Glory of the Gridiron: An Interview with David Jones

BBG sat down with Coach Jones on an unusually warm afternoon in February on top of a West Virginia coal mountain where the beauty of our country roads and Appalachian ai’na (Hawai’ian for land) are showcased as a sunlit backdrop for Mingo Central Miners Football Field set the scene.

David Jones, Jr. grew up in a Matewan, West Virginia community called Little Italy Camp (Lil It’ly if you are from there) in Red Jacket, West By God, in the ’80s and ’90s.  People want to know about his glory, victories, and what he can do for them, given his experience, access, and wisdom.  BBG wanted to know WHO is David Jones and what were the driving forces that made him what he is today… determined, feisty, successful, good, humble. The Mingo Central Miners football team came onto the scene this past season with a fury to be dealt with!  Who helped create this man who turned this team around?  

Enter David Cook. 

David Cook, better known and hereinafter referred to as Dadoo, took 6th-grade David Jones under his wing. Dadoo provided David with “consistency” and took a chance on him when “no one else wanted to be bothered,” said Coach Jones, as he reminisced about trying out for basketball in the 6th grade. Dadoo and Jones’ mother, Kay Pennington, sat down one evening and came to some hard decisions generated by love. Dadoo would now be a permanent guardian of David, and he was… in all senses of the word, as Oxford defines guardian as “defender, protector, keeper.”  With this decision, David gained a dad and additional guardian, and Dadoo gained a son and lost business. Dadoo owned a business. Dadoo is a white man. The deep hollers and hills of West Virginia were (and are) still very much divided by color, but Dadoo did not care; David was his son now, and Dadoo did not give one hoot about the color of his skin or the culture in which he grew up, what he cared about was the kid… the person… the human. “He didn’t have to do that.  He didn’t know I was gonna be in the NFL. He had no idea,” said Jones. “I remember Granny Peg (Dadoo’s mother) telling him, “You better not give up on him!”   

Coach Jones talked about how he was a kid who was a hell-raiser and burned a few bridges.  Dadoo didn’t leave his side. He assessed the situation and wanted a fresh start for David. Off to Kentucky, they go! It was just across the bridge but a world away from Matewan for David and Dadoo. Belfry High School (the Pirates) welcomed David with open arms. Jones went on to help the Pirates win back-to-back Kentucky State titles in 2003-2004. Guess who was at every game… every home game and away game? Dadoo. When Jones went to University of Kentucky, he played in 11 games in 2005, 13 games in each year of 2006-2008 for a total of 50 games, home and away. Guess who was at every home game and away game? Dadoo. That was at FIFTY games, home and away, no matter where “away” was. Back to consistency. This taught Coach Jones “how to love.” The bottom line is Coach Jones did not want to disappoint Dadoo… a staple as a father figure in his life and still is today over three decades later. Dadoo remains an integral part of Coach Jones’ life, still his dad.

After playing at Kentucky, Jones had a free agent tryout with the Baltimore Ravens, and although a long-term NFL career wasn’t meant to be, he played professional arena league football.

Dadoo did not give up on Jones. Jones did not give up on Dadoo. This is called Aloha, Aloha Spirit, and to Live Aloha on the world’s most isolated, populated islands. Aloha is much more than “Americanized” salutations of hello and goodbye. Aloha is affection, kindness, mutual regard, warmth that is extended without expecting something in return; aloha is being able to hear what is not audible and see what is not visible; aloha is recognizing that each person is important; aloha is grace, compassion, mercy.  

David Cook and David Jones, rooted in Appalachia, embody the Aloha Spirit and Live Aloha.

BBG:  “What do you want our readers to know about David Jones?”

Jones: “Everything is pure, no agenda,” 

Coach David Jones recognizes that he is not perfect and shares that with his players and the community.  He also practices and encourages them to improve daily, a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement called Kaizen. For this, he is bringing it all back home to the hills of Appalachia. Jones coached in Kentucky (Belfry, Bourbon Co, Phelps, UPike) before coming to Mingo Central.  Throughout his illustrious career, Jones has steadfastly committed to uplifting youth and fostering a Kaizen culture; he co-founded D&D Sports Network with Darryl McCoy (Belfry HS classmate).  D & D Sports Network covers athletes in the Bluegrass and Mountain states of Kentucky and West Virginia.  Jones and McCoy understood the need for exposure and have created a platform that has afforded this exposure, resulting in scholarships for athletes, community spirit and competition for fans, and an advertising platform for local businesses of the two states. Because David Cook took a chance on David Jones, David Jones takes chances on kids today.  He took a chance on your kid.  He took a chance on the kid up the holler.  He took a chance on the kid who was suspended. He takes chances on kids when others do not. During the tragedy of George Floyd that shocked and did not shock the world, Breanna Taylor was gunned down in her bed in Louisville, Kentucky. This incensed Coach Jones, and he co-founded the Minority Coaches Association of Kentucky. Jones is a Phi Beta Sigma and a Mason under Williamson Crown Lodge #16 in Williamson, West Virginia, and represents Phi Beta Sigma.  

Coach Jones’s resilience and commitment to his community shine brightly in adversity. 

Through his actions and leadership, he embodies the values of compassion, integrity, and the indomitable Aloha Spirit in the heart of Appalachia, inspiring generations to come.

Author and BBG Folk Reporter Lekili Kini Dean is Polynesian by nature, Appalachian by nurture.