Bert Jones
Bertram Hays Jones (born September 7, 1951) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Baltimore Colts and Los Angeles Rams. He was named the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1976 with the Colts. At Ruston High School in Ruston, Louisiana, he was given the nickname "The Ruston Rifle". Jones played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU). He is the son of former NFL running back Dub Jones of the Cleveland Browns. In 2016, Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. College Jones attended LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he played for the LSU Tigers football team. While at LSU, Jones only started two games prior to the end of his junior year, but he started every game thereafter, leading LSU to a 12–2–1 record. In 1971, Jones threw for 945 yards with nine touchdowns and four interceptions while splitting time with Paul Lyons. Against the wishes of LSU fans, Jones was forced to share quarterback duties with Lyons because of Jones's bickering with head coach Charlie McClendon over signal calling. Lyons himself threw for over 800 yards and 11 touchdowns that year. In 1972 after taking over at quarterback, Jones threw for 1,446 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 199 pass attempts. Except for one week, LSU spent the entire season ranked in the AP Top 10. One of Jones's most famous moments came in the 1972 LSU vs. Ole Miss game, when he led LSU to a 17–16 last-second victory by hitting running back Brad Davis in the end zone for a touchdown as time expired. After the season, Jones became the first quarterback in LSU history to be awarded consensus All-America honors. Jones also finished fourth in the vote for the Heisman Trophy and was named the national collegiate Player of the Year by The Sporting News. During his 17 games at LSU, Jones completed 52.6 percent of his passes for 3,225 yards and 28 touchdowns, which at the time was the most career passing yards and touchdowns of any quarterback in school history. In 2016, Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Professional career Jones was projected by NFL scouts to be the first quarterback drafted in 1973. He was chosen second overall by the Baltimore Colts to be the Colts' heir apparent to Johnny Unitas, who was later traded to San Diego. His debut came on September 16, 1973, in a loss to the Cleveland Browns. During his eight-year tenure as the Colts' starting quarterback, Jones and his teammates enjoyed three consecutive AFC East division titles (1975–77). But in each of those years, the Colts lost in the first round of the playoffs. The 1977 playoff game (known as Ghost to the Post) is famous as the fourth longest game in NFL history; the Colts fell to the Oakland Raiders, 37–31. Jones missed most of 1978 and 1979 with a shoulder injury, and the