THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, August 31, 1995              TAG: 9508310566
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: C3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   49 lines

FORMER FOOTBALL STANDOUT AT SUFFOLK HIGH DIES AT 76

South Hampton Roads high school athletes lost one of their biggest supporters Tuesday when Art Jones, regarded by some as the best athlete ever to come from Suffolk, died of cancer at age 76.

Jones was an all-state football player at Suffolk High, an All-American at the University of Richmond and an All-Pro for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers. But more than 50 years after his playing days had ended, Jones was still making an impact on the sports scene by helping pave the way for young athletes looking to follow in his footsteps.

``He helped people not only from Suffolk but from the entire area,'' said Nansemond-Suffolk Academy headmaster Bill Owen said of Jones, a 1975 inductee into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. ``Art knew who the better players were. He'd contact Richmond and and other schools and let them know who these players were. And his recommendations carried some weight.''

Jones first gained prominence as an athlete at Suffolk High, where he lettered in football, baseball, basketball, track and tennis. He was the first Suffolk player ever selected to The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star's All-Tidewater football team, and was the only non-Group AAA player chosen for the newspaper's ``Golden Jubilee'' All-Tidewater team, which honored the area's top performers between 1932-1982.

He then moved on to Richmond, where the tailback/safety was a three-time All-Southern Conference selection and a two-time All-American.

``He could do it all,'' said Norfolk's Harold ``Humpy'' McVay, who played with Jones at Richmond from 1937-41.

An All-Pro in his rookie season with the Steelers, Jones left pro ball for the U.S. Navy Air Corp during World War II. He also played football for a military team, where his equipment manager was future president Gerald Ford.

Jones returned to the Steelers in 1945, where he became something of a trendsetter. He claimed to be the first player to don low-cut shoes, a move which earned him the nickname ``Twinkle Toes.''

Jones retired from the NFL in 1947 and spent 25 years as an coach, teacher and principal at Suffolk High, followed by 13 years as an administrator and headmaster at N-SA. ILLUSTRATION: Art Jones, one of Suffolk's best athletes, went on to success at

Richmond and Pittsburgh.

by CNB