Coaching Style and Personality
| "If you'd just made a good play and were coming off the field, wasn't the type to pat you on the back, shake your hand or say something. He just gave you that look, just a hint of a smile, and you'd know if he was happy." |
| — Ray George on Jones's coaching personality. |
Jones was known for being completely absorbed in the sport and aloof outside of it. While he and Notre Dame's Knute Rockne were the two most famous coaches in America in the 1930s, beyond football their personalities were completely different: Rockne was a natural showman, Jones was a terrible public speaker and humorless. His appearance, described as "stone-faced" and "severe-looking" kept him intimidating.
Though quiet off the field, when coaching, Jones was intimidating and energetic. Although his players and assistant coaches had a hard time relating to him, all had absolute confidence in his abilities. While admired for his integrity and scruples, Jones's formidable personality led him to be an authoritarian coach at times, and he did not tolerate discussion. Jones did not like spending time on recruiting, relying mostly on his assistants, and recruited only very few players. His assistants Bob McNeish, Hobbs Adams and Jeff Cravath are credited with bring in the players who enabled USC to win two more Rose Bowls after lean years in the mid-1930s.
Read more about this topic: Howard Jones (American Football Coach)
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