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RIP Mr Jones

March 15,

Friends,

Johnny “Lam” Jones, one of the greatest athletes ever to grace the 40 Acres, passed away this morning after defying the doctors’ prognosis for almost 15 years. Diagnosed with stage-four multiple myeloma in 2005, he was given little chance of survival, but like the champion he was, he emerged from this ordeal a better man, determined to spend every minute of his remaining years serving others.

We have established a “Johnny ‘Lam’ Jones Memorial Fund” to help Johnny’s family cover funeral and burial expenses. Details for donating to this fund are at the bottom of this letter.

Johnny was a household name long before he arrived on campus to play football for Darrell Royal and Fred Akers. In the 1976 Texas State track meet, he put on a running display so epic, people still get goosebumps telling the story of the moment when, with the state championship on the line, and his mile relay team in 7th place, Jones took the baton 40 yards behind the 6th place runner.

The crowd erupted into a frenzied roar as he rounded the final turn. Johnny had advanced to fourth place. Then, he found an opening in the inside lane and with a final burst of speed, crossed the finish line….in first place.

It was the greatest track performance ever by a Texas high school athlete, and it came to define his life.

He went on to earn an Olympic gold medal. He led the 1977, 1978, and 1979 Longhorns in receptions. As a freshman at Texas, he won the 100 meters with a hand-timed 9.85 seconds. He was a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets, and his $ 2.1 million contract was the first in the NFL worth over a million dollars.

Then, he crashed and burned, due to injuries and drug and alcohol abuse.

In 1990, he got sober and dedicated his time and his money to helping kids avoid the problems he had encountered with drugs and alcohol.

This kind, gentle soul inspired us and gave us thrills; he filled us with pride. We applauded him when he was riding high and was famous. It’s now time to repay him and to honor his contributions to us, to The University, to athletics, and to the youth of Texas.

Please consider donating to the Johnny “Lam” Jones Memorial Fund, which will cover his funeral and burial expenses. You can send donations to:

Johnny “Lam” Jones Memorial Fund
3112 Windsor Road
Box 322
Austin, Texas 78703

Thank you for honoring this legend and our friend.

Hook ‘em,
 
As a sophomore WR he had----- are you ready for this???

21 catches for 543 yards (25.8 ypc) and 7 tds.

That means 1 out of every 3 catches was for a touchdown.

That's in a run oriented offense.
 
As a sophomore WR he had----- are you ready for this???

21 catches for 543 yards (25.8 ypc) and 7 tds.

That means 1 out of every 3 catches was for a touchdown.

That's in a run oriented offense.



Plus that man was fast, we are talking Supersonic back in them days
 
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