Close
MyNorthwest
News
Opinion
Sports
Tools
Connect

A tribute to one of the most influential coaches in Washington history

Mar 21, 2016, 12:10 PM | Updated: 3:02 pm

Coach Jerry Jones and his daughter Angie Mathews posed together after the Shorecrest girls basketba...

Coach Jerry Jones and his daughter Angie Mathews posed together after the Shorecrest girls basketball team won the state tournament. Jones died Sunday after a five-year battle with leukemia. (Contributed by Dori Monson)

(Contributed by Dori Monson)

Dori Monson's Profile Picture

BY DORI MONSON


MyNorthwest.com

We lost a great man on Sunday. Coach Jerry Jones passed away after a five-year battle with leukemia at the age of 69.

Jerry was a husband, a father, a Seattle firefighter who retired as a deputy chief, a coach and a great friend.

He also touched the lives of more girls basketball players than probably anyone in our state’s history. Jerry ran WWPBA &#8212 the Western Washington Premier Basketball Association &#8212 but no one ever called it that. It was always known simply as “The Jerry Jones League.”

Related: Dori honors Tyler Hayden, who was killed in Catalina boat crash

I’ve known Jerry for 18 years, starting with coaching my daughters and their friends in his league.

Then, two years ago, I convinced Jerry to come coach with me at Shorecrest High School (after two years of being turned down by the man). And it was a package deal. Jerry’s daughter Angie &#8212 a former player at the University of Washington, and one of the most delightful people I’ll ever know &#8212 also coached with our Shorecrest girls. She loves coaching &#8212 but she also wanted to be alongside her dad.

Angie coached this past season even though she was pregnant. Jerry told our girls that he wanted to see the birth of his baby granddaughter &#8212 and he wanted to see our basketball girls get to the state tournament.

In the final weeks of his life, Jerry showed a strength that will have me forever in awe. He was at every practice, every team activity, every game. And he shared with the kids a joy and a commitment to greatness that filled our hearts and lifted us up &#8212 and that sustains us through the sadness of our loss.

One month ago, Jerry’s daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. And Jerry was by my side three weeks ago as we won the first Washington State Championship in school history. Fittingly, in the final game he would ever coach, Jerry went out a champion.

There will be a celebration of Jerry’s life at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26 in the Shorecrest High School gym.

Associated Press

Berkshire Hathaway boosted stake in Alphabet, homebuilders in the second quarter

Berkshire Hathaway is increasing the size of its stake in Google’s parent company and beefing up its holdings in homebuilders, according to the conglomerate’s latest snapshot of its investment portfolio. The Omaha, Nebraska-based company also continued to pare its stake in financial companies and a number of other stocks in the April-June quarter, according to […]

3 hours ago

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks during the Black Caucus meeting as part of th...

Associated Press

Democrats disagree over abolishing or reforming ICE at DNC meeting

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats on Saturday approved dueling messages on whether U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should be abolished or reformed, reflecting sharp opposition to President Donald Trump’s crackdown but revealing disagreement in the party ahead of the midterms. The Democratic National Committee, gathered for a summer meeting, also signed off on a raft […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Historic flooding prompts evacuations and water rescues in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (AP) — Several dozen people and their pets were rescued Saturday as floodwaters rose along the White River in Indianapolis, and emergency managers said that number was expected to climb as authorities in the city and elsewhere in central Indiana responded to what many described as historic flooding. The damage so far was […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Hate crime charges filed in Manhattan synagogue attack

NEW YORK (AP) — Hate crime charges have been filed against a man who disrupted Shabbat services in Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and struck two people while being hustled outside Friday night. “As synagogue security was escorting him out, he struck a member of the congregation, damaged synagogue property, and then spit at and head-butted a […]

7 hours ago

Duane Davis, center, stands with his attorney Michael Sanft, right, as prospective jurors enter the...

Associated Press

After nearly 30 years, a man is on trial in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur. Here’s what to know

When Tupac Shakur was fatally shot at age 25 on Sept. 7, 1996, the presidential race between incumbent Bill Clinton and Bob Dole was in its stretch run. The Atlanta Olympics had just ended. The internet was in its infancy. In a booming music business, CDs were king, like Shakur’s monumental “All Eyez on Me,” […]

11 hours ago

Assistant Professor Christopher Hayes uses the heat of his finger to stimulate a colony of bedbugs ...

Associated Press

Bedbugs can cause people to lose sleep — and blood. Here’s what to do about them

NEW YORK (AP) — Bedbugs are sometimes called the vampires of the insect world — hiding during the day and coming out at night to feast on human blood. Generations of children have been told: “Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite.” Well, bad news: Bedbug infestations are increasing. This is the time of year […]

11 hours ago

A tribute to one of the most influential coaches in Washington history