Kitwana Jones

Last updated
Kitwana Jones
KitwanaJonesRiders.JPG
Born: (1981-07-07) July 7, 1981 (age 41)
Wilmington, North Carolina
Career information
CFL status American
Position(s) Defensive end
Height6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight240 lb (110 kg)
College Hampton
High school Emsley A. Laney
Career history
As player
2005–2008 Saskatchewan Roughriders
2009 Edmonton Eskimos
2009–2010 Saskatchewan Roughriders
2011 Montreal Alouettes

Kitwana Shaloyd Jones (born July 7, 1981) is a former Canadian football defensive end. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Jones has also played professionally for the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes. He played college football at the University of North Carolina and Hampton University.

Contents

Playing career

College football

Jones started his college football career at the University of North Carolina (UNC), where he saw playing time as a true freshman in 2000. [1] He played mainly on special teams at North Carolina. He also spent time practicing as a fullback. [1] Jones left the UNC football program for disciplinary reasons [2] and then joined Hampton University for his final two seasons of college football. While at Hampton, Jones started 19 games, including 11 in his senior season. [3] After his 2003 season, Jones was named All-Conference (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) [4] and Division I-AA All-America. [5]

Professional football

Jones started his professional career in the Canadian Football League (CFL) when he was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in March, 2005. [3] He made his debut with the club in Week 10 of the 2005 CFL season. He finished his rookie CFL season with 15 tackles (11 on special teams) and one quarterback sack. [3] Jones played on defense and special teams for the Roughriders in 2006, finishing the season with 31 tackles and eight quarterback sacks. [3] During the 2006 season, Jones twice recorded two sacks in a game. [3] The Roughriders captured the 2007 Grey Cup, with Jones playing defensive end and linebacker as well playing on special teams. During the Western Final, Jones had two fumble recoveries. [3] Jones played defensive end full-time for the Roughriders in the 2008 season and led the team in sacks with five. [3]

Prior to the 2009 season, Jones was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos in return for quarterback Juan Joseph. [6] Jones played in nine games for the Eskimos before being released. After his release, he had offers to join the Roughriders or the Montreal Alouettes, and Jones elected to sign back with the Roughriders. [7] Roughriders director of player personnel Joe Womack admitted that trading Jones had been a mistake: "Eric (Tillman, Saskatchewan's GM) and myself and Ken (Miller, the Roughriders' head coach) admittedly probably made a mistake -- and that's OK to admit that; teams do it all the time." [6] Joseph, the player the Roughriders received in exchange for Jones was released by the club after training camp. [6] Jones finished the 2009 season with 14 tackles. [3]

Heading into the 2010 season, Jones was not mentioned among the top contenders on the Roughriders to replace departing defensive linemen John Chick and Stevie Baggs, which suited him fine, "I’m always the undersized guy at my position. There are things that I have to do to remain a Roughrider but I know that I’m in a fight. Then again, I’m always fighting." [8] Jones also sees significant playing time on special teams, where he is considered by some to be among the CFL's best. [8]

On Mar 13, 2011, Jones signed with the Montreal Alouettes. [9]

On May 7, 2012, Jones was released by the Alouettes. [10]

Personal

Jones grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, where he was one of ten children. [7] He attended Emsley A. Laney High School, [1] the alma mater of Michael Jordan. [11] Jones also spent a year at Fork Union Military Academy. [1] He has one son, Tyleke, whom he fathered when he was 14. [7] Jones spends time in the off-season mentoring troubled youth in his home town of Wilmington, [3] and spends time during the season with young fans who have special needs. [12]

While Jones was with the Eskimos, he acquired the nickname 'Batman' after an incident in which he chased down and apprehended a mugger who had stolen a woman's purse. [7] Jones said of the incident, "God just put me in a good place where I could help someone. He knows what kind of heart I have." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saskatchewan Roughriders</span> Professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.

The 2005 CFL season is considered to be the 52nd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 48th Canadian Football League season.

The 2003 CFL season is considered to be the 50th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 46th Canadian Football League season. The pre-season began on May 30, 2003 and the regular season started on June 17, 2003. Taylor Field in Regina, Saskatchewan hosted the 91st Grey Cup on November 16, with the Edmonton Eskimos defeating the Montreal Alouettes 34–22.

The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern-day Canadian football, the 51st season for the Canadian Football League. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL was no longer aired on broadcast television in Canada. As of 2008, TSN was available in approximately 8.8 million of Canada's 13 million households. Montreal hosted the 96th Grey Cup at Olympic Stadium on November 23, when the championship was won by the Calgary Stampeders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Shologan</span> Canadian gridiron football player (born 1985)

Keith Shologan is former a defensive tackle in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at UCF. Shologan has also been a member of the San Diego Chargers, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Ottawa Redblacks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcus Adams (Canadian football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1979)

Marcus "Chunky" Adams is a Canadian football defensive tackle who played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for eight seasons. He also was on the rosters of the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL, the Colorado Crush and Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League, and the Peoria Rough Riders of af2 throughout his professional career. He played college football at Eastern Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khalif Mitchell</span> American gridiron football player (born 1985)

Khalif Quadree Mitchell is a professional Canadian football and American Football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He has played for the B.C. Lions, Toronto Argonauts in the CFL and San Francisco 49ers in the NFL. In 2011, he won a Grey Cup with the BC Lions. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2009 and released in 2010.

