Jacoby Jones

A prominent wide receiver and kick returner who overcame the ignominy of being released by the Houston Texans, Jacoby Jones bounced back in record-breaking style to become a Super Bowl champion with the Baltimore Ravens. Born on July 11, 1984 in New Orleans, LA, Jones attended Marion Abramson High School, where he ran track as well as played both football and basketball. Jones excelled at the former and initially attended Southeastern Louisiana University on a track scholarship, but transferred to Division II school Lane College in 2003. It was at Lane that he shifted his focus to football and turned out to be an excellent punt and kick returner. In 2007, Jones was drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans and made his NFL debut that year at wide receiver. He played for four seasons with the Texans, though his most memorable play was muffing a punt in the 2009 AFC Divisional Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens that ultimately cost his team the game. In 2012, Jones was released by the Texans and subsequently signed a two-year contract with the Ravens, where he fared much better as a kick returner and wide receiver. That same year, he became the first player to return two kicks for 105 yards or more in NFL history and was named to his first Pro Bowl at the end of the season. In 2013, Jones was instrumental in the Raven's championship-winning season, catching the winning touchdown pass in a playoff game against the Denver Broncos, and later becoming the first player to score both a receiving touchdown and a kickoff touchdown in the Super Bowl. He also set a Super Bowl record with 290 all-purpose yards. Weeks after the Ravens championship win, Jones was announced as the first confirmed contestant for the 16th season of "Dancing With the Stars" (ABC, 2005- ). Jacoby Jones died on July 14, 2024 in New Orleans, LA at the age of 40.