The youngest member of the U.S. track and field Olympic team, he had earlier become the first American high schooler to reach the Games' 100-meter finals since Glendale (Calif.) High senior Frank Wycoff managed the feat in 1928. Competing against the elite sprinters of the world, Jones finished sixth.
An article by Billy Dale- A tribute to Johnny (Lam) Jones
In 2015, I received a phone call from someone whose name I knew from his football and track exploits but whom I had never met.
He asked if he could visit me at my home, and of course I said yes.
Johnny "Lam" Jones was struggling with Myeloma cancer. Still, Johnny remained optimistic, saying, "God is blessing me so much I feel like I'm cheating."
Johnny reached out to me because he had heard that Benny Pace, Jim Kay, and Billy Dale, all T-ring recipients, were completing the NCAA and UT compliance process to form a 501 (c) (3) to fulfill two missions.
1) To share the history of Longhorn sports, and
2) To offer temporary financial assistance to qualifying former Longhorn student-athletes, managers, trainers, support staff, and their immediate families.
At some point in the 4th quarter of our lives, most of us reflect on our life journey and prepare ourselves mentally for the end of life. I have done so, and so had Johnny. He was ready to meet his maker.
He mentioned with a heavy heart and a prayerful soul that he had asked for forgiveness and absolution from his sins, and he knew his spirit had been touched and his prayers answered. His message was biblical , "I was lost but now I am found."
An epiphany is an incredible life-changing experience that I have experienced, so I knew when Johnny started talking about the proudest moment in his life that it was epiphany-driven.
Many may think Johnny is proudest of his Olympic gold medal, his many great moments as a Longhorn football player and track star, or being the first NFL draft choice to get a million-dollar signing bonus, but you are mistaken. On this day in my home, his fondest memory was of his high school track team in Lampasas, TX. He brought a video he produced to celebrate this moment, and we watched it.
He said, "This video helped me turn memories into blessings."
Johnny Lam Jones wanted TLSN to share his story about the happiest memory in his life. A simple moment, not motivated by money or self-centered intentions. For Johnny, it was a moment of team sports purity. It is what all team sports should be about. The team wins, not an individual.
EPILOGUE
Johnny and I became friends, and his spirit has touched me from time to time. It did last night! I woke up thinking of Johnny, and this LinkedIn article is the result. I did my best to share Johnny's journey. He read the TLSN comments written about him and approved them until his death.
Here is the link to his story: https://texas-lsn.squarespace.com/johnny-lam-jones-2019
Many attended Lam's funeral, and after pastor and Longhorn great athlete and ordained pastor Herkie Walls shared his passionate and compelling remembrance of Johnny Lam Jones, the attendees burnt orange blood boiled with Johnny's spirit, and all celebrated his life. Horns up!
Billy, you touched on so many truths in this post...it was outstanding. It is interesting to me that many of our most significant memories are associated with sports, with the game only serving as a backdrop for important insights. It is tough to say goodbye to our teammates and friends. However, as we do grow older we are better able to understand what this life...and the life after it...truly means. And our teammates are in a very good place. Thomas Prikryl
Dave Morton - Track 0520/2022
I did not ever have the privilege of meeting Johnny Lam Jones, but I often fantasized about running match races with him to help bring interest back to track & field. Johnny was the 2nd 18-year-old to run a 44.8-mile relay leg in Texas (I was the 1st), and there has only been one more (Matt Boling in 2019). Lam was a good man and a great loss—Dave Morton Texas track.
1980
Johnny Lam Jones sat with his 86-year-old grandfather, who had helped raise him, at his home in Lampasas that Tuesday, April 29, 1980.
"My grandfather always said he hoped he lived to see me make it. He did, and what he saw, by Johnny’s own admission, was the best and worst of Johnny Lam Jones.
In fact, Jones and six other Longhorns were drafted that day. Johnnie Johnson, Johnny Lam Jones, and Derrick Hatchett went in the first round and Steve McMichael went in the 3rd.
Some who were at Johnny “Lam” Jones funeral.
In 2015, Lam Jones was at my home, and he shared some special moments in his life. You may think he is proudest of his Olympic gold medal, or being the first NFL draft choice to get a $1,000,000 bonus, or his many great moments as a Longhorn football player and track star, or the many great friends who love him, and you would be right. But on this day at my home four years ago, his fondest memory was of the high school track team in Lampasas. He brought a video that he produced to celebrate his high school track team, and we watched it. After watching the video, he was so proud of his accomplishment. He said this video, "Help me Turn Memories into Blessings."
