Former UMBC coach Jones a living legend

I enjoyed The Baltimore Sun’s pieces on Living Legends to celebrate Black History Month, especially the one about Darryl Hill, the first African American football player in the Atlantic Coast Conference (“25 Black Marylanders to Watch for 2023, plus 5 Living Legends,” Feb. 10). The University of Maryland rightly recognized him in naming the new football training complex the Jones-Hill House.

My college basketball coach, Billy Jones, is also a Living Legend as the first African American basketball player in the Atlantic Coast Conference, arriving on campus just a year after Darryl Hill. A Towson native, he led Towson High School to its only state championship in 1963 before bravely integrating the ACC and Maryland basketball. One can imagine the shameful things he had to endure on those Tobacco Road away games, including verbal abuse, threats and not being served in certain restaurants and hotels. It is hard enough to play major college basketball and be a full-time student. Bearing the load of being the “first” is unique pressure and we should not forget his legacy as well.

While those tough experiences surely took a toll, Billy Jones never let it drag him down or show bitterness. In 1974, at the age of 28, he became head coach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and in only a few short years led that program to the the highest echelons of NCAA Division II basketball. He did it with grace, wisdom and caring for his student athletes, recruiting a diverse group of kids and pushing them to their limits to achieve success. He moved on from coaching to a successful career in human resources for Disney. His influence on the many young men who played for him continues to impact those people today.

I am proud to have played and worked as an assistant coach for Coach Jones. And, like Darryl HIll, he also richly deserved the honor of having the JonesHill House named after him. Billy Jones is another Living Legend whose legacy lives on today in important ways beyond having his name on a building. Thanks, Coach, and stay well!

— L.G. Connor, Ellicott City

The writer is a 1978 graduate of the University of Maryland Baltimore County.