Donnie Jones
Encyclopedia
Donald Scott Jones, Jr. (born July 5, 1980) is an American football
punter for the St. Louis Rams
of the National Football League
. He played collegiately
at Louisiana State University
.
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was a letterman in football
. In his last high school game Catholic High was beaten in the Louisiana Semi-finals 35-0 by National High School power, West Monroe Rebels. In football, he won All-District honors and All-State honors as a punter. Jones graduated from Catholic High School in 1999. He averaged 9+ punts per game and never recorded any injury or fatigue.
. He was involved in the final play of the 2003 National Championship game, when the punt unit took the last snap of the game, and ran out the last nine seconds of the clock to ensure a victory for the team. In the first quarter of the November 9, 2002 LSU-Kentucky
game, known as the Bluegrass Miracle
, Jones hit an 86-yard punt, the longest punt in school history. He was a four-year starter
, averaging 42.4 yards on his 64 punts during his senior year, with a net average of 39 yards. He landed 22 of those punts inside the 20 yard line, and had seven touchbacks. He majored in finance.
in the 2004 NFL Draft
. He played in six games with Seahawks in between stints on the practice squad during his rookie
season. He shared punting duties with Tom Rouen
and Ken Walter
during the season. On the year, Jones punted 26 times for a 38.0 average with a net of 32.2, six inside-the-20 and two touchbacks. He had a season long with a 51-yard punt against the Carolina Panthers
on October 31. On November 14 at the St. Louis Rams
, he punted three times for a 49.3-yard gross average and a net of 42.7, when he had another 51-yard punt.
and was a Dolphins’ single-season record as well. Of his 88 punts, 24 went 50 yards or longer, with three traveling 60 yards or longer. He had a punt of 50 yards or longer in all but three games, and had a net average of 40.0 or better in nine games. He also held for placekicker
Olindo Mare
throughout the season. Jones' performance during the season earned him a selection as a third alternate for the Pro Bowl
.
compared to the previous year. For the season he had 85 kicks for 3640 yards - an average of 42.8 yards per kick. He also had a net average of 35.7 yards per punt, with 28 punts inside the 20-yard line. He had one punt blocked during the season.
in the 2007 offseason. He was tendered a contract by the Miami Dolphins on March 2.
On April 13, the St. Louis Rams
signed Jones to an offer sheet. Less than a week later, Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller
announced that the team would not match the offer sheet and Jones became property of the Rams in exchange for the 225th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
. The contract is worth $5.585 million over five years. It includes a signing bonus of $1.175 million and salaries of $510,000 in 2007, $700,000 in 2008, $1 million in 2009, $1.1 million in 2010, and $1.1 million in 2011.
in 1940. He was voted Second-team All-Pro
and a first alternate to the Pro Bowl.
season at LSU, Jones penned a book titled Nine Seconds to a Championship (ISBN 0-9760181-9-5) about his career as a member of the LSU Tigers football team. He is also known as Thunder Foot.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
punter for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He played collegiately
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
.
High school career
Jones attended Catholic High SchoolCatholic High School (Baton Rouge)
Catholic High School is an all-male Catholic college-preparatory school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart. It offers grades eight through twelve.-Awards and recognition:...
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and was a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
. In his last high school game Catholic High was beaten in the Louisiana Semi-finals 35-0 by National High School power, West Monroe Rebels. In football, he won All-District honors and All-State honors as a punter. Jones graduated from Catholic High School in 1999. He averaged 9+ punts per game and never recorded any injury or fatigue.
College career
Jones played his college football at LSULSU Tigers football
The LSU Tigers football team, also known as the Fighting Tigers or Bayou Bengals, represents Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States in NCAA Division I FBS college football. Current head coach Les Miles has led the team since 2005. Since 1999 when Nick Saban took over as...
. He was involved in the final play of the 2003 National Championship game, when the punt unit took the last snap of the game, and ran out the last nine seconds of the clock to ensure a victory for the team. In the first quarter of the November 9, 2002 LSU-Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
game, known as the Bluegrass Miracle
Bluegrass Miracle
The "Bluegrass Miracle" refers to one of the most improbable finishes in NCAA college football history. It was a 74-yard game-winning touchdown pass by the #14 LSU Tigers with no time left on the clock against the Kentucky Wildcats on November 9, 2002 at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington,...
