Jones’ perseverance pays off

By Andy Brown

Published: June 9, 2008

“It’s not worth it. I should just quit now.”

Those words bounced around Walter Jones’ head on more than one occasion. To understand how he got to that point, one has to understand where Jones came from.

He was a two-sport star at Eufaula High School that was as slippery as wet bar of soap on the gridiron and as smooth as a jazz quartet on the diamond.

A bundle of God-given talent and a competitive nature that drove Jones to never settle for less than his best helped him make things look easy on the athletic field. His fancy footwork with the pigskin under his arm and his sweet swing that sent balls flying over the fence at Old Creek Town Park garnered Jones his fair share of attention from college football and baseball recruiters.

When it came time to decide between football and baseball, Jones opted to sign a scholarship with Division II football power North Alabama.

That’s when Jones’ fortunes took a turn for the worse.

Just weeks into his freshman season, Jones suffered a career-ending injury when he broke his leg during a scrimmage.

For Jones, the memory of the moment his football career came to a screeching halt is still vividly etched into his mind.

“I was playing quarterback and I scrambled out of the pocket and was running down field when a guy came up and tried to make the tackle,” he recalled. “While I was breaking that tackle another guy came in and hit me and we fell a certain way. He ended up on top of me and it just snapped.”

Jones had broken his right tibia and fibula.

Surgery ensued and a steel rod was placed in Jones’ leg. He was told his recovery would take 10 to 12 months and then he would be able to resume his football career.

Six months after the injury, Jones was on his feet running and lifting weights, hoping to be on the field for the start of the 2004 season.

As grueling as the physical rehab was, it was the doubts that began creeping into Jones’ mind that signaled the end for the North Alabama signal caller.

“I remember being real optimistic about all of it,” Jones said. “At first my recovery was going well. I was back up and running quicker than expected and I was lifting weights. I felt good about my chances to play again, but as things progressed (my leg) just never felt right. I started to wonder if it would ever feel right again, and when I got out there I just didn’t trust it. … I was guarding my leg. I realized I wasn’t going to be comfortable playing.”

Without ever taking a snap in a college football game, Jones stepped away from football midway through spring practice. He came home to Eufaula and pondered his next move.

“I didn’t know where to go or what to do,” Jones said.

Then his phone rang. On the other end of the line was American Legion Post 12 head coach Larry Tubbs. Jones had played for Tubbs and the Dothan squad while in high school and Tubbs was eager to have him back on his team.

“I knew he was a good baseball player and that he had gone to UNA to play football,” Tubbs said. “When I heard he broke his leg I decided to give him a call and ask if he’d be interested in playing baseball again. I knew (that playing college baseball) was an idea he had toyed with in the past and that there was a chance he might not be able to play football again. I felt like if getting back into baseball was something he wanted to do that we could help him do that.”

The way Tubbs saw things, it was the least he could do.

“Walter is a fine young man,” the longtime Post 12 coach said. “I’ve been in this game for more than 30 years and I’d put Walter in my top 10 of all-time just because of the kind of person he is. I knew that even with him being a little hobbled by his leg, we’d be a better team just because he was on our team. It didn’t even matter if he played. Just having him around made us better because he’s such a wonderful kid and I was going to make sure that if he wanted to play college baseball that he had that chance.”

That summer Tubbs and his staff worked with Jones nearly every day.

During the course of the season, Jones played in 48 games as an outfielder for Post 12 and finished with a .345 batting average.

His performance landed him a spot on Lurleen B. Wallace Community College’s roster.

The former Eufaula standout was excited, but not exactly thrilled to be in Andalusia.

“It was tough at first,” he said. “I wanted to play, but I went from a bigger school to a community college. I mean, it’s not like North Alabama is a huge school, but it’s a lot bigger than LBW. That took some time for me to get used to, but I was just glad to have the chance to play somewhere.”

Jones mother, Barbara Hawkins, wasn’t quite as excited.

“I just tried to bear with him and let him make his own decision,” she said. “I wasn’t too excited about him playing any sport, but he made a good decision and he was excited to be able to keep playing ball.”

More perseverance
Things were finally looking up for Jones.

But that’s not where his story of perseverance ends.

In the fall of 2004, Jones slipped down in the kitchen and broke his leg for a second time.

“I was just thinking, ‘Here we go again,’” he said. “The floor was wet. I slipped and it just snapped. … It was a freak accident.”

Jones was once again forced to go through the rehabilitation process.

After a five-month rehabilitation process he made it back onto the diamond and went on to become a two-year letterwinner for the Saints. 

