Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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a player-family coordinator. All 32 National Football League teams have player engagement specialists. It's impossible to accurately track the growth of this type of position in college football because of the variety of titles and expectations at each school. But Jones talks to many of his peers and believes Notre Dame is at or near the top of the list when it comes to the ball players to get involved in something other than themselves and their playbooks. During the offseason there are two or three events each week, Jones said, and roughly 75 percent of the team joins in at some point. In March, the team spent time at local schools reading to younger students. A week before that they hosted a day of football drills with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. Jones said Bio Box players started dropName: Ernest Jones ping by that event and Position: Director of player development and engagement hanging out with the Hometown: Flint, Mich. kids even if they didn't Playing Experience: Alcorn State (1991-94) sign up to help that day. Coaching Experience Jackson was in the School Position Years building to rehab a Concordia University Defensive backs 2000-02 shoulder injury, but Kentucky State Defensive backs/ 2003 decided to spend time recruiting coordinator speaking to the group Oberlin Defensive coordinator 2004 and helping out for the Central Michigan Cornerbacks 2005 afternoon. Central Michigan Running backs 2006 Cincinnati Running backs 2007 "It was on a Saturday. Alcorn State Head coach 2008 I just like kids and hangCincinnati Director of player services 2009 ing out with them," he Buffalo Associate head coach 2010-11 said. "Before [Jones] Notre Dame Director of player 2012-Current was here, there weren't development and engagement that many chances to do those kind of things." value they place on his work with the Jones and Kelly want to infect their team and in the community. team with an "other-centered" attitude Community service, from a cynical that becomes contagious. The hope is outside eye looking in, can be a public that mentality spills into the locker relations ploy for big-time college pro- room and eventually on the field. grams. For the optimist it's as a gesture "We need them to see it a different to give back to the less fortunate. For way," Jones said. "We need them to Jones, it's also competitive and a route go out and give back to some of these to a better football team. young people, and it will make them Jones runs the "Irish Around The play better for us." Bend" outreach operation at Notre Service and sports have always Dame. He finds opportunities for foot- gone together for Jones. As the oldest