Governors State Professor still celebrating his Olympic training
By Zion Banks, Agora Editor
With half a giggle, Governors State University’s (GovState) Professor Vincent Jones shares the story of when his then-girlfriend, now-wife trashed his Olympic jersey.
“She thought she was being helpful by cleaning out my closet and washing my old jerseys. She didn’t know and I didn’t even tell her until months later. But that’s when I knew I loved her.”
That was early 90s, about 10 years after he qualified for the 1980 Olympic games in the 100- and 200-meter dash events.
Unfortunately, that was the year the United States led the boycott of Olympic Games in Moscow to protest the late 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In total, 65 nations refused to participate in the games.
Having trained his entire life for the 1980 Olympics, Dr. Jones said the boycott changed the trajectory of his life path which ultimately led him to Governors State in 2006 as a professor of criminal justice by way of a legal career as an attorney with the United States Security and Exchange Commission. He then worked for several years as a national trial lawyer.
Now, as the Paris 2024 Games draw to a close, Dr. Jones reflects on a part of his life that still brings him joy.
“It was the time of my life. I have absolutely no regrets. I met wonderful people and saw the world.”
Jones grew up in Decatur, Illinois, a town of about 70,522 just 180 miles south west of Chicago. Even in high school, Jones was a standout as a running back on the high school football team. Though he was all-city, Jones wanted to improve his performance on the grid iron. Jones tried out the track team and was admitted as the fastest 100-meter dasher.
Yes, track was his third sport after basketball – his first love - where he was point guard, and football. He says track was a safety net in his small hometown. “Track was the sport I needed to keep busy and stay out of harm’s way.’’
Despite offers from Division 1 and 2 schools for football, major offers came for his speed on track.
USC even offered him an opportunity to walk on their team. However, Jones didn’t want to leave his dad so he accepted an offer from Illinois State University– about an hour away.
At Illinois State University, Jones was a 4-year letterman and two year team captain in track, as a sprinter. Jones ran the 60-meter dash, 60 yard dash, 300 yard dash, 300 meter dash, 100 meter dash, 200 meter dash, and anchored both the 4 x100 meter relay and the 4 x 400 meter relay teams. Jones set the American and Collegiate record twice in the 300-meter dash. Earned All American honors in the 200-meter dash, Won a Bronze medal in the Olympic Sports festival for the 4 x 100 relay.
A 1979 member of the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame, Jones said he is happy with his decision (screenshot pictured right from Illinois State University).
After college, Jones moved to Chicago to attend law school and today enjoys a full life as a husband, father of three and grandfather of three, a beloved professor at Governors State University and formerly the faculty athletic representative for about five years.
Speaking of today’s Olympic runners, Jones said he enjoys watching and seeing how the games have changed.
“The sponsorships are incredible and the engineering – even the tracks - is so much better. It helps the runners run faster.”
Jones also points to smarter training, - heavy weights verses isometrics - which helps athletes compete more efficiently. The sports psychology training he underwent while training in 1980 still resonates.
“Even today, I have a gear I can hit when I need to produce something. It allows me to focus and lock in. The whole purpose was to train us to think like champions, and I still use it.”
