When Daryl Jones was in elementary school, he was a very gifted soccer player and basketball was always the sport he was most passionate about. He decided he wanted to play football, but his father, Ronald, just wasn't too keen on the idea.
It's a good thing Ronald finally let Daryl take the field because many years later, Daryl won a national championship at the University of Miami, graduated with a degree in business and was then selected in the seventh round as the 226th overall pick in the 2002 NFL Draft by the New York Giants.
Although his professional career was cut short by injury and team logistics after only two seasons - one with the Giants and one with the Chicago Bears in 2004 - Daryl was able to experience what it was like to have his dream become a reality.
Ronald, who was just recently re-elected mayor of Garland, Texas, saw his son work tirelessly to achieve success. And along the way, it became more and more evident that football was a driving force in Daryl's life that even carried over off the field as well.
As Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Football Players Fathers Association, Ronald realizes the positive influence that parents can have on their children when it comes to playing sports. Ronald always encouraged his son to make the most of his football experience because he understood the important values the game could teach.
America's favorite sport combines teamwork with responsibility. It meshes competition with determination. And it even brings together dedication and hard work. These inherent values are what make football so much more than just a game. USA Football recently spoke with Ronald Jones to learn more about how football has had a positive impact on his son.
What lessons did Daryl learn from playing football all these years?
You have to be disciplined and focused at all times on the job and the task ahead of you. You have to be committed to being a team member and never lose sight of that fact. Another major lesson, your success depends on the success of the team. And when you do something that's outstanding, its' because of a team effort. Every touchdown you get, every kick return that's long, that's because people were properly blocking and doing their jobs in front of you. You have the skills to do what you're supposed to do, once they've done what they're supposed to do.
Basketball was always Daryl's greatest passion, but when did you begin to see that his football ability was something that set him apart?
Daryl excelled as a receiver, and he was catching so many balls his junior year, by the end of the year when the colleges can start writing, he started getting letters of recruitment from all over the country. And he started getting two or three a week, and I had to remind my wife that we're meeting all these big time coaches and they're interested in Daryl and his talent. Each one of them told me they looked at his academic ability. They told Daryl that there were a whole lot of boys that are good and better, but he had the ability scholastically to pass classes at the Division I level. So they wanted to invest in young men who were disciplined.
As his father, how did it make you feel to see your son having success out on the football field?
It made me feel extremely proud, and the fact that he got a chance to do what most young men never got to do - he got a chance to live his dream. He had a dream, he had a goal, and he worked hard at that, but he actually got a chance to live it and experience it. But he never lost touch with reality, and that's what made me proud most of all. He never dishonored himself, nor his school nor his parents.
How has football helped Daryl in other aspects of his life?
The football field is really thought of as a model for what life is. There are rules, there are regulations and there are limitations. Just like society, we have rules and regulations and you have to know where the boundaries are. And the system is so set up, the officials blow the rules and enact penalties and life is just like that. It teaches you that if you can excel in one system, then you can excel in any system. And it all goes back to relationships and the ability to work with others to accomplish a common objective. And it's teamwork; it's not about self, it's about each other.
Why do you think it's so important for parents to get involved with their children's youth sports teams?
If they don't, they will not have a boundary and they will not be grounded and they will not have a support system that's crucial for them functioning in the world. It is crucial that the parents be involved to give them that support system and be that pillar that they can fall on. The parents are the one that have a genuine love and interest in their kids, and it's not an ulterior motive. It's based on pure parenting and love.
