Curt Jones is coming back to the Chattanooga area. The former Central coach has been hired as the football coach at Meigs County.
“His resume didn’t come until about three weeks ago and when I saw it I remembered coaching against him,” Meigs principal Clint Baker said. “I remember watching him and thinking what a great leader. I felt he was on the right track then and I definitely wanted to check that resume.”
Upon leaving Central following the 2004 season, Jones returned to Texas, his home state. He has been in the carpet industry, working first for Mohawk and then the last year for a family-owned company in the Houston area.
“I’m excited. Everything happened so quickly. It has been a whirlwind,” said Jones, who headed back to Texas this afternoon with hopes of being back in Decatur and ready to hit the ground running on Monday.
Jones met with the players Wednesday afternoon with hopes of beginning evaluations, but the Tigers will run some variation of the spread offense.
“I don’t know whether it will be one-back or two- but we’ll decide that after we get to know the players. We’ll do what they’re best suited for,” he said.
Jones coached at Central from 2000-2004 and put the Purple Pounders in the playoffs twice. His best season was 2003 when they went 8-4 and beat Powell in a first-round playoff game before losing to Maryville.
An outspoken coach, Jones crossed swords with the Hamilton County schools hierarchy and wound up resigning after an injury-decimated 2004 team finished 2-8.
“I cherish the moments I had with those kids and I cherish what we were able to do for that school and that program. We were able to accomplish a lot of goals in a short amount of time, but I am a wiser person and I am probably more reserved now,” he said.
Baker and Meigs County schools director Don Roberts met with Jones earlier this week.
“He is one of those people meant to coach,” Baker said. “He is a good leader, a good person and a good coach.”
Jones has kept his hand in football. His elder brother is athletic director at a large junior high a Houston suburb. Kent Jones, his younger brother and a former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga player, is offensive line coach at Katy, Texas, which has won three of the state’s last five 5-A championships. Jones has helped them, especially in the summers with 7-on-7 practices.
“I knew early on when I left coaching and pursued sales that coaching was my passion,” Jones said. “I tried to quell that passion but I could never get away from that pull.”
One major change from Central, Jones said, is that Meigs County boosters are interested and love their football.
“I have kept my eye on this area and knew there were only a couple of schools I would be interested in coming to. I am coming to a community where a passion is already there. These people love their football,” said Jones. “We have to sell a house in Houston so we’ll live with my wife’s parents for the time being, but I want live in and be a part of this community.”
Jones replaces Stan Eller, who spent two seasons in his second stint as Meigs’ coach.