridge, Adolph Rupp had Harry Lancaster and Denny Crum had Jerry Jones.
In Jones, Crum had an assistant coach that he trusted with everything — game planning, practice schedules, player development, out-of-bounds plays, travel, summer camps and public appearances.
Jerry Jones was the Glue Guy in the success Crum had building University of Louisville men’s basketball into a national power.
Jones was 89 when he died at his home in Jeffersonville Monday morning. Coach Jones was a Cardinal Forever before the marketing folks created that term.
I’ll Guaran-Darn-Tee you nobody did it better — and Guaran-Darn-Tee you was one of Jerry Jones’ go-to phrases.
Some assistant coaches burn with ambition. The next job is the best job. They’re invested in getting their opportunity to become a head coach and enjoy the attention, success and financial rewards that come with being the man in charge.
Denny Crum on the bench with Jerry Jones during a University of Louisville men's basketball game. (Photo courtesy of Louisville Athletics)
Jerry Jones burned with loyalty and his appreciation of friendship. Those were two of his driving principles.
His reward was playing a critical role in making certain the University of Louisville men’s basketball program succeeded. His reward was watching former Cards excel in the NBA or in business careers or watching younger coaches like Scott Davenport advance in that demanding business.
He was intense without being overbearing, confident without being casual and supportive without being a pushover. His personality fit perfectly in the Louisville basketball environment that Crum built.
Jones didn’t chase the next big job. Numerous athletic directors were aware of the essential work Jones performed while assisting Crum. Jones had frequent opportunities to leave Louisville to run a Division I program.
No, was always his answer. Check that. NO, was always his answer.
He loved working for Crum and athletic director Bill Olsen, two lifelong friends. Jerry Jones invested in the University of Louisville.
He celebrated making Southern Indiana his home, especially during the off season when you could not chase him off the Jeffersonville Elks Golf Course.
Jerry Jones didn’t seek the spotlight. He didn’t need the spotlight. His focus was on helping Crum and the players exhale and excel in the spotlight.
Jerry Jones gives out instructions doing a basketball game. (Photo courtesy of Louisville Athletics)
Didn’t matter if Louisville was ahead by 10 or behind by 10. Jones had the same response: “We’ve got ‘em right where we want ‘em.”
Jones never flinched. He was the guy Crum listened to when Jones suggested a defensive matchup or substitution, usually dressed in his trademark Cardinal sport jacket while parked next to Crum on the Louisville bench.
Jones played that role as well as it could be played. The seeds of the Jones and Crum friendship were planted on the West Coast. Crum assisted John Wooden at UCLA. Jones worked across town in Malibu, as an assistant coach at Pepperdine.
Crum brought Jones to Louisville in 1972 before the start of Crum’s second season with the Cardinals. Crum never left town, even though the basketball world expected him to return to UCLA one day. Jones never left, even though other Crum assistants like Dana Kirk (Virginia Commonwealth, Memphis) and Wade Houston (Tennessee) pursued head coaching jobs.
Jones did not believe in messing with happy — and he was fulfilled helping Crum construct teams that played in the 1975, 1982 and 1983 Final Fours as well as the ones that won the 1980 and 1986 national titles.
I treasured my relationship with Coach Jones. We graduated from the same high school — Merrillville, in northwest Indiana, about 40 miles from downtown Chicago.
Jones was a Merrillville legend, one of the school’s best players. I was not a Merrillville legend. I could usually make Jones laugh by reminding him that we combined to score 317 points for the Pirates.
Jones scored 315. I scored two.
Jones thought that was hilarious. I told him that as a teenager I remembered listening to him talk hoops on the halftime show during the Gary (Indiana) Holiday High School Tournament from Memorial Auditorium on WWCA, 1270 AM.
Although he worked at Pepperdine, Jones told wonderful stories about the great teams and players at UCLA. He couldn’t believe that I remembered that. But I did.
Then Jones landed in Louisville. I followed him to town by six years. We kept track of the high school happenings in Northwest Indiana, debating which teams were likely to win the sectionals in the state tournament.
Jones was a basketball junkie. So am I. I loved hearing his stories about the great players of the 60s and 70s.
Jones was thrilled when Jerome Harmon, another Gary product, signed with the Cards in 1989.
Jones and his late wife, Beverly, read everything. Football, basketball, baseball golf. Louisville, Kentucky, Indiana, Western Kentucky.
Sometimes they gave a thumbs up to what they read or heard on Van Vance’s WHAS radio show. Sometimes they did not. But you could never question their commitment to the local sports conversation. Any interaction with Coach Jones ended with a laugh. That was his speciality.
Jerry Jones was the Glue Guy for Louisville basketball. And I Guaran-Darn-Tee you that nobody played that role better.
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