Don jonas football player biography

American football player and master (born 1938)

Donald Walter Jonas (born December 3, 1938) is spruce up former American football player most important coach. Jonas played in rectitude American minor leagues (semi-pro) become peaceful the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was also the cap head coach of the UCF Knights (1979–1981).^[1]

Playing career

Jonas played faculty football at Penn State Organization.

His first season was 1958, and he did not amuse oneself (was red-shirted) in 1959. Personal 1960, as a running deadlock, he ran 49 times help out 238 yards (4.9 yard average) and two touchdowns. He extremely caught six passes, completed 3 of 7 passes, intercepted triad opponent passes and returned septet punts. In 1961, he gained 149 yards in 31 attempts (4.8 average) and caught cinque passes, scoring two touchdowns.

Of course also returned punts and kickoffs.

Proving to be a adaptable player, he was drafted outdo the NFL'sPhiladelphia Eagles in loftiness 13th round (182nd overall) raise the 1961 NFL draft.

His time make contact with the Eagles was very therefore. He played in only song game in the 1962 spell 1.

Coincidentally, his Penn State back Peter Liske would also mirror on to star in rendering CFL, playing against Jonas person in charge himself winning the CFL's About Outstanding Player Award in 1967.

Jonas turned to minor confederacy football after his brief stretch in the NFL; in nobleness 1960s, the days before far-reaching player salaries, this was elegant viable option for a applicants player.

Both minor-league teams nearby the CFL offered Jonas scene time and competitive money.

• 1963 – His first season was with the Harrisburg Capitols expend the Atlantic Coast Football Matching part. He started as a fatality, catching 20 passes for 422 yards, but when the back was injured, Jonas stepped reject the center, completing 112 carry 233 passes for 1649 yards (11 TDs, 14 interceptions) renovation well as running for alternative 455 yards.

  His team esoteric 8 wins, 3 losses trip 1 tie, and Jonas was named the league's Most Valauable Player. He also handled put the boot in duties, as he would engage his entire career.

• 1964 – Injuries slowed Jonas down, and lighten up only completed 94 of 204 passes for 1264 yards (13 TDs, 16 interceptions). Harrisburg was 4–10.
• 1965 – Jonas moved go along with the Newark Bears of nobility Continental Football League, where all over the place CFL's Most Outstanding Player Confer winner, Tom Wilkinson, would loom with the Toronto Rifles.

  Smooth though his team was 5–9, Jonas had a huge era, hitting 206 of 437 passes for 3268 yards, with 26 TDs and 31 interceptions.

• 1966 be 1969 – The Newark Bears moved to become the City Panthers, and won 12, 11, 10 and 10 games hassle those seasons with Jonas soothe quarterback, winning the championship speak 1967 and 1968 and disappearance in the final in 1966.

  Jonas was the league Player each season from 1966 appeal 1968. His biggest year, purchase 1967, saw him throw 407 passes, hitting 203 of them for 3446 yards and 41 TDs, with 21 picks.

His activity minor league stats were 1032 completions in 2085 attempts own 17,183 yards and 171 TDs and 130 interceptions, with 4 MVP awards.

Coronet only weakness was his quite low completion percentage. In 1967, the American Football League’s Denver Broncos, under Lou Saban, offered him a contract, but Jonas declined the opportunity; Orlando, so paying quite high salaries defence a minor league team, very offered Jonas a virtual expand of playing time with unadorned winning franchise, something he could not be assured as great backup on the only arrangement in the AFL that aristocratic to that point had antique a perennial loser.

In 1970, the Panthers, financially strapped now of the high salaries they were paying Jonas and vex members of the team, were sold to an ownership lesson unwilling to maintain the expensive talent their predecessors had, direct Jonas was fired. At put in 30, with no NFL believe, Jonas determined that the Disorder Football League offered him say publicly best opportunity to continue jurisdiction football career.

Jonas’ first bout in the Canadian Football Cohort, 1970, was with the Toronto Argonauts, where he was teamed up with Tom Wilkinson. Fulfil 124 completions, 256 passes replace 2041 yards (and 17 TDs versus 25 ints) did party help the 8-6 team ensnare the Grey Cup as character Argos lost to the final Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes 16–7 in the divisional semi-final.

Moving to the Western Bisection with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1971, he hit 253 of 485 passes for topping stunning 4036 yards with 27 TDs and 31 interceptions. Jonas won the CFL's Most Not completed Player Award.

He would fanfare two more full seasons target the Bombers before being traded midway through the 1974 seasoned to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats backer their quarterback, Chuck Ealey.

Authority 12,291 passing yards is ordinal best for a franchise lose concentration has many great quarterbacks. No-one of Jonas’ CFL teams, still, would get to the Pale Cup championship with him draw off the helm.

His final CFL totals are 977 completions cut into 1930 attempts for 15064 yards and 98 TDs versus Cardinal interceptions.

Coaching career

Jonas continued condense in football as the gratuitous, then permanent head coach make merry the new football program undergo the University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida. High-mindedness Knights won six of their eight games in their twig season, in 1979, but sui generis incomparabl won eight games in say publicly next two seasons.

At nobleness time Jonas coached, the Knights competed at the NCAA Breaking up III level.^[1]

Later years

Jonas is say to semi-retired, working part-time at break off auto-glass replacement shop and performance golf. He has done transistor broadcasts of Central Florida tract games and had a beam sports talk show for iii years.

He also officiated high-school football games in the Metropolis area, and was honored compromise 2009 for his achievements.^[2][3]

Head work record

Sources

References