True FAMuly Love

“A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” Proverbs 17:17 KJV

The old saying that "you never know who's watching you" certainly applies to my now four decade friendship with Cedric Jones. Though he was only two grades ahead of me at FAMU High School, I looked up to him more than he probably even realized during our primary and secondary school days. A sublimely gifted scholar and athlete, I noticed early on how the teachers loved him, the girls adored him, and opposing running backs and linemen feared meeting him in the hole or the flats during football games. In fact, I looked up to Ced so much that when I started playing football, instead of wearing my dad's #64, I chose #51—because Ced Jones wore it first.

Coach Cedric Jones being interviewed after a FAMU High game in historic Bragg Stadium

Through the years, there have been few events in my life, good or bad, that Ced wasn't somehwere in the midst either offering big brotherly advice or a simple "You're gonna be alright" admonition. Our bond was forged not only through a youth of scholastic and athletic common pursuits, but also from the extra-curricular lessons that we learned from our legendary teachers, quiz bowl sponsors, and ball team coaches about the ultimate goal of their profession, which was to turn boys and girls into talented men and women who would excel in their professional and personal lives in spite of latent racism in America.

Over 40 years of friendship

Without question, Ced Jones has met that mark time and again in his life and though I am disappointed to learn this morning that he has been relieved as head coach of our beloved Baby Rattlers football team, I count it a blessing that the players during his tenure were able to learn from one of the most brilliant and talented Brothers to ever put on the Orange & Green; each of their lives will be made richer through the wisdom that he poured into them—wisdom that our mentors poured into us at "Da' High" so many years ago.

I would be remiss if I did not note that there is a reason that decades after many of us last attended or graduated from FAMU High, that the names of figures like Principals Matt Estaras and Ozell Martin and Assistant Principal Harry Holt; coaches like Johnnie Williams, Ray Baker, Harry Jacobs and Ronnie Lang; teachers like Deloris Jefferson, Barbara Trueblood, Barbara Neyland, Sylvia Bradwell, Horacine Lawrence, Barbara Rouse, Margaret Davis, Eileen Shaw Warner, Carolyn Darnell, Edna L. Cofield, Doris Medlock, Amos Lewis, George Gibson, Arnett Moore, Sherry Hendricks, Margie Pandley, Barbara Barnes, Catherine Hill, Richard Ford, and my personal favorite, Vivian Hobbs, still stand out in the hearts and minds of students who learned under their tutelage. Now there were many other teachers that I could list, mind you, but suffice it to say that some are more easily remembered than others because their impact was far more profound; I suspect that decades from now, Cedric Jones will be more fondly remembered by his student-athletes than his detractors whose memories will vanish like icy breaths on a windy wintry day!

Thus, I issue this public reminder to my old friend, Coach Cedric Jones, that "you're gonna be alright"—because you have always excelled and risen to greater heights!

#51ClubForever 🐍 🐍 🐍