Derek Jones
Derek Jones
Derek Jones began his dream job this year when he was named head football coach for the seventh and eighth grade teams at Mountain Brook Junior High following the retirement of longtime coach Greg Morrow.
Jones is no stranger to MBJH as he has been involved in the athletic program since he was a freshman at UAB. His passion for coaching began when he was in high school. As a sophomore at Spain Park, Jones broke both of his wrists and had to take a break from playing football and baseball. He and a friend coached eight-year-old recreational league baseball, where he fell in love with coaching and with kids. He attended UAB so that he could volunteer coach at MBJH, helping with football, wrestling, and seventh and eighth grade baseball.
Upon graduation, Jones took his first job at Oak Mountain High School, where he taught tenth grade honors history, coached the defensive line for the varsity football team and was the head freshman baseball coach. The following May, he got an offer from MBJH to teach seventh grade civics and geography, to assist with the football program and to be the head wrestling coach. When he began his wrestling coaching position, there were only 13 kids in the program. Now he has 30-40 kids and will continue to coach wrestling along with his new duties as head football coach.
Seven new coaches and a new lab puppy named Chief are join Jones in leading the MBJH Spartans this football season. They plan on modeling the football schemes for offense and defense put in place by MBHS coach Chris Yeager to bolster consistency in the program.
Jones is also teaching three sections of physical education and will oversee students in the lunchroom. He sees this as an opportunity to develop relationships with a large number of students. He loves to work with this age group as he sees the chance to make the most impact as kids are discovering who they are and who they want to be. He feels that this position is most aligned with his strength, which is positive growth through athletics. When asked where he sees himself in five years, he says that he plans to be at MBJH coaching junior high football, his dream job.
-Submitted by Collins Clegg
