(Photo Credit: John Biever/SI/Icon SMI)
Last week, we spotlighted the great Autry Denson. This time, we turn to another electrifying Notre Dame running back—one who grew up in Big Stone Gap, Virginia: Julius Jones.
Jones came from a family of seven. His father, a corrections officer, insisted that his children read the front page of the newspaper before they could turn to the sports section. His mother worked the graveyard shift in the coal mines for 20 years. That discipline and drive shaped Jones from an early age.
At Powell Valley High School, he was a multi-sport star who led his team to 28 straight wins and two state titles, piling up an amazing 5,803 rushing yards and 86 touchdowns along the way.
Bob Davie recruited the 5-foot-10, 205-pound back to South Bend in 1999, and Jones wasted no time making his presence known. As a freshman, he returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown against Boston College. A year later, he brought a kickoff 100 yards to the house versus Nebraska—a play Irish fans still talk about—and led the team in rushing. He repeated that feat in 2001.
Jones wasn’t the biggest back, but he ran with surprising power and blazing speed—he could run through you or past you, depending on what the play demanded.
His career hit a setback in 2002, when he had to set out the season for academic reasons. It was a tough blow for the Irish, who that year started 8–0 but lacked offensive firepower. Many still wonder what kind of difference Jones might have made had he been eligible that season.
When he returned in 2003, he came back with purpose, and determination—and put together one of the best single seasons in Notre Dame history. In 12 games, he rushed for 1,268 yards on 229 carries (5.9 yards per carry) and scored 10 touchdowns. Three times he topped 200 yards in a game. His signature performance came at Pittsburgh, when he rushed for a school-record 262 yards on just 24 carries—despite not even starting the game. Starter Ryan Grant had 26 carries himself that day.
Jones finished his Notre Dame career fifth on the school’s all-time rushing list with 3,018 yards and after his senior year, was voted team MVP.
The Dallas Cowboys made him their top draft pick in 2004, and he went on to enjoy a solid seven-year NFL career, highlighted by back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2005 and 2006. In 2006, he and his brother Thomas Jones became the first siblings in NFL history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
And in one of football’s great twists, Jones was cut by Seattle in 2010, signed with New Orleans the next week—and then scored two touchdowns against the Seahawks in the playoffs, becoming the only player ever to score a postseason TD against a team that released him earlier that same year.
At Notre Dame, Julius Jones might not have played on great teams or won major awards, but his speed, heart, and explosiveness left a lasting impression. Players like Jones are a reminder that “legendary” status isn’t only about trophies—it’s about a body of work and moments that make fans leap from their seats.
Julius Jones — record-setting Notre Dame running back from 1999 to 2003 — another All-Time Irish Hero.