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Celebrating the Ravenously wondrous life of Super Bowl star Jacoby Jones (1984 - 2024)

Jacoby Jones had a remarkable career on the football field and off it that most NFL players can only dream about.

Ty Bronicel

Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) gestures before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Ravens won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 3, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones (12) gestures before playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2014 AFC Wild Card playoff football game at Heinz Field. The Ravens won 30-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

Nobody lived a life like Jacoby Jones.

Nobody.

Here's a look back on the incredible journey of an NFL favorite, hero and star who passed away at his home in New Orleans only three days after his 40th birthday.

In a statement released through the NFL Players Association, Jones died "peacefully" on Sunday, July 14, his family said.

"We are completely heartbroken to learn about the passing of Jacoby Jones," the Ravens said in a statement. "Jacoby had the unique ability to connect with everyone he encountered. His charisma, joy and love created a one-of-a-kind presence that could light up any room or brighten any dark day. Jacoby will long be remembered not just for his success on the football field, but for the lasting personal connections he made with countless people in the Ravens organization, Baltimore community and every area he called home. We share our deepest condolences with Jacoby's family as we all begin to process this devastating loss."

Born and raised in New Orleans (his childhood home and high school were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina), Jonwa played football for Lane College (Jackson, Tenn.) a private Division II school with an enrollment of just over 1,000 undergrads.

So already he's an underdog, deemed too small, despite his shiftiness and speed, to play for big-time teams.

Then, in order, he accomplished these things:

Became a three-time All-Southern Intercollegeiagte Athletic Concference (SIAC) player who caught the eye of the Houston Texans.

Was drafted in the third round by the Texans, enjoyed a nine-year NFL career with four NFL teams, was an All-Pro and was a Super Bowl champion.

Earned legendary status in Baltimore for his:

Remains in the record books as the only player in Super Bowl history to score a receiving touchdown and return a touchdown in the same game. During that game, Super Bowl XLVII (Feb. 3, 2013, which was played in his hometown Superdome, Jones caught a 56-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and then returned the opening kickoff of the second half 108 yards for a touchdown. The kickoff return remains the record for the longest scoring play in Super Bowl or postseason history.

Finishes third, with partner Karina Smirnoff, on the popular TV competition "Dancing With the Stars" just after the Super Bowl victory in 2013. Oh and he also appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated, every football player's dream.

From NOLA.com:

Jacoby Jones needed just 11 seconds to sprint from the back of one Superdome end zone to the other on that magical Super Bowl Sunday in 2013, etching his name in the NFL record books.

He needed just 40 short years to etch his place into the hearts of everyone he met in a lifetime that flew by just as fast as that 108-yard kickoff return.

Jones, a New Orleans native who played nine seasons in the NFL, died in his sleep Sunday morning in New Orleans. Just three days after his 40th birthday. 

"The thing about Jacoby is he lived his life as the epitome of when somebody says ‘life is short,’" said Johnnie Cole, Jones’ college coach. “He lived it to the fullest in football, with family and in everything he did.” -- Rod Walker, columnist, NOLA

Sports Illustrated, again, rightfully paid tribute here: Jacoby Jones: Ravens Legend On and Off Field

Tributes poured in for a fun-loving guy who was called a legend by many.

In April, Jones became coach of the Beaumont Renegades, an arena football team in Texas.

“What can be said about him as a football player is only scratching the surface of who he was as a man,” the Renegades said in a statement. “When you needed something, he was there. When you called him, he answered. Didn’t matter if you were a family member, a close friend, player he coached, etc.”

“I loved Jacoby Jones. We all did. His spirit, enthusiasm and love for people were powerful. He was a light. He was the cherished son of his loving mom, Ms. Emily. They were so close. He was a man of faith,” Ravens head coach John Harbaugh wrote in a statement.

“My favorite football play was when Jacoby was talking to his mom in the end zone, just before a late-game kickoff return against the Vikings in a snowstorm shootout. Jacoby then raced to catch the ball and run it back for a touchdown.”

“My favorite Jacoby personal moment was every time I saw his smiling face full of Joy. Rest in peace, Jacoby, in the arms of Jesus.” 

But it is in Walker's excellent tribute to Jones, among many, that captures his spirit

Jones recently was the receivers coach at Alabama State and in February washired as offensive coordinator of the Beaumont Renegades, an indoor football team.

Jones, whose final NFL season was in 2015, spent the past two seasons as receivers coach at Alabama State on the staff of fellow New Orleans native Eddie Robinson Jr.

“He was a guy who always had a big smile on his face and who always lit up the room,” Robinson said. “He was a good coach who connected well with the kids. Although he had a great NFL career and everybody knew him from playing and 'Dancing with the Stars,' he was really just another guy from New Orleans."

It's fitting that the longest touchdown in Super Bowl history was by a guy from New Orleans in a game played in New Orleans. Jones loved New Orleans. He was born here. He was raised here. And he died here, right next door to the childhood home that Hurricane Katrina destroyed. He never forgot his roots, which is why he held camps for kids at Pontchartrain Park, the same place his athletic career began. He rode in Mardi Gras parades through the streets of New Orleans. If it was New Orleans, he wanted to be a part of it. 


In closing, former teamamate J.J. Watts summed him up perfectly.

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Ty Bronicel
TY BRONICEL