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| Dennis Jones, Sam Huff at 2008 Fiesta Bowl |
Last week he wrote a column about me –
John Olesky, Class of 1954 – and my 43-year newspaper career that included 13
years as a sportswriter.
The Tuesday, Sept. 1 column will be
about Dennis Jones, 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. Dennis lives in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Dennis caught a pass from Julie Angelucci that he
lateraled to Larry Rankin for the game-winning touchdown.
Dennis’
parents were Clifford and Georgia Jones, who operated Jones Grocery Store in
Worthington for many years. His brother, David Jones, is deceased.
Dennis and I had a reunion in
Mountaineer Field in 2011, before the Pitt game. I had to walk around to the
West stands, where Dennis and his wife were sitting, from our East stands seats
in Section 107. This year, my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955,
and I are moving to Section 105, on the 50-yard-line, still in the East stands.
Jackie’s daughter, Renee, a pharmacist at WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, handles
the season tickets purchases and I bring Paula or other family members of
77-year friend Bob Kasper with me to each game.
Mickey’s latest story about a
Monongah High grad:
= = = = = = = = = = = =
WVU end Dennis
Jones attained top Army ranking
By MICKEY FURFARI
MORGANTOWN – Dennis Jones grew up in
Monongah, Marion County (W.Va.), where he played football at Monogah High
School (now closed) as an offensive end, earning All-State status as an
offensive end. And that’s what he played at West Virginia University from 19454
to 1958.
He’s now 79, retired, and a veteran of 37
years of military service in the U.S. Army. Jones has been retired since 2001.
In the Army, he was a special engineer for
electrical matters and he magnificently rose to the rank of major general. He
actively served in that rank for six years before retiring.
That was in Tennessee, where Dennis has
resided with his wife Trudy, for 22 years. They have two grown daughters and
two grandchildren.
It’s something to be proud of for a graduate
of the WVU College of Engineering, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in
electrical engineering in 1958.
While he was a student-athlete as a
Mountaineer from 1954, he said he lettered as a player in 1957. He proudly wore
the number 89, the highest on the team at that time.
He did not have to red-shirt at all, but
he did play on a freshman team in 1954. Dennis played the end position on both
offense and defense at times.
WVU statistics show he stood 6-foot-2 and
had a playing weight of 205 pounds. He is credited with six receptions for 99
yards in five games. In his sophomore year, he recorded a 33-yard reception
against Wake Forest and a 13-yard reception against Richmond.
Jones remembers that West Virginia knocked
off Penn State for the third time in a row. That remains an all-time record for
the Mountaineers. He played in the 21-7 win in 1955 which rounded out that
memorable circle.
He noted that the biggest loss in 1955 was
to Pitt, 26-7, in front of a crowd of 57,966 fans.
“Quarterback Fred Wyant got hurt in the
first half, and that really hurt us,” he recalled. “We lost some other key
players in that 1955 game in Pittsburgh, too.”
Jones said that loss cost WVU a return to
the Sugar Bowl in 1955. Sugar Bowl officials came expecting to take WVU, but
ended up giving Pitt the spot instead. WVU, ranked 6th nationally
before the Pitt game, ended the year ranked 19th in the nation.
“That was really a big disappointment to
everyone,” he said.
“I really enjoyed my years at the
university,” he said. “It was great playing football for ‘Pappy’ Lewis. And I
got a wonderful education.”
He submitted some memories of what things
were like for WVU football 60 years ago:
WVU started the 1955 season with 89
players reporting for practice at Jacksons Mill. Head coach Art Lewis had three
special coaches, an assistant coach, a freshman team coach, a trainer and team
doctor. Lewis earned a salary in
then $30,000 range.
Old Mountaineer Field seated 38,000 with
temporary bleachers in the end zone area. There was a locker room with showers,
whirlpool tubs and just a few weight and conditioning facilities.
The 1955 traveling squad contained 35-40
players. Travel mostly was by bus in the Southern Conference area, with long
distance game travel by plane.
The 1955 scholarships for football players
provided tuition, books, room and board, and $15 per month for laundry.
Game play involved very limited
substitution, with one in and out in each quarter, requiring players to play
both offense and defense.
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