, Jones hit an 86-yard punt, the longest punt in school history. He was a four-year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
, averaging 42.4 yards on his 64 punts during his senior year, with a net average of 39 yards. He landed 22 of those punts inside the 20 yard line, and had seven touchbacks. He majored in finance.
2004
Jones was drafted in the seventh-round (224th overall) by the Seattle SeahawksSeattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
in the 2004 NFL Draft
2004 NFL Draft
The 2004 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24-25, 2004 at the theater at Madison Square Garden...
. He played in six games with Seahawks in between stints on the practice squad during his rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
season. He shared punting duties with Tom Rouen
Tom Rouen
Thomas Francis Rouen is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He last played for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League in the 2005 season.-Early life:...
and Ken Walter
Ken Walter
Ken Walter is a former American football punter for the New England Patriots in the National Football League. From 1997 – 2000, he played for the Carolina Panthers, from 2001 – 2003 he played for the Patriots, and in 2004 played for the Seattle Seahawks...
during the season. On the year, Jones punted 26 times for a 38.0 average with a net of 32.2, six inside-the-20 and two touchbacks. He had a season long with a 51-yard punt against the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
on October 31. On November 14 at the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, he punted three times for a 49.3-yard gross average and a net of 42.7, when he had another 51-yard punt.
2005
Jones was awarded off waivers to the Miami Dolphins on July 25, 2005. He was released following training camp and re-signed to the practice squad, but was placed on the active roster prior to the season opener. He went on to play in all 16 games in his first season with the Dolphins. On the season, he had 88 punts for a 43.5-yard average, including a net of 39.3, which led the NFL and marked a new Dolphins’ single-season record. He also added 31 punts inside-the-20, which ranked second in the AFCAmerican Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
and was a Dolphins’ single-season record as well. Of his 88 punts, 24 went 50 yards or longer, with three traveling 60 yards or longer. He had a punt of 50 yards or longer in all but three games, and had a net average of 40.0 or better in nine games. He also held for placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Olindo Mare
Olindo Mare
Olindo Franco Mare is an American football placekicker for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996...
throughout the season. Jones' performance during the season earned him a selection as a third alternate for the Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
.
2006
Jones experienced a bit of regression in 20062006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
compared to the previous year. For the season he had 85 kicks for 3640 yards - an average of 42.8 yards per kick. He also had a net average of 35.7 yards per punt, with 28 punts inside the 20-yard line. He had one punt blocked during the season.
2007
Jones was a restricted free agentRestricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...
in the 2007 offseason. He was tendered a contract by the Miami Dolphins on March 2.
On April 13, the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
signed Jones to an offer sheet. Less than a week later, Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller
Randy Mueller
Randy Mueller is an executive in the National Football League, most recently as general manager for the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints. He has over two decades of NFL front office experience.-College career:...
announced that the team would not match the offer sheet and Jones became property of the Rams in exchange for the 225th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft
2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
. The contract is worth $5.585 million over five years. It includes a signing bonus of $1.175 million and salaries of $510,000 in 2007, $700,000 in 2008, $1 million in 2009, $1.1 million in 2010, and $1.1 million in 2011.
2008
Jones became the first NFL punter to average at least 50 yards per punt since Sammy BaughSammy Baugh
Samuel Adrian "Slingin' Sammy" Baugh was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the Horned Frogs at Texas Christian University, where he was a two-time All-American. He then played in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1937 to 1952...
in 1940. He was voted Second-team All-Pro
2008 All-Pro Team
The 2008 All-Pro Team is composed of the National Football League players that were named to the Associated Press , Pro Football Writers Association , and Sporting News All-Pro Teams in 2008. These are the current teams that historically appear in Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the NFL...
and a first alternate to the Pro Bowl.
Personal
Donnie is married to Aubrie, and the couple resides in St. Charles, MO. Following the 2003 National Championship2003 LSU Tigers football team
The 2003 LSU Tigers football team represented Louisiana State University in the college football season of 2003–2004. Coached by Nick Saban, the Tigers played their home games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After a bit of controversy, LSU won the BCS National Championship, the first...
season at LSU, Jones penned a book titled Nine Seconds to a Championship (ISBN 0-9760181-9-5) about his career as a member of the LSU Tigers football team. He is also known as Thunder Foot.