Over the years, I have kept a site dedicated to Johnny "Lam" Jones, his friends, his faith, and his struggles. This page is the updated version. Billy Dale
Johnny “Lam” Jones #26 story
Johnny Lam Jones was an amazing athlete but an even better man and person. I was coaching at Freicksburg HS as JV coach and Johnny had just gotten there so they had him on JV, his head Coach was Scotty Boyd who had played at Decatur, I played with him at Texas. Another good friend was on Scotty’s staff, Rodney Cason whom I knew from Angelo State coached LHS JV. After a real tail kicking from JLJ the two coaches introduced me to him, nothing and he nothing but a class act was he. I later met him when his was a salesman for artificial turf, just such a humble man, it was amazing. Lastly, when I worked for Special Olympics TX he came in and spoke to the special athletes in ATX one day and left his Olympic Gold Medal with our CEO, stating to her” these kids deserve this way more than I ever would, please use it as their inspiration”, that speaks for who Johnny Lam Jones was. ❤️🙏🤘 Michael Sullivan
3/13/2019 Raymond Clayborn called me and said Johnny was in hospice care, and the end was near. Pastor Herkie Walls has asked for prayers for Johnny “Lam” Jones.
March 15, 2019
Friends,
Johnny “Lam” Jones, one of the greatest athletes ever to grace the 40 Acres, passed away this morning after defying the doctors’ prognosis for almost 15 years. Diagnosed with stage-four multiple myeloma in 2005, he was given little chance of survival, but like the champion he was, he emerged from this ordeal a better man, determined to spend every minute of his remaining years serving others.
We have established a “Johnny ‘Lam’ Jones Memorial Fund” to help Johnny’s family cover funeral and burial expenses. Details for donating to this fund are at the bottom of this letter.
He went on to earn an Olympic gold medal. He led the 1977, 1978, and 1979 Longhorns in receptions. As a freshman at Texas, he won the 100 meters with a hand-timed 9.85 seconds. He was a first-round draft choice of the New York Jets, and his $ 2.1 million contract was the first in the NFL worth over a million dollars.
Then, he crashed and burned due to injuries and drug and alcohol abuse.
In 1990, he got sober and dedicated his time and money to helping kids avoid the problems he had encountered with drugs and alcohol.
This kind, gentle soul inspired us and gave us thrills; he filled us with pride. We applauded him when he was riding high and was famous. It’s now time to repay him and to honor his contributions to us, to The University, to athletics, and to the youth of Texas.
Hook ‘em,
Lawrence Sampleton Alfred Jackson
Randy McEachern Steve Massey
Donnie Little Raymond Clayborn
Lam Jones, at 5 feet 11 and 190 pounds, was a wide receiver in his last three years as a Longhorn, 1977-79, and an All-American in his senior year. He scored eight touchdowns of 45 yards or more at Texas and was chosen the team’s most valuable player in 1978.
Article from the UT Athletic Department and Ricky Brown
As track & field events began at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Legendary Longhorn Sports Information Director Bill Little shared a story on one of the Longhorns' most famous two-sport athletes, Johnny "Lam" Jones. Arguably the fastest man in football, Johnny began his legend when he came from behind to win the Class AAA Mile Relay at the UIL Championships in Memorial Stadium. But it would be his performance in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, as a sprinter in the 100 meters and a Gold Medal winner as a member of Team USA's 400-meter relay team, that would cement his fame. Here, in his own words from the book "What It Means To Be A Longhorn," as told to Little and Jenna McEachern," is Johnny's story. "What It Means To Be A Longhorn" is published by Triumph Books and is available online and at most bookstores.
