Professional Football Player. Born Harry Lee Jones, he played the running back position for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1967 to 1970. He played football collegiately at the University of Arkansas where he received All-American honors in 1966. He was drafted in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and played for them for four years before being waived in 1971. He tried to make the team in 1972, but was not successful. During his pro career, he played running back, wide receiver, and defensive end. He later became an assistant coach under Johnny Majors at the University of Pittsburgh and coached future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett.∼Harry Lee Jones, age 71, of Springdale, Arkansas passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
He was born on July 25, 1945 in Huntington, West Virginia, the son of Virginia and Harry Jones.
He was raised in Enid, Oklahoma. A three-sport star, Harry was recruited from Enid High School in Oklahoma by Arkansas Assistant Coach, Barry Switzer and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Harry was one of two sophomore starters on Arkansas' dominating defense in 1964, which ended the regular season with five consecutive shutouts. The 6-2, 195-pounder, returned two interceptions for touchdowns that season as the Razorbacks went 11-0, including a 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.
He was a standout on the Razorbacks' national championship team of 1964, and moved to offense in 1965. Harry led the NCAA with 7.7 yards per carry in 1965 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated on Nov. 8 that season under the headline "Arkansas: The New Dynasty" in reference to the Razorbacks' winning streak that would reach 22 games before a Cotton Bowl loss to LSU. He was the first University of Arkansas athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Harry's SI cover photo was taken during Arkansas' 27-24 victory over Texas.
He picked up the nickname "Light Horse" from the public address announcer at War Memorial Stadium in 1965, and a group called "The Rivermen" turned him into a folk hero of sorts with a song titled "The Ballad of Light Horse Harry" that received plenty of air play that year.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first-round (19th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft, Harry played running back, wide receiver and defensive end for five years for the Eagles before injuries ended his career.
Hired by the Pittsburgh Panthers in January, 1973, Harry was an assistant football coach under Johnny Majors. In 1975, he coached future College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett. He was also part of the Pittsburgh Panthers 1976 national championship team under Coach Johnny Majors. He later worked in the oil industry and had been living in Northwest Arkansas since 2001.
Harry was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and was inducted into the State of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
He is preceeed in death by his parents.
Harry is survived by and will always be remembered by his loving children, Griffin "Griff" (and wife, Mindi) Jones; Elizabeth "Liz" (and husband, Chris) Paul; Kelli (and husband, Joe) Piontek; Garrett (and wife, Kristen) Jones; brother, Garrett (Gary) Jones; and grandchildren, Kennedy Jones, Kale Jones, Kassidy Paul, and Benjamin Piontek; and nephews, Todd Jones, and Tyler Jones.
The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Lisa Vowell of Springdale, Arkansas, his longtime caregiver, and to Morningside Assisted Living Home in Springdale, Arkansas where he happily lived the last two and a half years.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 15, 2016 at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.
Visitation will follow the service.
He was born on July 25, 1945 in Huntington, West Virginia, the son of Virginia and Harry Jones.
He was raised in Enid, Oklahoma. A three-sport star, Harry was recruited from Enid High School in Oklahoma by Arkansas Assistant Coach, Barry Switzer and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Harry was one of two sophomore starters on Arkansas' dominating defense in 1964, which ended the regular season with five consecutive shutouts. The 6-2, 195-pounder, returned two interceptions for touchdowns that season as the Razorbacks went 11-0, including a 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.
He was a standout on the Razorbacks' national championship team of 1964, and moved to offense in 1965. Harry led the NCAA with 7.7 yards per carry in 1965 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated on Nov. 8 that season under the headline "Arkansas: The New Dynasty" in reference to the Razorbacks' winning streak that would reach 22 games before a Cotton Bowl loss to LSU. He was the first University of Arkansas athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Harry's SI cover photo was taken during Arkansas' 27-24 victory over Texas.
He picked up the nickname "Light Horse" from the public address announcer at War Memorial Stadium in 1965, and a group called "The Rivermen" turned him into a folk hero of sorts with a song titled "The Ballad of Light Horse Harry" that received plenty of air play that year.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first-round (19th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft, Harry played running back, wide receiver and defensive end for five years for the Eagles before injuries ended his career.
Hired by the Pittsburgh Panthers in January, 1973, Harry was an assistant football coach under Johnny Majors. In 1975, he coached future College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett. He was also part of the Pittsburgh Panthers 1976 national championship team under Coach Johnny Majors. He later worked in the oil industry and had been living in Northwest Arkansas since 2001.
Harry was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and was inducted into the State of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
He is preceeed in death by his parents.
Harry is survived by and will always be remembered by his loving children, Griffin "Griff" (and wife, Mindi) Jones; Elizabeth "Liz" (and husband, Chris) Paul; Kelli (and husband, Joe) Piontek; Garrett (and wife, Kristen) Jones; brother, Garrett (Gary) Jones; and grandchildren, Kennedy Jones, Kale Jones, Kassidy Paul, and Benjamin Piontek; and nephews, Todd Jones, and Tyler Jones.
The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Lisa Vowell of Springdale, Arkansas, his longtime caregiver, and to Morningside Assisted Living Home in Springdale, Arkansas where he happily lived the last two and a half years.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 15, 2016 at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.
Visitation will follow the service.
