Inductees

Ron Jones is a former Wayne State College Wildcat athlete, instructor, coach, and athletic director. A native of Farnhamville, Iowa, Jones came to Wayne State University as an athlete, competing for two years (1961-63) in basketball and baseball.

During his senior season, he was MVP in both basketball and baseball at WSC. Jones averaged 18.2 points per game in senior season, earning All-District and NAIA All-American honorable mention honors.

After coaching for three years at Osage High School in Iowa, Jones earned his master’s degree from WSC in 1966, and joined the physical education staff in 1967, serving as an assistant basketball and baseball coach. In three years as a men’s basketball assistant under Dave Gunther, WSC was 70-13 in three years and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament all three years.

Jones became head men’s basketball coach in 1970 and was 53-45 in four seasons, taking a leave of absence for one year to work on his PhD at Kansas. He returned to Wayne State and became head baseball coach in 1978 and had an 81-79 record in four seasons while winning one NAIA District 11 title. During his coaching days, Jones started the FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) chapter and later served as athletic director at WSC from 1982-87. He also served as head of the Physical Education Department and worked to develop plans to have Wayne State Recreation Center built in the late 1980s.

He officiated football for 40 years, high school and college basketball for 39 years, and baseball/softball for 29 years.

Jones was inducted into the MSHOF in 1988 and the WSC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.