JOHNNY "LAM" JONES (in his own words) Before I came to Texas, I'd qualified for the Olympic team, gone to the Olympic trials, gone to Montreal for the Olympics and won a gold medal. It was pretty much like a haze for an eighteen-year old kid to be going through. It was a blur for me, but someone else may have handled it a lot better. Once you decide where you're going to school, even if you're still in high school, people view you as being part of that new family. Even though I was at Lampasas running in the Olympics, I was representing The University of Texas. At the state track meet we won the state AAA championship for Lampasas High, but a part of me was still representing The University of Texas. I've been very fortunate in sports; I don't have a single most memorable moment. I have been real blessed that I've had a number of moments. People ask me, "Hey, what was it like to win a gold medal in the Olympics?" They look at me like I'm crazy when I say, "It's almost as exciting as running in the state meet in Texas." Winning our team championship was probably my most special moment. It wasn't the race, the mile relay, that made it so special, but that winning the state championship was our goal. People talk about "The Race," but the special part about that was that a lot of people were involved. We were in that position all the time; we were behind like that every week, but that's the way we ran. Those guys didn't have to run as fast as I did, they just had to run as fast as they could. As long as everybody did his best, we'd have a chance to win. All those people saw it at the state meet, but that's what we did every week. Lampasas High had the track records posted on a banner in the gym. I had the record for the 440 and for the 220, so I'd been pestering the coach to let me run the 100. I wanted that record, too. He got tired of me pestering him, so on Wednesday before the Brownwood track meet he let me run the 100, a practice race. He marked off a hundred yards on the old dirt track, and I ran the race. He had a little smile on his face as he looked at his clock, but he wouldn't let me see the time. He said, "Don't worry about it.
You did pretty good. Run another one." He made me wait while he marked off the track again. He stepped it off all over again. I didn't think about what he was doing at the time, but he was double-checking the distance. So I ran another one. This time he had a bigger smile on his face, but he still wouldn't let me see my time. On Saturday, Coach said, "I'll let you run the 100, but you still have to run your other races." So, that day I ran the 440, the 220, the mile relay, and in the 100 I ran a 9.2 in the finals. That's what I had run that day on the high school track. So that was the beginning of "The Race." When I came into Coach's office that next Monday, he had newspapers spread out all over his desk. The papers used to publish all the best times across the state. He had figured out that if he took me out of the quarter and if Mike Perkins, our other quarter-miler, could make it to state, and if I won the 100 and 200 and we could win the mile relay, and if we picked up some points with the long jump or with Perkins, then we could win the state meet by two or four points. The state championship came down to that last race. It was between us and two other teams, and whoever won the mile relay was going to win the state meet. That special moment wasn't about me. The joy came from us winning. I had gone to state my junior year by myself and had won state in the quarter. It wasn't as much fun; it wasn't half the joy of those other guys getting to come along. As a player in high school, you felt so honored that Coach Royal would even consider you to play at his school. You might be thinking about going to some other school, but when you found out that UT wanted you, it was a done deal. That's how it was for me, anyway. Texas recruited me as a running back. I came through with Coach Royal's last class; then he retired and Coach Akers switched offenses. With Earl back there we didn't throw the ball that much. But when we did throw it, we were pretty good at it. I might have gotten closer to my coaches had I done things differently, had I not been so dysfunctional in some areas. I didn't take advantage of having someone older to help guide me and keep me on the right path. When I think of how I spent my time and how disorganized I was, I see that I didn't allow myself the opportunity to develop special relationships with coaches. There were guys who were more mature than I was who were close to their coaches. It was like having a homing beacon, somebody to keep you close to the ground. And back then, my feet were planted firmly in mid-air. But when you're a Longhorn, you're part of a special family, a special group. You get the feeling that other people feel it's special, too. They might be an alum of another school, but deep down inside they wish they could say there were a Longhorn. Some might admit it and some might not, but it's like if they went somewhere else, they settled. Some people will tell me, "I went to such and such school, but I wish I could have gone to UT." This school impacts your life because you're placed in an environment where you always want to do your best. That's the kind of people you're around at Texas. It helps guide you and mold you and puts you in a conscious awareness about what The University is about, the pride and the traditions. I wouldn't change anything, not for a minute, not for a second. A person couldn't ask for a better roller coaster ride than what I've been on--still standing and fortunate to be able to sit here and talk about it. You know that poem "Footprints in the Sand?" I'm the reason they wrote that…I'm the one He's been carrying all this time.
Johnny Lam Jones “"Help Turn Memories into Blessing's" “God Blessing me so much I feel like I'm Cheating!!!
09/09/2018 Johnny talking about his mother: "Your prayers have been greatly appreciated. Mom's been having a tough time the last few months, but God has been with her through it all".
"She gets to pull in for a pit stop and get a pacemaker this afternoon so she can get back in that race called life. Thank you, God, for your blessings". Johnny
On 12/19/2016, Johnny had a cancer relapse and is now undergoing chemotreatments. Please keep him in your prayers!!! Because of my Shortcomings and Defects in Character, I wasn't ready for the Platform God Blessed me within my youth. God knows what we need to experience in life to grow closer to him.
