Rusty Jones is a former American football coach and strength and conditioning coach in the National Football League (NFL).
Coaching career
Jones' National Football League career began in 1985 with the Buffalo Bills, where he coached for 20 years; head coach Marv Levy called him the team's "secret weapon". He moved to Chicago as their strength and conditioning coordinator on February 3, 2005.[1]
Jones was viewed as an important figure in the development of strength and conditioning training in football, making innovations including individualized workout and diet regimens, and an emphasis on the body mass index and hydration monitoring.[2] In 2007, he was named coach of the year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.[3][4]
On January 19, 2013, the Bears reported that Jones would retire after 28 years of coaching. In his career, Jones' teams qualified for the playoffs 13 times, and reached the Super Bowl five times; he worked with 43 Pro Bowlers and seven Pro Football Hall of Famers.[5]
In 2016 he received the NFL strength and conditioning Lifetime Achievement award at the NFL Combine.[6]
In 2018, he joined the Indianapolis Colts as their Director of Sports Performance. He retired in February 2024.[7]
References
- ^ Brad Biggs, "Shaping up as an area of strength Bears hoping longtime Bills fitness guru helps them stay healthier", Chicago Sun-Times, June 1, 2005.
- ^ Dan Pompei, "Retiring Bears strength coach a pioneer in his field: Jones brought innovations in nutrition, hydration and exercise to NFL", Chicago Tribune, February 7, 2013.
- ^ Bob LaGere, "Briggs Receives Franchise Tag from Bears - Reluctantly; Rusty Jones honored", Daily Herald, February 17, 2007.
- ^ "Jones honored to be recognized by his peers", Chicago Bears, February 16, 2007.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (January 19, 2013). "Bears director of physical development to retire". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2013.
- ^ "Bills Home". m.buffalobills.com. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
- ^ "Colts Director of Sports Performance Rusty Jones retires". www.colts.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.