Hall of Fame Website
NEW ORLEANS – Truman State/Northeast Missouri Track & Field great Larance Jones will be enshrined in the Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame on June 8 in Eugene, Oregon.
Jones is one of 12 honorees who will be recognized as part of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association event. The induction ceremony will be held three days before the start of the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field.
The Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame, established in 2022, honors the best of the best in collegiate track & field and cross country. It recognizes athletes who have left a lasting mark on the sport during their collegiate careers.
When Jones arrived on the university campus in the early 1970s, he quickly established himself as a standout in Bulldog track and football, particularly in track. During his track career, the quarter-miler earned All-American recognition, won the NCAA Division I outdoor title once, the NCAA Division I indoor title twice, the NCAA Division II outdoor title three times, and the MIAA Conference indoor and outdoor titles three times each.
Jones set a school record in the 440-yard dash, as well as conference indoor and outdoor records in the event. He was the first collegiate quarter-miler to win his specialty at the Texas, Kansas, and Drake Relays in the same year with record-setting times, an accomplishment he achieved in 1974.
He participated in the 1972 Olympic Trials, advancing to the semifinals in his specialty. At the time he finished his collegiate track career, he had recorded the world's fastest time in the 440-yard dash, 45.2 seconds, in the spring of 1974.
Jones also played on three Bulldog football teams, helping the 1971 team win the MIAA Conference title. However, in the 1972 season opener against Missouri Western, he suffered a knee injury that could have ended his athletic career. Through perseverance, he recovered fully and competed in the 1973 track season. In 1974, his final football campaign, Jones earned All-Conference accolades and ranked among the NCAA Division II national leaders in kick returns.
He caught the attention of professional football scouts and was selected in the 15th round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the New York Giants but was cut. He was then signed by the Washington Redskins. Jones ranked second in NFL kickoff returns in 1974 and set a league record with a 102-yard kickoff return. He played for the Redskins through the 1977 season before being traded to the San Francisco 49ers. Jones retired from professional football in the fall of 1978.