As a freshman, he batted .275 with two doubles, two triples, 21 RBI and nine stole bases.

The next season, Jones hit for a .381 average with 14 doubles, 30 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

“I had no doubt that Walter could play at the next level,” Tubbs said. “He just needed to believe in himself, and I think playing that extra season with Post 12 helped him do that. I really believe the program helped give him some direction. He saw a bunch of people that believed he could play at the next level and it gave him some confidence.”

But through it all his leg was still giving him problems. Jones fought through the pain, stayed in the lineup and eventually earned a scholarship with Division I Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La.

In his first season with the Colonels, Jones played in 24 games and made 16 starts, but his season came to an abrupt end.

“My leg had really been bothering me,” he said. “It had been something that I had had to deal with for a couple of years, but it just got worse. It got to the point that I shouldn’t have been playing, but I kept trying to play on it.

“One morning I woke up and it was so swollen I could barely walk on it. I went to the doctor and he drained some fluid off of it and put me on antibiotics. They ran a bunch of procedures on it and eventually discovered that there was an infection around the rod they had placed in my leg.”

The doctors removed the rod from Jones’ leg and cleaned out the inside of his bone.

Jones was once again forced to begin the rehab process. Like all good baseball players do with two strikes, Jones choked up, shortened his swing and kept battling at the plate.

“It was tough,” he said. “There were days when I just didn’t think it was worth it, but I had come this far and I really wanted to finish out my career.”

Nicholls State head coach Chip Durham could see how much it meant for Jones to finish out his playing career.

“You could tell this was a kid that wanted to be out there,” Durham said. “He had a lot of problems with his leg and he really gutted it out and tried to play through it, but eventually he just couldn’t do it anymore. He went to the doctor and had another surgery on his leg, and then he worked really hard to get back on the field.”

Being able to work alongside his teammates made all the difference in the world to Jones.

“I think Coach (Durham) could see how much it meant to me to be a part of this team,” Jones said. “Even when I couldn’t play, he let me travel with the team and that meant a lot to me. I’m not sure I could have gone through the rehab process again if I had had to sit at home and do it alone.”

Once again, Jones endured the grueling rehab and worked his way back onto the diamond and into the Colonels’ starting lineup.

As a senior, Jones started 45 of 48 games and ranked second on the team with a .315 batting average. He also ranked second in on-base percentage at .401 and led the team with 13 stolen bases.

This was just one season after hitting .173.

“It felt great,” Jones said. “To finally be able to play and be healthy was awesome. I can still remember the first game of the season when I ran out to the outfield and (my leg) didn’t hurt. It was probably the first time since high school that I had had that feeling. Baseball was fun again.”

Hawkins had the chance to travel to Thibodaux and watch Jones play his final home game. She watched as her son signed autographs for young Colonel fans and couldn’t help but gush with pride.

“I took a picture,” she said with a laugh. “I was just so proud of him. He’s had some rough times, but he’s hung in there and accomplished so much. It was so much fun to be out there and see him so happy. I feel like it all worked out for the best.”

While it wasn’t quite the path Jones expected to take when he signed with UNA, he’s not sure he would change a thing.

“Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t hurt my leg,” Jones said. “I probably would have stuck with football, but that’s not the way things happened. I was fortunate to be able to keep playing ball and to get an education. Things turned out OK.”

Jones, who will be graduating with a degree in general studies at the end of the summer semester, plans to continue his education by pursuing a master’s degree in business administration and maybe one day land a gig as a sports agent.

“That’s one of my dreams, but it’s hard to get into that field,” he said. “A lot of times you have to know someone.”

But Jones, who was “dead set” on becoming a gridiron star coming out of Eufaula, hasn’t quite given up on his dream of one day playing professional baseball.

“It doesn’t look like I’m going to get a shot,” Jones said. “I haven’t talked much with any scouts lately and I don’t want to play independent league ball. If something comes up in the next couple of weeks where I think I have a chance to play pro ball I’ll take a shot at it.
“If not, I’m happy with the way my career ended.”

Through the ups and downs of that career, Jones also learned what he considers to be a valuable life lesson.

“I learned that no matter what the sport, whether it’s pee-wee football or college baseball there’s going to adversity and how you handle that adversity shapes your character,” he said.  “It’s the same in life.”

Jones has surely seen his share of adversity, and through it all he’s shown remarkable character.

“Walter is a special kid,” Tubbs said. “Kids like him don’t come around all that often. When you’re around a kid like him, it makes you a better person.”