"Thank you, God, for the Growing Pains, your Grace, and Mercy. After getting hooked on alcohol and drugs and destroying my sports career my best friend Gary Milligan let me move in with him after I completed Drug Rehab. Thanks for always being there for me, my brother from another mother."
2015- "God blessed me with two places to call home. I was born in Lawton, Ok. and grew up in a military neighborhood called Ranch Oaks. These are my friends and classmates at Bishop Elementary. All of the black kids in the school were from our community. Even though we went to a small country school, our Sports teams looked like Grambling University when we took the field. When we were younger, we played more street football; for example, go to the red VW and run a hook, or go to green pick up and run a hook and go. We were very season conscious; we played football in football season, we played basketball in basketball season and baseball and track when it was time. We were doing all of these pick-up games on our on, and we were still in elementary school! This is how we learned about winning and losing in sports! When I moved to Texas back then, they didn't start tackle football until the seventh grade in Lampasas, Texas. We started playing organized football in the 4th grade at Bishop! So you might say I had a head start in sports thanks to Ranch Oaks, Bishop, Coach Jackson, Coach Carter, Sammy, Coach Foster.
Having two hometowns also gives you twice the amount of friends and best friends! I believe I have more best friends than an average of five people! The Love between best friends is not measured by how often you talk or see each other; it's just something you know and feels. Hey, I know someone has a team picture from Bishop".
Nothing but Love for ya'll
Johnny Jones
2015 Dear God,
"Thank you for answering my prayers! Just celebrated ten years with stage four bone cancer thanks to you. Five years ago after being on chemo, steroids, pain meds plus a few other medications on a daily bases I said what I would consider a silly selfish prayer. I was feeling a little down, and I said to God, you know it sure would be nice to see that race of our State mile relay. I had heard so much about it over the years, heck I wanted to view it. I remember being nervous waiting to see the video at my friend Dave Kerr and his dad the late Dr. Kerr a wonderful man who had said to his son Dave over the years that he wanted to personally give me that tape! I will never forget the Joyful look on his face as we sat in his living room with our sons and watched it for the first time. Through all of this, I was still nervous, what if we view the race and we were only ten or twenty yards behind! I like to say that you answered my prayers with the bonus plan. You not only delivered the eight-millimeter film to my door; you slowly gave me an idea of how to use it to help others! There's a song, "God's been so good to me. I can not tell it all." That's how I feel every day! Thank you for allowing me to be consciously aware of your presence in my life. Who else could inspire a old jock who was a P. E. major to go back to school two and a half years into battling a cancer that the average life span was two to four years at the time, and take Business Marketing classes. I used to think I was going to school to prove to myself how well I could do if I applied myself because most of my life in school, I just did enough to stay eligible in sports. Thank you for inspiring me to go back to school! Thank you for showing me how to use what I learned in the Business Marketing classes at University of Phoenix to start the "All of his Friends" a Foundation to benefit Families Battling Childhood Cancer (www.allofhisfriends)! Thank you for giving me the courage and direction to successfully complete my 501c3! Thank you most for saving the best for last, more time to work on our relationship"!
Post from Johnny Lam Jones on December 19, 2016
"Just celebrated eleven years with this cancer. It's active again, mom went with me to get my third chemotherapy treatment a couple of days ago. She laughed when I reminded her about having to take me to the emergency when I was seven because my knees would hurt so bad, but they would always stop before I could see the doctor. At first the doctor said they were just growing pains. After a few visits he told her I just needed a butt whopping LoL.
Thank you God for using me and my mother to show the power of your Mercy and Grace....."
Jones was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 2008. Click on video link below
http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/johnny-lam-jones/
Below is a link to a video from 1976 celebrating Johnny Lam Jones Home Coming After Winning A Gold Medal (no sound)
http://www.texasarchive.org/library/index.php?title=2010_00267
Please keep Johnny "Lam" close to your heart as he continues to battle Myeloma cancer that affects bone marrow in the legs.
A Longhorn record that will never be broken
Tributes
Hey Johnny I just wanted to tell you I was so sorry to hear about your mom I was in Ohio with my wife when she passed. I need to ask a Favor I don't like doing this but here it goes there was a boy badly burned around Thanksgiving here in Lampasas and they are doing a fundraiser here in town to help with his medical costs. I had and an autographed picture of you when you played for Texas and I donated it to the cause I was wondering if you could donate something also. The fundraiser is on the 6th if you can donate I can come and pick it up. I remember when you were first diagnosed they had a fundraiser for you and I won an autographed jersey of yours but I never received it though not a big deal. Craig Barker.
