Dawgs By Nature
The talented runner was part of six pro titles as a player and coach
The Cleveland Browns began in 1946 in the NFL-rival league the All-America Football Conference (AAFC). The AAFC was full of former NFL players and coaches and over their four-year history paid more and subsequently signed over 60% of the best incoming college talent.
The Browns won the AAFC title in 1946 and also in 1947 under head coach Paul Brown.
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In 1948, receiver Dub Jones joined Cleveland and played eight seasons with the Browns, then moved to the sidelines and coached six years. On November 2, 2024, Jones passed away at the age of 99. He was the oldest Browns player at the time of his death and would have reached 100 on December 29.
With Cleveland, Jones was part of two additional AAFC crowns, plus four NFL championships. In 2004, Jones was added to the Cleveland Browns Legends program.
Jones created the position of “flanker” in the 1950s.
William Augustus “Dub” Jones was born in Arcadia, Louisiana but grew up in nearby Ruston since the age of three after his father died. He was the youngest of four children – all boys. Like his brothers, he participated in multiple sports. He would listen to baseball games and boxing matches on the radio as a small child which kindled his interest in participating in those two sports. As he grew up, Jones excelled in football and baseball but played basketball and boxed as well.
His nickname Dub came from the letter “W” of his first name.
He had rare talent as a halfback, defensive back, and kicker. In 1941 he helped Rustin High School capture the football state championship. Jones had plenty of schools interested in him but chose to remain close to home and accepted a full football scholarship from LSU where he only played one year.
His college career was interrupted when Jones enlisted in the U.S. Navy for World War II just like thousands of college and professional athletes. He enlisted in the V-12 Navy College Training Program in which the Navy assigned Jones to earn a bachelor’s degree in order to become a commissioned officer. His duty station while in college was Tulane University where he also played football as a halfback and safety.
In 1944 he was named All-American and earned First Team All-SEC honors at Tulane as a junior. He has the distinction of being the only player in college football history to be part of a win over LSU as a member of Tulane, and a roster member of LSU with a win over Tulane.
The following season he was sent to New London, Connecticut to begin training as a fireman on submarines, an assignment he volunteered for. At the time, Navy seamen on submarines represented the highest casualty rate of any U.S. military service in World War II.
Jones (6’-4”, 202 pounds) played for a military football team during...
