'He was like a father to us'

Bill L. Jones, who coached the University of North Alabama to its first national basketball championship in 1979, and is best remembered for stalking the sidelines at Flowers Hall and flinging his jacket onto the bench, died late Tuesday night after an extended illness.

He was 72.

Coaching colleagues, former players and acquaintances spent much of Wednesday remembering the coach who was known as a "people person" and telling stories about Jones, a Lexington native who was proud to return to his roots when hired at UNA in 1974.

For Bill Jones' son, Rex, that's exactly how his father would want to be remembered.

"It's been a long journey for my dad since he got sick, and we want to use this for a celebration of his life," Rex Jones said.

"When I think of his legacy, I think of the number of people in the community whose lives he touched, of the way the community supported basketball back in those days when they would pack the gym out to the rafters, and fulfilling a dream to come home to coach, and coaching the first NCAA team in the state of Alabama to win a national championship. I think those are some of the things that are his legacy."

Jones is survived by his wife, Joan, sons, Kem and Rex, and daughter, Pam.

"He's remembered for basketball, but the biggest thing I've heard people talking about today is what a fine person he was," said Joan Jones, who on Monday observed her 51st wedding anniversary with her husband.

"I think that is his legacy. Bill loved it when he would see his old players. He was always thrilled when they would have those reunions. He was always so happy when the players would come back to see him."

Jones is best remembered for guiding UNA to the school's first national championship in any sport.

The year was 1979. The Lions beat Florida Southern and Valdosta State in the NCAA Regionals, then knocked off Nichols State on the road in the quarterfinals.

Once the Lions made it to Springfield, Mass., site of the Final Four, they beat Bridgeport, Conn., 85-82, to advance to the national championship game.

The Lions won the championship with a 64-50 win against Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Rival coach and good friend Ed Murphy, now athletic director at the University of West Georgia, said he often joked with Jones about that season.

"I was at West Alabama that year, and we beat him twice," Murphy said, laughing. "I always told Bill that he was smart enough to win the national championship, but he wasn't smart enough to beat West Alabama."

Bob Montgomery, a member of that national championship team, said he visited Jones a few months ago at the nursing home.

"We sat and talked. He'd pick out a game and talk about it," said Montgomery, who is now the principal at Colbert Heights Elementary. "We talked about the Nichols State game and going to the old Appleby gym to practice (after a couple of bad games)."

Montgomery and other players said Jones taught them more than just the game of basketball.

"He was like a father to us and he treated us like we were all his sons," Montgomery said. "He wanted us to act like somebody. He told us to not just act like basketball players on the court but also somebody off."

Howell Graves Preschool Principal Tim Morgan, who was a part of that championship team, said Jones had a gift for making people feel important.

"He just had that knack. He was a caring person, and worked well with people," Morgan said. "I never met him when he didn't shake my hand and ask me about my parents. He was a class act."

Morgan said Jones was a great "ambassador" for UNA. "He sold UNA basketball and the school to the community," Morgan said.

He said Jones built character in his teams.

"He wanted people on his teams that would sacrifice. He taught that everyone had a role, and if we were going to be successful, we had to accept that," Morgan said.

Jones came to UNA after Bill E. Jones left UNA to take over the basketball program of rival Jacksonville State.

"Man, did we have some battles," Bill E. Jones said. "Him from (Florence) and coming back there, and me leaving there and going to a rival. There were some great times with some backed gyms. We had a lot of battles, but we stayed friends the entire way and still were."

Bill E. Jones described his close friend Bill L. Jones as being "over-the-top competitive."

"He was a great guy, but had such a competitive nature," Bill E. Jones said. "He was very kind and soft spoken away from the court, but when the game started, it got to be about winning.

"For 40 minutes it was a war. But when the game was over, it was over. Those were some precious times and I will always cherish them.

"Another piece of the legend is gone and that's sad."

When Jones stepped away from coaching in 1988 to become the school's first full-time athletic director with no coaching requirements, his assistant, Gary Elliott, applied for and got the job.

"Without him, I probably would have never gotten the job," Elliott said. "I owe him a great deal. As far as the university, he's the guy that got the program going. It had never been much until he took over. When I took over, I was scared to death that I wouldn't be able to keep it going. I didn't want to take a chance of it falling below the standard he set.

"But Coach Jones never put any pressure on us," Elliott said. "As AD, he did everything he could to help us have a good program. It helped a lot to have him as AD."

Although Jones was good natured, UNA trainer Johnny Long said the former coach was tough.

"He was a player's coach, but he was hard-nosed and tough in practice," Long said. "When he needed to discipline the players, he wasn't scared to do it. I remember a lot of nights when we would get back from a road game where we lost, and we'd go straight the gym for practice. But he knew how to handle people. He always had a great relationship with the faculty and staff and with the people in the community."

Sparkman High School basketball coach Luther Tiggs played on Jones' last team. He said if not for Jones, he would not be where he is today.

"I probably learned more from him than anyone else. He was a great influence on my life," Tiggs said. "I wouldn't be in coaching if not for him."

Tiggs said Jones' favorite saying was "all about people."

"And he was. He was all about people," Tiggs said.

Montgomery said the principles that he learned during his time playing for Jones he has tried to carry on in life.

"I've got five pictures on my (office) wall - Bear Bryant, John Wooden, Gene Stallings, Bill Jones and our (national) championship team," Montgomery said.

"When I interview prospective teachers, I ask them what those pictures have in common. They all have the same theme - they're winners.

"Those individuals taught teams how to win, and they all won with class. That's what Bill Jones was all about. He was class and he was a winner."

Visitation is 4-8 p.m. today at Greenview Chapel. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Friday at North Wood Methodist Church in Florence.

Gregg Dewalt can be reached at 740-5748 or gregg.dewalt@TimesDaily.com,

Tom Smith can be reached at 740-5757 or tom.smith@TimesDaily.com.