The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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42 ■ THE WOLFPACKER WHERE ARE THEY NOW? he was elected to the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame. A Surprise Meeting His credentials are not just impres- sive; they are historic. He is one of a long line of Wolfpack swimmers who have been head and shoulders ahead of the competition. That tradition began in 1946, when Willis Casey was hired as NC State's swimming coach and be- gan building the program's exceptional legacy that has been carefully cultivated by hall of fame inductee Don Easterling, Jones' coach Brooks Teal and current coach Braden Holloway. Jones became the first Black swimmer to be part of a world record and only the second to win an NCAA championship, fulfilling his dream of becoming a pio- neer in his sport. One day after he returned from the 2012 Olympics, Jones got a package from a friend that included two tickets to see the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats and the instructions to "dress nice." Early in the playoff game, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He was surprised to see Golden State Warriors superstar and former Davidson player Steph Curry. He was even more sur- prised when Curry asked him to walk down the hallway to a different luxury suite — the owner's box. "Standing there, with this hue glow- ing off his back, was Michael Jordan," Jones said. "He turned around and just looked at me." "So, you are the NC State swimmer?" Jordan said. Jones had no idea what to say to a hero who the swimmer was shocked to know was familiar with his accomplishments. He went with humor. "Is there any chance we could go to another box? It kind of reeks of UNC in here." Jordan stood frozen with a blank face for a few moments. Jones thought he had messed up. Finally, Jordan broke into a big smile and gave Jones, swimming's most fa- mous ambassador and most accom- plished African American, a long hug, an appreciation from the Michael Jor- dan of basketball to the Michael Jordan of swimming. Paying It Forward Jones' accomplishments are well known to most Wolfpack fans who have kept up with his remarkable story, which began when he nearly died at an early age at a Pennsylvania waterpark because he didn't know how to swim. They have followed him to his cham- pionship career at NC State and in the Olympics. And they know about his tireless work to help teach inner-city kids how to swim through clinics all over the country. "I guess I'm known as the water- safety guy," Jones said. He's also known as one of NC State's most famous graduates in English. After his professional career ended, he came back to Raleigh and finished off the credits he needed to graduate, fulling a promise he made to his mother and to NC State associate athletics director Michelle Lee. Recently, however, the former rep- Jones now serves as associate director of athlete marketing for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Part of his mission is to help professional and Olympic-level collegiate swimmers find NIL support. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS " I became the best version of myself by coming to North Carolina and pursuing my dreams. North Carolina is home." Jones