The legacy left behind of Liberty North’s Greg Jones as he joins Oregon Ducks
LIBERTY, Mo. — The Liberty and Kearney area says goodbye to a great long-term educator and coach, Greg Jones. He was recently hired to be on the staff of the Oregon Ducks football team. Jones finished a twenty-four-year run as a head football coach, which included stops at Park Hill South, Kearney, and Liberty North, culminating last year with the Liberty North Eagles in the Class 6 State Championship game. He had over 200 wins, four state championship game appearances, and two state football titles with the Kearney Bulldogs, in 2009 and 2015.
Jones was born and raised in Waterproof, Louisiana. He attended Tensas Academy, experiencing championship level football, as a linebacker, running back and defensive back. They won a state championship his sophomore year, were runner-up his junior year and lost in the semi-finals his senior year. After high school, Jones played junior college football in Mississippi. He came home for Christmas break his sophomore year. While out on a deer hunt, Northwest Missouri State’s coach called his parent’s house. When Jones returned from the hunt, his dad said, “Some coach called from Missouri and told me you won’t have to pay to go to school there. I’d told him you’ll be there.” Jones became a Bearcat without ever even seeing the Maryville campus.
At Northwest Missouri state, another adult figure would have a huge impact on his life. The college dropped the pre-law program he was in, going into his senior year. He considered transferring. But his coach told him he should drop pre-law and pursue coaching instead. He agreed, and he was on his way to a rewarding lifelong career.
Coach Jones hopes in his time in Liberty and Kearney that he left a legacy of passion. For him the main key to success is “getting kids to buy into the culture and understanding that we would outwork others. It is never just about the bottom-line. It is about people helping each other, and putting in the hard work to achieve the team’s goals together,” says Jones.
In Jones’ career, he put in a huge effort to bring the best out of people on and off the field. “When athletes need you the most, they deserve you the least,” says Jones. “If everything is going well, they will never need you. The day when they need you— that’s when things are not going well.”
“There was a young man in Kearney who kind of struggled,” says Jones. “One day he was not in the weight room where he was supposed to be. I went to his house, and he was still in bed. I went in and threw water on his face and started chewing him out good. I turned around and saw his mom and I was a little embarrassed. She said, ‘Please don’t stop, I am enjoying this!’ That young man was never late to practice again.”
For Jones, achieving success you want requires not being complacent. “If you live life in a comfort zone, then you will never reach greatness. You must be willing to step out of your comfort zone,” he says.
Above and beyond the championships and excellence on the gridiron, the Liberty and Kearney communities are proud of coach Jones and will cherish his passion for achievement, which he shared with those he encountered here. He taught students how to be successful and win at the game of life. We wish him well in his new endeavor—and Go Ducks!
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