Another Furfari article on Monongah High’s General Dennis Jones

Dennis Jones, Class of 1954, a retired Army major general who had a key role in bringing Monongah High its first of five state football titles in 1952 before playing on the WVU football team for three seasons, is the subject of a second artice by sportswriting legend Mickey Furfari which you’ll be reading in a few days (I get advanced copies of Mickey’s stories; we chat by phone every month).

Dennis’ parents were Clifford and Georgia Jones, who operated Jones Grocery Store in Worthington for many years.  His brother, David Jones, is deceased.

Mickey’s article on Dennis:

Dennis Jones capped WVU grid career with lengthy stay in the Army

By Mickey Furfari

MORGANTOWN – Dennis Jones, a star out of Monogah, was an outstanding offensive and defensive end at West Virginia University from 1954-58.

Art “Pappy” Lewis was his head coach.

“I enjoyed playing football for that man,” Jones said.

Jones, who now works on the electrical business and moved with his wife to Tennessee, earned All-State honors as a player at Monogah High School.

Jones was 6-foot-2 and weight and played at 190 pounds. He also had good speed for his size.

At WVU, he played in five career games. He caught six passes for 99 yards over his career.

He’s still proud of the fact that Monogah captured the state football championship in 1952 and he had a hand in that success. He also played basketball at Monongah High.

Dennis graduated from WVU in 1958 with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, which helped him in his current line of work mostly in Tennessee.

He and his wife Trudy have been married for 59 years. They became sweethearts at WVU, where she graduated with her degree, also.

They have two grown children and two grandchildren.

He has now been retired since 2001.

Jones, who is now 79, turns 80 in June.

Did he enjoy his time at WVU? “Absolutely,” he said. “Trudy and I both did. It was a lot of fun for both of us.”

After leaving WVU, Dennis served 37 years in the U.S. Army, obtaining the title of Major General.

You could tell in his voice that earning such a ranking in the Army was more satisfying than anything else in his life outside of his family.

 

To read the previous article about Dennis by Mickey, click on http://jo4wvu.blogspot.com/search?q=Another+Lion+gets+the+Furfari+fanfare