Joe "Turkey" Jones
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| Joe "Turkey" Jones | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | January 7, 1948 |
| Place of birth | Dallas, Texas |
| Position(s) | Defensive End |
| College | Tennessee State |
| NFL Draft | 1970 / Round 2 |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1970-1973 1974-1975 1975-1978 1979-1980 |
Cleveland Browns Philadelphia Eagles Cleveland Browns Washington Redskins |
Joe "Turkey" Jones was an American football defensive end who played eleven seasons, in the National Football League, primarly for the Cleveland Browns.
[edit] Turkey Nickname
Turkey Jones was a DL/ Defensive end for the Browns in the early 70's, when Cleveland was going through perhaps it's worst stretch as a club. He earned his nickname during his rookie season at Thanksgiving. The veterans always played a trick on the rookies, sending them off to distant farms to get "free turkeys" for the holiday. Jones never caught on, and continued the futile search for hours. The next year, the vets did it to the rookies, and Jones, again. That's how Turkey got his nickname. Jones wasn't as gullible on the field, however. By the end of his rookie season, he had worked his way into the starting lineup, but a knee injury sidelined him in '72. Cleveland traded him to Philadelphia in '74, but he was cut the next year, and he resigned with Cleveland.
[edit] Terry Bradshaw incident
In 1976 Jones was back in the starting lineup when Pittsburgh rolled into Cleveland for a game with their biggest rival's, the Browns. Although Hal Lebovitz called it Joe's best game at the end of the 3rd quarter, Jones would really make his mark in the 4th. Jones lined up for a play, beat the OL (Larry Brown) and wrapped his arms around Terry Bradshaw. Whistles blew, but Jones claims that he never heard them. Jones lifted Bradshaw up high, and slammed the Pittsburgh QB on his head. As Bradshaw laid there motionless on the ground, the officials marched off a 15 yarder for roughing. Bradshaw ended up with a concussion, the Browns ended up with an 18-16 win, and Jones ended up with a $3,000 fine. "Turkey" also ended up with a reputation as a "Steeler killer" in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh. That event forced Jones to stay in separate hotels and find different transportation to Pittsburgh. However, it also immortalized "Turkey" in Cleveland.
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