My heart cries with you tonight my Brother! Much love - I watched you in amazement take such good care of your Momma - Right up to the end! You are an amazing Son! Willy Boroski.
From Kirk Bohls article on “Lam” Jones written two days ago for the Austin American Statesman
Rick Ingraham played with Earl Campbell and Johnny “Lam” Jones. His quotes in Kirk Bohls article are below.
• “He was not only a Texas hero, he was an American hero,” said former Longhorn lineman great Rick Ingraham. “I mean, he was a gold medal winner.”
• At the high school track meet when Johnny Jones made track history. Ingraham sat in the press box with about 20 of his football teammates and Longhorn recruiting coordinator Ken Dabbs that night after Royal had suggested they check out their new teammate.
• “He was the most beautiful runner I ever saw in my life,” Ingraham recalled. “Effortless. Pure speed. That race was like nothing I’d ever seen. It wasn’t like he was straining. He was like a racehorse. And he didn’t win by a neck. He won by a couple of steps.”
• “He was the most humble superstar,” Ingraham said. “He and Earl (Campbell) were in a class by themselves. Never boastful or loud.”
Coach Dabbs, another member of our historical group, helped steal Lam Jones from OU.
Here are Coach Dabbs's quotes.
• “He was just a tremendous athlete,” recalled Dabbs, maybe the Longhorns’ best recruiter who helped convince Lam not to go to Oklahoma but instead come to Austin. “He played tailback and wide receiver, but the track was king.”
• Dabbs hadn’t been the primary recruiter on Lam. Tim Doerr was, but Royal dispatched Dabbs to Lampasas to help seal the deal.
• Johnny lived with his maternal grandparents in Lampasas, although his mother worked as a deputy sheriff in Oklahoma and wanted him to become a Sooner. When Dabbs showed up at their home, he asked Mary Anderson if Johnny got his speed from her.“I could outrun anybody in Bastrop Country,” she said, barely looking up from her quilting. At some point, Dabbs informed her that his mother ran the Club Café in Freer, Texas, and mentioned that her cook, Lonnie McPhail, fried up the best chicken fried steak. Went by Slim in those days.“That’’s my brother,” Anderson gasped. The Sooners had no shot after that.
And he ran a good race.
Johnny "Lam" Jones
While it may sound counter-intuitive, today was the best funeral I have ever attended. Pastor Herkie Walls set the mood for the service with his passion for the Lord, sense of humor, and excellent delivery style. Bishop Reginald Thomas talked about faith, sinning, and new beginnings. His message is that it is not who we are now that is important, but who we are at the end of our journey that counts. Paraphrasing Bishop Thomas, he said Johnny has passed the symbolic baton by giving it to us, and it is our job to keep running the good race and pass the baton forward to the next generation.
Coach Royal had a sign in the football locker room in the ‘60s that said, “What I kept I lost, and what I gave I kept.” After college, Lam lived the first part of that saying. He gave of himself the last 20 years of Johnny’s life and kept the rewards of joy and fulfillment.
Billy Dale's 1967 recruiting class for the Texas Longhorns
Lonnie Hobbs shares memories about Johnny “Lam” Jones.
I was coaching in Abilene in the spring of 1976. Don Newsom, My college football coach at McMurry College, called me one day and asked if I would go with him to Brownwood to watch the Bluebonnet Relays on the next Saturday. I had no idea who Johnny "Lam" Jones was---but I found out that Saturday...the following is one of many articles that were written chronicling Johnny's extraordinary accomplishments...he was beyond awesome...here is one of 'em:
https://www.gosanangelo.com/.../texas-track.../3173363002/
Texas track legend Johnny "Lam" Jones dies at 60
Johnny "Lam" Jones, whose track exploits at Lampasas High School in 1976 made him a schoolboy legend, died Friday morning at the age of 60 after a long fight with myeloma cancer.
The news was first reported by the Austin American-Statesman.
Jones is perhaps best known for his performance as the anchor leg on the 4x400-meter relay at the 1976 UIL Texas state track meet, when he took the baton in last place and passed everyone on a dramatic final lap.
The win in the event also clinched the state team title for Lampasas.