Professional Football Player. Born Harry Lee Jones, he played the running back position for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League from 1967 to 1970. He played football collegiately at the University of Arkansas where he received All-American honors in 1966. He was drafted in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles and played for them for four years before being waived in 1971. He tried to make the team in 1972, but was not successful. During his pro career, he played running back, wide receiver, and defensive end. He later became an assistant coach under Johnny Majors at the University of Pittsburgh and coached future Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett.∼Harry Lee Jones, age 71, of Springdale, Arkansas passed away on Sunday, December 11, 2016.
He was born on July 25, 1945 in Huntington, West Virginia, the son of Virginia and Harry Jones.
He was raised in Enid, Oklahoma. A three-sport star, Harry was recruited from Enid High School in Oklahoma by Arkansas Assistant Coach, Barry Switzer and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Harry was one of two sophomore starters on Arkansas' dominating defense in 1964, which ended the regular season with five consecutive shutouts. The 6-2, 195-pounder, returned two interceptions for touchdowns that season as the Razorbacks went 11-0, including a 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.
He was a standout on the Razorbacks' national championship team of 1964, and moved to offense in 1965. Harry led the NCAA with 7.7 yards per carry in 1965 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated on Nov. 8 that season under the headline "Arkansas: The New Dynasty" in reference to the Razorbacks' winning streak that would reach 22 games before a Cotton Bowl loss to LSU. He was the first University of Arkansas athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Harry's SI cover photo was taken during Arkansas' 27-24 victory over Texas.
He picked up the nickname "Light Horse" from the public address announcer at War Memorial Stadium in 1965, and a group called "The Rivermen" turned him into a folk hero of sorts with a song titled "The Ballad of Light Horse Harry" that received plenty of air play that year.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first-round (19th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft, Harry played running back, wide receiver and defensive end for five years for the Eagles before injuries ended his career.
Hired by the Pittsburgh Panthers in January, 1973, Harry was an assistant football coach under Johnny Majors. In 1975, he coached future College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett. He was also part of the Pittsburgh Panthers 1976 national championship team under Coach Johnny Majors. He later worked in the oil industry and had been living in Northwest Arkansas since 2001.
Harry was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and was inducted into the State of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
He is preceeed in death by his parents.
Harry is survived by and will always be remembered by his loving children, Griffin "Griff" (and wife, Mindi) Jones; Elizabeth "Liz" (and husband, Chris) Paul; Kelli (and husband, Joe) Piontek; Garrett (and wife, Kristen) Jones; brother, Garrett (Gary) Jones; and grandchildren, Kennedy Jones, Kale Jones, Kassidy Paul, and Benjamin Piontek; and nephews, Todd Jones, and Tyler Jones.
The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Lisa Vowell of Springdale, Arkansas, his longtime caregiver, and to Morningside Assisted Living Home in Springdale, Arkansas where he happily lived the last two and a half years.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 15, 2016 at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.
Visitation will follow the service.
He was born on July 25, 1945 in Huntington, West Virginia, the son of Virginia and Harry Jones.
He was raised in Enid, Oklahoma. A three-sport star, Harry was recruited from Enid High School in Oklahoma by Arkansas Assistant Coach, Barry Switzer and signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Harry was one of two sophomore starters on Arkansas' dominating defense in 1964, which ended the regular season with five consecutive shutouts. The 6-2, 195-pounder, returned two interceptions for touchdowns that season as the Razorbacks went 11-0, including a 10-7 victory over Nebraska in the Cotton Bowl, and were crowned national champion by the Football Writers Association of America.
He was a standout on the Razorbacks' national championship team of 1964, and moved to offense in 1965. Harry led the NCAA with 7.7 yards per carry in 1965 and made the cover of Sports Illustrated on Nov. 8 that season under the headline "Arkansas: The New Dynasty" in reference to the Razorbacks' winning streak that would reach 22 games before a Cotton Bowl loss to LSU. He was the first University of Arkansas athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Harry's SI cover photo was taken during Arkansas' 27-24 victory over Texas.
He picked up the nickname "Light Horse" from the public address announcer at War Memorial Stadium in 1965, and a group called "The Rivermen" turned him into a folk hero of sorts with a song titled "The Ballad of Light Horse Harry" that received plenty of air play that year.
Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first-round (19th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft, Harry played running back, wide receiver and defensive end for five years for the Eagles before injuries ended his career.
Hired by the Pittsburgh Panthers in January, 1973, Harry was an assistant football coach under Johnny Majors. In 1975, he coached future College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett. He was also part of the Pittsburgh Panthers 1976 national championship team under Coach Johnny Majors. He later worked in the oil industry and had been living in Northwest Arkansas since 2001.
Harry was inducted into the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 and was inducted into the State of Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.
He is preceeed in death by his parents.
Harry is survived by and will always be remembered by his loving children, Griffin "Griff" (and wife, Mindi) Jones; Elizabeth "Liz" (and husband, Chris) Paul; Kelli (and husband, Joe) Piontek; Garrett (and wife, Kristen) Jones; brother, Garrett (Gary) Jones; and grandchildren, Kennedy Jones, Kale Jones, Kassidy Paul, and Benjamin Piontek; and nephews, Todd Jones, and Tyler Jones.
The family wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Lisa Vowell of Springdale, Arkansas, his longtime caregiver, and to Morningside Assisted Living Home in Springdale, Arkansas where he happily lived the last two and a half years.
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m., Thursday, December 15, 2016 at Rollins Funeral Home in Rogers, Arkansas.
Visitation will follow the service.
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