It was quite a year for Munford’s Johnnie Jones. In June he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, in August he was honored at the M and M Bowl football game at Munford High, and yesterday Munford named a street after him.
The street that leads into Poplar Park, where Jones played during his days at Munford, in now named Johnnie Jones Drive. The park also has a new address, 33, Jones’ jersey number.
While at Munford Jones rushed for 4,547 yards and 47 touchdowns. During his senior year he ran for 2,157 yards and 24 touchdowns. At the University of Tennessee from 1981 to 1984 he set records for career rushing yards, most rushing yards in a season and most rushing yards in a game. He was named a second-team All-America by the Associated Press in 1984 and was a Heisman candidate that season.
During his four years at Tennessee, Jones rushed for 2,852 yards and 19 touchdowns on 517 attempts, breaking the school’s career rushing record. He also caught 26 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown, giving him over 3,000 total career yards. In 1983 he became the first football player in school history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season.
Photo By Greg Plunk Photography