CBS sports analyst Brian Jones comes home for Lubbock ISD Hall of Honor induction

Brian Jones has made a career for himself in college football, first as a player and for the past two decades as an analyst on a major TV network.

That Jones would make it big might have seemed his destiny early on, but there were days during his high-school years at Dunbar that doubts crept in. His first day of two-a-day workouts under Panthers coach Jerry Lee, for example. The Panthers did all manner of drills that incorporated telephone poles, the combination of hot August sun, dust flying and accumulating splinters in the hands being no fun.

"The logs were some type of boot-camp routine we went through," Jones said Saturday night in front of a banquet audience. "All that food y'all just ate, you would be seeing again after navigating the logs. That's how difficult it was.

"I'll never forget leaning on the fieldhouse that first day of two-a-days and thinking, 'I don't know if I can do this.' But something propelled me forward and here we are today."

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Jones was among 11 individuals inducted into the Lubbock ISD athletics Hall of Honor in ceremonies at the Memorial Civic Center. A first-team all-state linebacker in 1985, Jones was a nationally sought recruit. He played two years at UCLA, transferred to Texas where he earned all-Southwest Conference recognition as a senior and then spent most of the 1990s in the NFL.

Now he's about to start his 20th year with CBS as a college football analyst, another career path that took root during his days at Dunbar.

"A lot of my friends tell me I had a gift of gab," Jones said. "Luckily, my senior year at Dunbar, we had a fledgling LISD-TV, and so I was part of that with Dr. French and others."

Not that it was smooth sailing from the start. Just as Jones dreaded August workouts at the start of his sophomore football season, he said he was, albeit talkative, not a natural right off the bat.

"Oh, I was horrible," he said. "I also interned at KCBD, and the first time they put me on a teleprompter, you would have thought someone had a gun on me. I was sweating.

"(But) that was a lot of fun. Those things got my juices flowing. I was always giving interviews, whether it was print or television, and you eventually become familiar with the mediums and get acclimated and comfortable."

Jones moved from south Florida back to Austin seven months ago, saying he wanted to be closer to family and friends. The jacket he wore Saturday was, appropriately, Dunbar maroon.

"This is tremenodus," he said. "This is great, to be back here with my family and so many of my friends — day-one friends, guys I grew up playing Pop Warner ball with and against. To see them, junior-high teammates, high-school teammates, it was just phenomenal. You get a certain age, you start getting a little emotional about this kind of stuff."

In addition to Jones, four other inductees were primarily football players: former Oklahoma tight end Victor Hicks, who went to Estacado from 1971-75; former Texas split end Pat Kelly, who went to Lubbock High (1967-70); former Texas Tech defensive back Ken Perkins, who went to Coronado (1966-68); and former Oklahoma fullback A.G. Perryman, who went to Dunbar (1966-69).

Those known primarily for baseball were Mark Griffin, who played for Monterey (1971-72) and Texas; Hector Limon, who starred for Estacado (1978-82) and Lubbock Christian University; and Chuck Johnson, who played for Coronado (1975-77) and Texas Tech.

Also inducted was former Monterey (1983-85) and LCU basketball player Curry Blackwell; former Lubbock High (2009-13) and Texas swimmer Madisyn Cox; and longtime LISD athletic trainer Greg Lowrance (1972-2015).

Hicks started four years on Oklahoma teams that won or shared four Big Eight titles from 1975-78, going 41-6-1 during that time and winning the national championship in 1975. He also played with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Carrollton resident told the crowd, "It's a special thing when your hometown is willing to recognize you for your accomplishments."

"I was born to be a Sooner," he said. "I was coached up by coach (Barry) Switzer to be a champion, but don't get it twisted: I bleed Matador blue."

Cox won five medals at UIL state meets, including three state championships. She went on to win 17 conference titles at Texas, earned Big 12 swimmer of the year honors twice and competed in two Olympic Trials.

"I stand here as an individual," she said, "but I represent a lot more than that. I represent parents, family bringing me to practice at 4 a.m., coach (Trey) Hayes opening the pool at 3:30. Just a lot of hard work, hours and dedication. People who never missed a beat. Parents who never missed a meet. Family who was always there for me no matter what."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: CBS sports analyst Brian Jones among 11 added to LISD Hall of Honor