Bert Jones
Baltimore Colts
The son
of William A. "Dub" Jones, a halfback with the Cleveland Browns from
1948 through 1955, Jones was a starting quarterback at Louisiana State
in 1972 and 1973. He was a consensus All-American in 1972 and was named
college player of the year by The Sporting News.
Jones was the first-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts in 1973.
He spent most of his rookie year as a backup, but won the starting job
during the 1974 season, when he lost a memorable passing duel to Joe
Namath and the New York Jets. The Jets won the game 45-38 but Jones set
an NFL record by completing 17 consecutive passes.
He led the Colts to three straight Eastern Division titles in the
American Football Conference, from 1975 through 1977. Jones was named
the league's most valuable player by the NFL Players' Association in
1976, when he completed 207 of 343 passes for 3,104 yards and 24
touchdowns.
Jones remained with the Colts through 1981 and spent the 1982 season
with the Los Angeles Rams before retiring because of a chronic back
problem. During his 10 seasons in the NFL, he completed 1,430 of 2,551
passes for 18,190 yards and 124 touchdowns. He also rushed for 11
touchdowns.
