WVU wrestler wants to get his foot in door on football career
Dave Hickman
MORGANTOWN ” Greg Jones has a new set of heroes these days, but they aren’t the kind one might expect of West Virginia’s three-time NCAA wrestling champion.
Oh, sure, he still admires the cauliflower ear-and-singlet set, the former college wrestlers who have gone on to world and Olympic fame. Truth be told, he still aspires to be one of them.
But just for kicks, now he’s paying closer attention to some of sports’ more mainstream participants ” football players. And it’s because he’s probably going to get a chance to be one of them.
“Right now I’m committed to my wrestling goals, pursuing national and Olympic and world wrestling titles,” Jones said Wednesday. “But the football thing is interesting, to say the least.”
Talk about your chances to cement a legend as one of WVU’s greatest athletes. If Jones can pull this one off, start chiseling the bronze statue.
Just about the time Jones was finishing up one of the best college wrestling careers in history with his third national championship, he got a call from the Pittsburgh Steelers. They had been contacted by Jones’ old high school athletic director at Greensburg-Salem High School in Pennsylvania to see if there was any interest in a 6-foot-1, 190ish-pound all-around athlete who hasn’t played football in five years but still loves the game.
There was. And so sometime, probably within the next month, Jones will have a private workout with the Steelers to see if there is anything there.
It’s not just a pipe dream or a gimmick, either. Jones is dead serious.
“Obviously I don’t have a great deal of football background. I played in high school and I was pretty good,” Jones said. “But that’s about it. I think football coaches recognize talent and ability, even if you haven’t played. And I think they also recognize how a lot of things in wrestling can transfer over to the football field.”
In high school, Jones was pretty fair defensive back and wide receiver. It’s hard to argue that he made the right decision concentrating on wrestling at West Virginia, what with a 126-4 career record and those three NCAA titles.
But not a single one of those 126 wins will help Jones buy food or pay rent. Sure, there are financial possibilities in wrestling, but nothing like in football, which is just one of the reasons the whole thing is so intriguing.
“Oh, absolutely,” Jones said. “If wrestling were anywhere near as recognized as football and basketball I’d probably be a millionaire by now. But that’s not to say that’s really a concern to me. That’s not why I wrestle. That’s not why I compete as well as I have. But you have to think about it.
“I’ve always loved football. I’ve always kind of missed it. But more than anything else, I think it would be a chance to see what I’m capable of doing. I feel like I am a pretty good athlete and if I apply my energy in the right direction I think I could do it.”
He wouldn’t be the first, which is where his new set of heroes comes in. Carleton Haselrig was a six-time NCAA champion (Division I and II combined) at Pitt-Johnstown and then started at guard for the Steelers. More recently, Stephen Neal went from being the Hodge Award winner at Cal State-Bakersfield in 1999 to a starting guard for the Patriots in this year’s Super Bowl.
The difference, of course, is that both of those guys were behemoths, heavyweights who were able to use their size and wrestling ability to play on the line. That’s a much more natural progression than what Jones would face.
“I don’t know if any skilled position guys have done it,” Jones said. “And I think I’d have to be more of a safety than a cornerback. But defensive back is definitely where I’d like to play at. But no matter where I played, I’d have to gain some weight. I’ve been wrestling for so long and making weight at 184 pounds for six months your body shrinks a little bit. I’d need to put some weight back on, but I do that every summer anyway.’
Don’t get the idea that Jones has packed away his singlet, though. He is still committed to wrestling. In fact, today he begins a weeklong camp in Morgantown with some of the country’s best wrestlers, preparing for the U.S. Open late this month.
But what’s a guy to do when an opportunity like this one lands in his lap?
“I think being a world and Olympic champion is a realistic goal for me,” Jones said. “The football is a back-burner thing, but I’m going to give it a shot if it happens. It’s exciting.
“It’s not really a distraction because I’m committed to my wrestling career. It does make things a lot more interesting, though. Sometimes it’s a good thing when you have a lot of options to choose from.”
To contact staff writer Dave Hickman, call 348-1734 or send e-mail to [email protected].
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