A couple months later, the 18-year-old Jones won a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal as a member of the U.S. 4x100-meter relay team. He joined Harvey Glance, Millard Hampton and Steve Riddick in setting a world record with a time of 38.33 seconds.
Jones' later donated his gold medal to the Austin branch of the Texas Special Olympics
Jones ran track and played football at the University of Texas. His big-play potential lured the New York Jets to trade two first-round draft picks to draft Jones No. 2 overall in 1980.
The Jets gave Jones a six-year, $2.1 million contract, an NFL-record salary at the time. In six pro football seasons, he averaged 23 receptions for 387 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones' performance at the San Angelo Relays in 1976 was also the stuff of legend.
He won the 220-yard dash in 20.07 seconds. He won the 100 in 9.5, and he took the long jump title with a leap of 22-0.75.
Then in the mile relay, Jones erased an estimated 40-yard deficit to rally Lampasas to victory with a 46.5-second anchor lap.
Former San Angelo Standard-Times sports editor Frank Rudnicki recalled Jones in a 2011 Standard-Times article written by Mike Lee.
"Someone asked me years later what was my greatest memory of living in San Angelo and West Texas," Rudnicki said. "Some people may think I'm crazy, but I said it was the year Johnny 'Lam' Jones ran those spectacular anchor legs in the mile relay at the San Angelo Relays and the state meet. They were legendary feats."
During the 1974 and '75 football seasons in Lampasas, Jones scored a combined 45 touchdowns and was named all-state, which helped him earn a football scholarship to the University of Texas.
He also won a state title in the 440-yard dash in 47.6 seconds at the 1975 state track meet.
His legend really began in Brownwood, however, at the 1976 Bluebonnet Relays when he won the long jump with a mark of 24 feet, 0.25 inches; the 100 in 9.2; and the 440 in 47.8 — all within an hour.
Later, Jones gave the first of his legendary mile-relay anchor performances, turning a slight lead over Copperas Cove into a 30-yard win with a 45.8-second lap.
Art Lawler, a former sports writer for the Abilene Reporter-News, was so impressed he took a photo of Jones and submitted it to Sports Illustrated for consideration in its "Faces in the Crowd" page.
"A lot of sports writers claim to have discovered Johnny 'Lam,' but we gave him his first national publicity with the mention in Sports Illustrated," Lawler said in the 2011 Standard-Times article about Jones.
Neither the Reporter-News nor the Standard-Times sold newspapers in Lampasas. But after Jones' back-to-back performances in Brownwood and San Angelo, Lawler and Rudnicki ignored circulation boundaries and covered Jones as if he were a local.
Jones' statewide popularity grew throughout the season, and fans were eager to see the 6-foot, 175-pound sprinter when he arrived at the state track meet in 1976.
Jones won the 100 title in 9.4, and he followed that with another win in the 220, clocking a time of 21.0.
Yet he saved his best for last, winning the final event of the meet, the mile relay.
His improbable victory, passing every runner on the last lap, caused a scene that became part of the legend.
Seconds after Jones crossed the finish line, fans stormed the track in celebration.
"They came out of the stands like you see in a lot of basketball games on TV these days," Rudnicki said. "It was such an impressive performance that people were thrilled by it. The emotion of the moment took over."
In 2005, Jones was diagnosed with Stage 4 multiple myeloma, cancer of the plasma and bone marrow. While he was hospitalized, reports surfaced that he was near death, yet he defied the odds again and lived for nearly 14 more years.
Jones said he was often asked how it felt to win an Olympic gold medal. He consistently answered that it was almost as exciting as running at the Texas high school state meet and helping Lampasas win the state championship.
Those who witnessed the 1976 state meet can understand the feeling.
"I like the way Johnny Lam made people lose their composure," Lawler said. "He made other runners who could feel him coming tighten up. He made crowds go nuts. He made sports writers who were supposed to sit there and never show an emotion stand up and start cheering."
Recently, there was an article on the TLSN Facebook site that discussed the life of Johnny "Lam" Jones. There is another story told by sports journalist, Longhorn track star, and author Carlton Stowers. He was in Lampasses to welcome Johnny home and share his story with the adoring public. For one day, Lampasses was a city of gold. Johnny was presented with the golden key to the city, and the citizenry was presented with a gold medal. Both were symbolic moments of deep pride for everyone involved, including Johnny. Below is Carlton's article.