The 2010 CFL season is the 57th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it is the 53rd Canadian Football League season. Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton hosted the 98th Grey Cup on November 28 when the Montreal Alouettes became the first team to repeat as Grey Cup Champions in 13 years, defeating the Saskatchewan Roughriders, 21–18. The league announced on its Twitter page on January 29, 2010 that the season would start on July 1, 2010. As of 2021 this is the most recent CFL regular season to start in July.

Mathieu Boulay is a former Canadian football defensive lineman. He played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Edmonton Eskimos. He played CIS football at Bishop's.

The 2012 CFL season was the 59th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 55th season for the Canadian Football League. The pre-season began on June 13, 2012, and the regular season started on June 29, 2012. Rogers Centre in Toronto hosted the 100th Grey Cup on November 25, with the hometown Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders 35-22.

The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders season</span>

The 2013 Saskatchewan Roughriders season was the 56th season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Roughriders improved upon their 8–10 record from 2012 and made the playoffs for the second straight season, while hosting their first playoff game since 2010. After defeating the BC Lions and Calgary Stampeders in the playoffs, the Roughriders qualified for their fourth Grey Cup appearance in seven years and first ever at their home stadium. The team defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 45-23 in the 101st Grey Cup en route to winning the franchise's fourth championship. With the added seats at Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field, the Roughriders led the league in attendance for the first time, with an average of 37,503 fans attending each regular season game.

The 2014 CFL season was the 61st season of modern-day Canadian football. It was the 57th Canadian Football League season. Vancouver hosted the 102nd Grey Cup on November 30. The league expanded to nine teams with the addition of the Ottawa Redblacks, giving the CFL nine teams for the first time since the 2005 season. As a result of the expansion, the schedule shifted to a 20-week regular season plus three weeks of playoffs ; the season started on June 26, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duron Carter</span> American gridiron football player (born 1991)

Duron Christopher Carter is an American professional Canadian football defensive back who is currently a free agent. He was initially a member of the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a wide receiver and has also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Toronto Argonauts, BC Lions, Edmonton Elks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Jones (football coach)</span> American gridiron football coach, born 1967

Chris Jones is the head coach and general manager of the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was previously the head coach and general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders for three seasons, after serving as the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos for two seasons. Jones previously served as the defensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes, Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts before becoming a head coach. Jones won four Grey Cup rings with four teams between 2002 and 2015.

Bryn Roy is a Canadian football linebacker who is currently a member of the Edmonton Eskimos. He was most recently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted 34th overall by the Alouettes in the 2012 CFL Draft and was signed on May 24, 2012. He played college football with the Texas A&M–Commerce Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Tuck (Canadian football)</span>

James Tuck is a Canadian football fullback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Alouettes in the fourth round of the 2014 CFL Draft. He played CIS football at York. Tuck also played junior football for the Newmarket Storm of the Ontario Varsity Football League.

The 2017 CFL season was the 64th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 60th season of the Canadian Football League. The regular season began on June 22 and concluded on November 4. The playoffs commenced on November 12 and concluded on November 26 with the Toronto Argonauts defeating the Calgary Stampeders to win the 105th Grey Cup.

The 2019 CFL season was the 66th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 62nd Canadian Football League season. The regular season began on June 13 and concluded with the playing of the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary on November 24 —where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33–12 to win their first Grey Cup since 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Geter</span> American gridiron football player (born 1990)

Chad Geter is a former professional Canadian football defensive lineman who played for two seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes. He played college football for the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs from 2012 to 2016.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Kitwana Jones". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill . Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  2. ↑ "Lee Pace's Extra Points: Trenches on Offense, Defense Key for '02 Heels". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2002-08-19. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Kitwana Jones". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Archived from the original on 2010-08-18. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  4. ↑ "All-Time All-MEAC Football First Team" (PDF). Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference . Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  5. ↑ "All-Time Team LBs: Position stacked with stars". StarNewsOnline.com. 2009-08-16. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  6. 1 2 3 Hamilton, Ian (2009-09-10). "Saskatchewan Rougriders sign Kitwana Jones and admit it was a "mistake" to trade him". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Cox, Damien (2009-11-27). "Some year for Roughrider 'Batman' Jones". The Toronto Star. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  8. 1 2 McCormick, Murray (2010-06-16). "I'm always fighting for a spot: Riders' Kitwana Jones". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  9. ↑ "Alouettes sign rush-end Kitwana Jones". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2011-03-15.
  10. ↑ "The Alouettes make roster moves | Montreal Alouettes". Archived from the original on 2013-05-01. Retrieved 2012-05-07.
  11. ↑ "Alumni-Alumnae". New Hanover County Schools. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-09-05.
  12. ↑ Harder, Greg (2010-07-08). "Riders DL Kitwana Jones' receives birthday gift from his No. 1 fan". Regina Leader Post. Retrieved 2010-09-05.[ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.