WVU's Big-Play Man
December 22, 2004 09:19 PM | General
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| Jones |
On the field, you don't see the ghetto in which he lived.
At practice, you don't see the problem-child who hated school.
In games, you don't see the grandmother who raised him. But, they are all parts of Adam Jones that make him the man he is today.
Now in a family-oriented environment as a member of a nationally ranked football team, it’s as if the problems didn’t exist. But they were there.
Adam “Pacman” Jones was born and raised in College Park, Ga., one of the roughest neighborhoods in the greater Atlanta area.
“I lived in the projects of the inner city until my sophomore year of high school,” says the Mountaineer defensive back. “There were a lot of drugs being sold and people being killed. The apartments were so bad that they tore them down. That’s when we moved to a nearby neighborhood.”
It is the unexpected from day-to-day that puts Jones ahead of his years. He has seen things most of us can’t even imagine.
“It was hard growing up,” says Jones. “I can’t say I got used to it, but it was just common to live in poverty in my neighborhood. I’ve seen people murdered, the police kick in doors and raid houses, drug dealers hanging around. I’ve seen it all.”
All this from a boy whose father died before he entered seventh grade. For the next two years, Jones’ pain lingered into the classroom.
“When I first went to high school, I was a problem child,” confesses Jones. “I didn’t want to do any work. All I wanted to do was be the class clown. That all changed when I met Miss (Libby) Sobleskie. She was like my school-mom and took me under her wing.
“She helped me a lot,” says WVU’s big-play man. “She always told me this is the way you have to act to get to where you want to go. Every day she would beat it in my head. She believed I could be one of the best if I got my attitude right.”
Jones credits her for his turnaround.
“By the time I was a junior, I straightened up a lot,” states Jones. “Without Miss Sobleskie, I probably wouldn’t be here now.”
Also lending support and contributing to his maturation was his grandmother.
“My grandma pretty much raised me,” adds Jones. “My mother had some problems when I was younger and even spent some time in prison. I love my mama to death. It wasn’t like I didn’t want to stay with her. We have a great relationship but it was just easier to stay with my grandma. I ended up moving in with her and stayed there until I came to college.”
While juggling schoolwork, training, practice and travel, Jones was dealt another blow when his grandmother passed away on the day of the Pitt game last year.
“My grandma actually started to get sick the summer before I came here,” adds Jones. “She was happy that I had the opportunity to get out and explore other places through a football scholarship. I’m thankful for the time I had with her.”
More bad news arrived this past September. Jones’ mentor and friend Libby Sobleskie lost her battle with cancer.
It’s more than fair to say Jones has overcome many hardships. Then, as now, sports were his savior. Football has led him to new beginnings. He has done something no one thought was possible.
“I am proud of where I am,” smiles Jones. “I’m the first in my family to go to college. I can say I’m a role model. How many guys my age can say that? This is a big time in my life.”
Jones, a member of the Athletic Director’s Academic Honor Roll, majors in athletic coaching education and leads the team in tackles, passes broken up, interceptions and return yardage. His punt return yardage ranks in the Top 10 in the country, and in the season opener, he returned a punt 76 yards for a touchdown.
Jones is writing his own legacy in Morgantown. But with all the chapters in his life, he admits that life in Atlanta hasn’t changed a whole lot.
“When I’m home I still see the same people,” admits Jones. “I don’t associate with the same people that I did when I was younger though. A lot of them are doing the same thing. I’ve moved on. It’s not that they’re not my friends, it’s more that I am trying to do something with my life.”
Experts might suggest that the environment molds the man. Adam Jones, with the support of several caring women, was able to chart a path out of a situation filled with dead ends.
Going one-on-one with the country’s top receivers, returning punts and throwing his body in the path of 300-pound linemen are all minor challenges and roadblocks for Jones. He has battled through much bigger obstacles and uses a unique and positive approach to life that makes him the man he is today.
Tim Goodenow is a graduate assistant in the WVU sports communications office.