WELCOME HOME, JOHNNY- A Day to Remember
By Carlton Stowers -(This article is an abbreviated version of a chapter in author and ex-Longhorn scholarship track athlete Carlton Stowers' book, FRIDAY NIGHT HEROES.)
Only 20 hours earlier, in a drizzling rain in Montreal, he had stepped proudly to the top level of the awards stand to have an Olympic gold medal draped around his neck. Just 18, Johnny Jones had accomplished that sports world Walter Mittys spent a lifetime dreaming of.
The 70,000 on hand in the Olympic Stadium that 1976 summer day erupted into thundering cheer as Jones and his three American teammates were introduced as members of the winning 4x100 meter relay. Standing to their right was the second-place East German team; on their left Russia, winner of the bronze medal.
At that moment, with the national anthem playing and the American flag being raised, a wide smile broke across the teenager's face. The youngest member of the U.S. track and field team, he had earlier become the first American high schooler to reach the Games' 100-meter finals since Glendale (Calif.) High senior Frank Wycoff managed the feat in 1928. Competing against the elite sprinters of the world, Jones finished sixth.
Back home in Lampasas, Tex., where little happens to interrupt the slow-paced lifestyle, most of the 7,000 townspeople had heeded the words on a downtown marquee - Watch Johnny Jones Run in the Olympics. They had dutifully watched on TV and cheered as the same soft-spoken kid who had been scoring touchdowns for the Lampasas High Badgers just months earlier became an Olympic champion.
And now, their hero was coming home.
Lampasas mayor James Hoffpauir sat in his office athe the local Chevrolet dealership, studying a gold-plated key to the city he was to present the young celebrity. Civic leaders had been busy preparing for the welcome. Plaques were engraved, proclamations drafted, and speeches written. Johnny's track shoes that he'd worn at the schoolboy state meet were being bronzed with plans to award one to Johnny's mother and the other to his coach, Scott Boyd. Jones' football jersey had already been placed in the high school trophy case alongside the Badgers track uniform he'd worn at the U.S. Olympic Trials.
The school band and drill team had been practicing and all over town, youngsters were printing "Welcome Home" signs. Bob Sutton, president of the local bank, had volunteered his plane to fly to Dallas to meet Johnny's commercial flight from Canada that Sunday morning.
A huge crowd was on hand at the tiny airstrip north of town well before Jones' scheduled 1:30 arrival. The growing anticipation turned to an excited hum as the small aircraft appeared on the clear day horizon. All eyes turned skyward, then cheers began in earnest as it taxied toward them.
In it's cramped quarters, Johnny, dressed in jeans and a polo shirt and wearing his USA team cap, looked out the window an d shook his head. His mother, who had flown with him from Montreal, smiled and said, "Son, you better start thinking of something to say. It looks like these people are expecting you to give a speech." Coach Boyd, also on board, placed the gold medal around Johnny's neck. "People are going to want to see it," he said.
Stepping from the plane, the youngster's mouth went dry as he looked toward the recently erected speaker's platform.
In the waiting crowd was University of Texas coach Darrell Royal, answering a question posed by an elderly woman concerned that the town's new hero might be injured playing football at the collegiate level. Royal was assuring: "They'll have to catch him first. There are only five people in the world faster than he is and, so far as I know, none of them play football.".
Jonny took a seat between his mother and grandmother, sipping a soft drink, as the ceremonies got underway. Ignoring the blazing sun's heat, the crowd listened to a parade of speakers. Emcee Cactus Pryor got the biggest laugh when he explained to those on hand that "Johnny would have been here sooner, but he decided to fly rather than run.".
Finally, the young man who had spent his previous summers pumping gas at John Storm's service station, was called to the podium.
"I'd just like to thank everyone for all the support you've given me and our teams through the years," he said. There was a lengthy pause, then, "I guess that's about all I have to say."
His grandfather closed the ceremonies with a prayer.
Coach Boyd, who just seven weeks earlier had suggested to Jones that he should consider trying to make the Olympic team, finally excused himself from the handshaking, and went to his field house office. Standing at a window, looking out at the dirt track and football field, he said, "It's hard to believe we raised an Olympic champion right out there. It's like being part of a once-in-a-lifetme fairytale."
***
In the years to come, Johnny (Lam) Jones would experience more highlight moments during his athletic career, as an All-American member of Longhorn football and track teams and being the No. 1 pick of the NFL New York Jets. None, he would later reflect, rivaled that welcome he received from the proud and loving friends and neighbors of his hometown.
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