Reginald Jones story begins in historic Fifth Ward, Texas born in 1954 the fifth child of six children to the union of Robert and Erdie Jones. Our family was a tight knit and we shared lots of love. Unfortunately, my father died when I was two years old leaving my mother to fend for us and she did just that with determination, strictness, and her faith in God. We were members of the Pentecostal church were many fun kid things we were not allowed to do. Because of that school provided us with not only a learning experience, but a source of entertainment as well.
It was at Matthew Dogan Elementary that Reginald love for sports began he met Mr. Hall at Dogan who coached him in basketball and football. He made a tremendous impact on my life; little did I know that sports would open so many doors in my life? In 1968, Reginald moved on to the newly opened Fleming Jr. High School and participated in all three sports basketball, football, and track and while excelling in each one of them. His ninth grade year at Fleming they were district champions in basketball and he was awarded Outstanding Athlete of the year the Lions Club.
Entering Kashmere High with many of his teammates from Fleming Junior High, they were determined to keep the winning spirit alive, never settling for less. Reginald’s junior year, he led the city of Houston in rushing and as a senior year he finish runner-up. As a 1973 graduated Reginald received many accolades such as: All-City, District and All Gulf Coast teams in football. In basketball he was a two-tear starter at guard for Coach Weldon Drew. Coached by Tom Hendricks in track he ran the 4X100 relays and made it to regional competition in the long jump. All of these activities led him to a being a full football scholarship to Texas A&I University (now known as Texas A&M University in Kingsville).
Participating in football at Texas A&I was awesome and filled with many championships and first. One outstanding event was when the team went three consecutive years without losing a game. Another was when our team was selected to play against the University of Hawaii for their stadium’s inaugural game which we won. Our team went on a winning streak as NAIA Champs for three years.
The defining moment of my time at Texas A&I was when our team was selected to do a European tour with Henderson State University promoting American Football. We travelled to Berlin, Germany, Vienna, Austria, Monheim, Germany, Nuremberg, Germany, and Paris, France. I loved it all and will never forget the experience.
After college, I hired out with Missouri Pacific Railroad which later merged with Union Pacific Railroad. I recently, retired after 39 years of service. My wife, Misty who is deceased and I were blessed with three wonderful children, Derek, Aisha, and Ashley. My love of sports has transcended to my son Derek who serves as a police officer, but still manages to coach his sons Kendall and Karson sports teams. Also, I have a granddaughter, Kayla who plays high school basketball. Additionally, I enjoy serving as an usher at Buck Memorial COGIC. I can truly say life with all its ups and downs has still been good and sports have played a major role in shaping who I am today.