Zeke Jones brings Olympic talent, strong desire and an odd nickname
By ilario huober
Who exactly is the man that the Penn athletic department brought in to replace the most successful wrestling coach in school history, Roger Reina?
He is not exactly a wild card. When the school announced Reina’s successor in the middle of August, prominent wrestling sites all over the Internet rushed to get the word out that American wrestling great Larry “Zeke “Jones had been chosen for the coveted Penn job. This is a case in which both parties, Jones and the University, know exactly what they are getting, and they like it.
One man who was definitely following the situation as it developed is USA Wrestling head coach Kevin Jackson. Jones and Jackson have had extensive contact through their mutual involvement in American freestyle wrestling. As the full-time national team coach, Jackson makes all executive decisions with regard to the hiring of coaches for world and Olympic competitions, positions he has chosen Jones for in the past.
“I think Roger is a great coach. He’s done a great deal with that program and has put it into position to be a national power, “Jackson said on the high-profile signing. “I think with Roger stepping down, you don’t want to see that program step down as well, and I think hiring Zeke shows that they’re not only willing to stay at that same level, but they’re willing to even take it to another level.”
Jones also knows that following in Reina’s stead will be no easy task. He is ready and excited for the challenge, though, and confident that his hiring will spell continued success for the program.
“Coach Reina was the most successful wrestling coach in Penn wrestling history, and I don’t know if you can ever fill those shoes, “Jones said. “But I think at the same time, the program is in great shape. He left it in a great position, and now it falls to us to try to move it and inch it forward.”
The nickname, explained
Jones traces his roots back to Michigan, where he picked up, or rather was born into, his nickname of “Zeke.”
“It’s just a family thing, “Jones said. “My dad wanted to name me Zeke and my mom wanted to name me Larry after my dad. My mom won because my real name is Larry, but Dad really, truly won because he said, ‘No matter what you put on the birth certificate, I’m going to call him Zeke.'”
And Zeke Jones it was. It was under this name that he grew up, went to college, competed nationally and internationally, coached internationally and is now the head coach for the perennially-ranked Penn Quakers.
Before Penn
Although this is just his first collegiate head coaching job, Jones comes in well-qualified for the position. He has spent time as an assistant at both Arizona State — his alma mater — and West Virginia. In addition, Jones is far from a stranger to head coaching, having manned the 2004 U.S. Olympic Freestyle squad in Athens and having led the national team to success in both the 2003 Pan-American games and the World Championships. In 2001, he was named freestyle coach of the year by USA Wrestling.
Not just a coach, Jones also has plenty to show for his own wrestling career. He was an NCAA national runner-up at ASU, a silver medalist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, and a World Champion at the 1994 Goodwill Games and 1991 World Freestyle Wrestling Championships. If that weren’t enough, he also won four World Cup gold medals and was crowned U.S. Open Champion six times.
Jones, who has always wrestled in the lighter weight classes, was ranked No. 1 in the United States for seven straight years from 1989 to 1995. He is also one of only two Americans ever to be honored as the “Most Technical Wrestler in the World “by the Federation for International Wrestling.
“We have a great hire in Zeke Jones, “Reina said. “He’s got very impressive coaching credentials and tremendous competitive credentials in his own right.”
Most recently, Jones has put his name on the map with the founding of the Sunkist Kids National Training Program, a development program where coveted spots are given to selected wrestlers to work and train on the WVU campus to become international wrestlers. Programs like this are the feeders for the U.S. Olympic team, the national team and other internationally competitive squads.
So, with all of his impressive credentials, why has he just now taken over the reins of a Division I school, just now breaking into collegiate head coaching?
“I think what’s taken Zeke so long to get a head coaching job is he was looking for the ideal position, “Jackson said. “There are only so many opportunities for a high-caliber job like [Penn], so I think Zeke was looking for the ideal position for himself, and those positions aren’t hanging off the tree.”
Zeke Jones the coach
Preseason training has already begun for the Quakers, and the wrestlers have gotten their first dose of Jones. First impressions can be deceiving, but senior Dustin Wiles, an NCAA qualifier from a year ago, cannot help but draw conclusions about the new coach from the first sessions.
