You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out where Ed “Too Tall” Jones got his nickname. At six-feet, eight-inches tall, the Jackson, Tennessee, native was certainly much too tall for opposing lineman and quarterbacks to handle.
An outstanding high school basketball player, Jones was recruited at Tennessee State University, where he played basketball his first two years. Fortunately for TSU and the NFL, Jones then made the most influential decision of his life, switching to football, where he was All-American his junior and senior years.
“Too Tall” gained national attention in 1974 when the Dallas Cowboys chose him as the first pick in the NFL draft. Jones played defensive end for fifteen seasons with Dallas before retiring at the end of the 1989 season, setting a club record of 194 career starts.
While a member of “America’s team,” Jones started twenty playoff games, including three Super Bowls. He was selected to participate in three straight Pro Bowls from 1981 to 1983 and earned All-Pro honors in 1981 and 1982.
Jones took a hiatus from the Cowboys in 1979 to pursue a professional boxing career, returning just a year later with a 6-0 record. Following his retirement from the Cowboys, Jones remains a resident of Dallas. He is a partner in a Dallas-based investment group with former teammate, Preston Pearson. While with the Cowboys, Jones was active in promoting the Special Olympics and was involved in many other charitable functions.