Hall of Fame
Position: Coach
Years: Syracuse (1909-10), Yale (1916-17, 1920-27)
Place of Birth: Excello, OH
Date of Birth: Feb. 27, 1887
Place of Death: Hamden, CT
Date of Death: June 19, 1957
"Tad" and Howard Jones, the coaching brothers who became known as the Jones Boys of Yale and the perpetrators of one of the finest traditions in Eli history, now share a place together in the Hall of Fame. Howard was elected in 1951 and Tad was inducted seven years later. Tad was a spirited leader of men, fearless and fox-like. He molded the 1923 team which many feel was the greatest of all Yale teams. Tad's personal choice was the 1916 club, his first at Yale. The 1916 team posted an 8-1 record which included a season-ending, 6-3, victory over arch rival Harvard, the first Eli victory over a Percy Haughton-coached Crimson team in 8 years. His full name was Thomas Albert Dwight Jones; this became Tad Jones. He and his brother Howard played football together at Middletown (OH) High School, Exeter Academy, and finally at Yale in 1907. Tad's coaching record was 66-24-6 for 11 years at Syracuse (1909-1910) and Yale (1916, 1920-27). Jones was All-America quarterback for Yale in 1907. He also was baseball captain and class president. He was a member of the football rules committee 1925-28. Jones likened Yale's games against Harvard to total war. Before the game in 1923 he said to his team: "Gentlemen, you are now going to play football against Harvard. Never again in your whole life will you do anything so important."