“He’s pretty intense, “Wiles said. “It’s going to be a good year; we’re definitely going to be in great shape. I imagine we’ll be in probably the best shape we’ve ever been in.”
Jones brings with him a reputation for being an incredibly technical wrestler, as evidenced by his aforementioned distinction. For years, he has gotten by not only on pure athletic talent, but also with sound technique and intelligent wrestling. This aspect of his wrestling style has carried over to his coaching, where he imparts that attitude on his wrestlers.
“He brings a tremendous amount of technique and tactics, and I think he’s going to have a lot to offer in those particular areas, “Reina said.
Other areas of strength in Jones’ coaching resume are his organizational skills and attention to detail. Anyone he has ever worked with will laud his excellence in both endeavors.
“He leaves no stone unturned as far as everything that deals with winning, or running a program or running a practice, “Jackson said. “He makes sure that everything is done correctly; he’s very thorough and very professional.”
Jones himself finds great pleasure in coaching. He knows that, especially at the collegiate level, he is much more than just a coach to many of the athletes. He enjoys his position as a role model not only for successful wrestlers, but also successful people.
“More than anything I think the biggest value is the accomplishment of watching guys achieve their goals, graduate and go on to have really successful lives and great families, “Jones said. “And those calls, when they call back to my phone to tell me ‘Hey Coach, just wanted to tell you things are going great,’ that’s probably the most rewarding thing that comes from a coaching experience.”
If that truly is what motivates him, he’s in the right place at Penn.
Recruiting
When Jones took this job, he knew that recruiting would present as stiff a challenge as he would encounter here at Penn. As an Ivy League member, the school is not allowed to give out athletic scholarships, a constraint Jones is not used to having to deal with.
Still, he feels confident that he can emphasize Penn’s unique appeal, just as Reina has done for years, and keep the prospects churning in.
“I think each university has its niche in how it recruits, and I envision Penn recruiting with the opportunity where we can attract the very best student athletes, the ones that are tremendous students in the classroom and tremendous wrestlers on the wrestling mat, “Jones said.
Because of his connection to USA Wrestling and his international Olympic experience, he brings several more appealing qualities to the program. Potential recruits are not likely to pass over this distinction.
“The very top kids, they dream for the biggest thing their whole lives and they’re that good. They’ve won high school national titles and have won everything you can possibly win in high school. Generally their goals are to win World and Olympic medals, “Jones said. “And if that’s their goal, they generally migrate to a program that has an Olympic coach, has an Olympic training program, where those kids can achieve at a high level.”
Jackson, from his vantage point high atop the world of USA Wrestling, can only see Jones’ international experience as a good thing.
“I still see Zeke as being involved on the international level, “Jackson said. “I see him coaching world teams and Olympic teams in the future. I think it aids him in recruiting to the University of Pennsylvania, and it aids him in staying on top of the current techniques and tactics from the world level of wrestling.”
The new chapter of Penn wrestling
Where the program goes from here is entirely up to Jones. Considering his credentials, experts are certainly predicting that he will have a positive effect on the program. Still, any time a program leaves the guidance of a head coach who had been there for almost two decades, nothing is guaranteed.
“His coaching ability is so strong that he’ll be at Penn for as long as he decides to be there, “Jackson said. “I think he’ll have great success at Penn; they’ve already got a strong program and I think with hiring him, they’ve actually taken a step up.”
And Jones is not alone here. Although his hiring came late into the preparation for the season, he has had a full supporting cast behind him, including Reina and athletic director Steve Bilsky.
“We’re just so excited about the opportunity for the new era of Penn wrestling, and they’ve been so supportive, “Jones said. “You get in the boat, and you want to row the boat hard, you just don’t want to be in the boat by yourself and you don’t want it rowing off course. The great thing is there are a lot of people in the boat, we’re all rowing real hard in the direction we all want to go.”
As uncertain as the situation seemed when Reina stepped down, the newest chapter in Penn wrestling history has begun in an entirely auspicious light. Jones, a man who has infected everything he has touched with success, will now try his hand with the Red and Blue, itself no stranger to success.
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