Greg Jones (2022) - Hall of Fame - Michigan State University Athletics

Greg Jones

Induction:
2022
Class:
2010

Greg Jones
Football (2007-10)
Cincinnati, Ohio
MSU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2022

HIGHLIGHTS:

Two-time consensus first-team All-American (2009-10) – just the fourth Spartan to be a two-time consensus first-team selection
Three-time first-team All-Big Ten (2008-10)
2009 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year – led conference in tackles with 154
Two-time MSU Alderton Male Athlete of the Year (2009-10, 2010-11)
2010 Team MVP
Super Bowl XLVI Champion with the New York Giants

HALL OF FAME FEATURE: CLASS OF 2022

The accolades for linebacker Greg Jones place him as one of the most decorated players in Spartan football history.

He is one of just four players at MSU, along with College Football Hall of Famers George Webster, Charles "Bubba" Smith and Lorenzo White, to earn consensus first-team All-America honors twice in his career (2009, 2010), and one of just 10 Spartans to be named a unanimous first-team All-America selection, which he accomplished his senior season in 2010.

"I got a little emotional – I was in the middle of training some kids," said Jones upon hearing the news of his induction on a call from Alan Haller, MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics. "I was super excited and couldn't wait to tell my family. I'm grateful and humbled to be a part of such an elite group of people in the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame."

As a member of Mark Dantonio's first recruiting class to Michigan State in 2007, Jones helped spark a championship legacy for MSU's all-time winningest coach, serving as co-captain of the Big Ten Championship team in 2010 that claimed the Spartans' first conference title in 20 years.

"I can look back at those four years and how they were a huge building block and somewhat of a cornerstone to what's happening now," said Jones. "Just to be a part of the program and the history; I'm happy for what we built as a team and the coaching staff was definitely a part of that as well."

The Cincinnati, Ohio, native started 46 of 52 career games, including 40 consecutive starting assignments to close out his career. A model of consistency, Jones became just the second player in MSU history to lead the Spartans in tackles for four straight seasons (linebacker Dan Bass, 1976-79). Jones ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in tackles (third with 465), tackles for loss (third with 46.5) and sacks (10th with 16.5).

Jones made a splash right away as a freshman in 2007, ranking first on the team with 78 tackles, while being named a Freshman All-American. He followed that up with 127 stops his sophomore season in 2008 en route to earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, a feat he accomplished three times during his career – one of just eight Spartans to claim that distinction.

As a junior in 2009, Jones recorded a career-high 154 tackles, third most in the FBS and seventh all-time in an MSU season. He also posted a career-best nine sacks and tied a career-high with 14 tackles for loss. His impressive season landed him on the consensus All-America First Team and he became the first Spartan defensive player to be named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year since the award's inception in 1982.

"What made it so fun is that we were able to get on the same page so quickly," said Jones of playing defense with his teammates. "To look another human being in the eye and know what they're thinking, they know what you're thinking, and then you get that accomplished on the field and talk about it on the sideline, that gives me the chills. When you're a Spartan Dawg for those four years, you almost feel like you're related. I just think that was so much fun. The type of schemes we put together each week for every team were always fun, and as challenges presented themselves, we always attacked them as a team. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish this recognition without the guys in that room, I just wouldn't have."

Jones' Spartan career culminated as a senior in 2010 when he was voted captain for a second consecutive year while leading Michigan State to a then-school record 11 wins in the regular season and a Big Ten title. He earned unanimous first-team All-America honors after ranking first on the Spartans in tackles (106), tackles for loss (10 for 20 yards) and forced fumbles (3). The 2010 team MVP also became the first Spartan to reach the 100-tackle milestone in three straight seasons since Percy Snow (1987-89).

"Being able to accomplish something – saying you want to accomplish it and then to be able to get it done, it was amazing," said Jones of winning the Big Ten Championship as a senior, although the team wasn't even ranked heading into the season. "Having to deal with Coach D being out (for medical reasons), and Coach (Don) Treadwell stepping up and doing a great job, and the team sticking together throughout the process, the odds were against us. Whenever you set a big goal out there, the odds are going to be against you, but to get past those and do what we did as a team, was truly special."

Selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, Jones played six years of professional football, including two in the NFL and four in the CFL. He is one of 29 Spartans to win a Super Bowl ring, helping the Giants defeat the Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

Jones now works with youth football players and hopes to help them reach their potential by instilling a positive attitude and overcoming obstacles with perseverance and a strong work ethic.

"I think about the word growth – that sticks out to me the most," said Jones, reflecting on his time as a Spartan. "Working with kids now and watching them go on – there are kids I work with that have gone on to play college ball – looking at where we all started, especially my class, from where we started to where we ended up, just the amount of growth that we had, both mentally and physically. I would say growth is just the thing that sticks with me the most that I look back on and I cherish because it was such a huge moment in my life."

From growing up playing youth football in Cincinnati, to winning a Big Ten title at MSU and a Super Bowl ring with the Giants, and now as a member of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Jones is definitely a shining example of what someone can achieve through hard work and dedication.