LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Ernest Jones upon the occasion of his
induction into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to acknowledge those
outstanding individuals from the sporting world who have distinguished
themselves through exceptional performance, attaining unprecedented
success and the highest level of personal achievement; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Ernest Jones upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater Utica
Sports Hall of Fame, held on Sunday, June 6, 2010, at the Radisson
Hotel-Utica Centre; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Jones is a former University of Oregon football star;
at the time of his graduation, the Ducks defenseman held the school
record with 29 sacks; as defensive captain, he led the team with 13
sacks, was second on the team with 738 total plays, and amassed 67 tack-
les 20 of which resulted in a loss of 112 yards; he was drafted in the
3rd Round of the National Football League draft (100th pick overall) by
the Los Angles Rams and won a Super Bowl ring with the 1998 Denver Bron-
cos; and
WHEREAS, In Ernest Jones's five-year NFL career, he played for the New
Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, and the Carolina Panthers; and
WHEREAS, A Utica, New York native, Ernest Jones was a gifted three-
sport athlete at Utica Senior Academy (USA); lettering in basketball,
track, and football, it would be football where he would excel; earning
All-Onondaga League honors as a defensive tackle, he averaged 14 tackles
a year in high school; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Jones was selected for All-Upstate New York honors and
during his two seasons at USA he had four fumble recoveries and three
interceptions; as a result of his stellar play, he earned a full athlet-
ic scholarship to Oregon University where he would star for the Ducks;
and
WHEREAS, At Oregon, Ernest Jones competed as a redshirted freshman in
1989 and from 1990-1993 his play improved so steadily, a future in the
National Football League (NFL) was a certainty; as a sophomore, Jones
made a name for himself by sacking future NFL Super Bowl quarterback
Drew Bledsoe twice; it would not be long before he would become a main-
stay on the Ducks defensive line; and
WHEREAS, Ernest Jones's junior campaign at Oregon was a truly solid
one; he led the team with 95 yards in lost yardage on 50 total tackles
and his 11 quarterback sacks was one of the two best individual perform-
ances at the school's history up to that point and ranked 3rd in the
PAC-10 behind All-Americans Ron George and Willie McGinest; he would
earn Honorable Mention All-PAC-10, and would contribute with two seven-
tackle performances against the University of Hawaii and Washington
State University respectively; and
WHEREAS, For his college career, Ernest Jones would amass 170 total
tackles (114 solo) and 42 tackles-for-loss; a career in the NFL was
easily predictable; while in the NFL, he played in 29 games, had 13
tackles, six assisted tackles, and three and a half sacks; his best
season was in 1999 when he played in 13 games for the Carolina Panthers
amassing six solo tackles, three assisted tackles and two and a half
sacks; and
WHEREAS, Most significantly, Ernest Jones is the first Utica, New York
native in history to win a Super Bowl ring as he was a member of the
1998 Super Bowl XXXII Champion Denver Broncos; and

WHEREAS, The careers of the inductees of the Greater Utica Sports Hall
of Fame provide a legacy of commitment and excellence, bringing them
distinction as well as serving as models of inspiration to all who would
aspire to growth and success; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Ernest Jones upon the occasion of his induction into the Greater
Utica Sports Hall of Fame; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Ernest Jones.