It’s a name every Steubenville Big Red football fan knows, and one they’ll now have a reminder of every time they attend a game — Calvin Jones.

Jones’ story is the stuff of legends. He was born on the south side of Steubenville in 1933, and by the fifth grade was excelling at the game of football. He made a name for himself on Big Red’s team before graduating in 1952, and was even offered a scholarship by another football icon, then-Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes. But Iowa was his true calling — in his first years there, he helped take the football team to national rankings, and was named a first team All American. This led to a 1954 Sports Illustrated cover shoot for Jones, making him the first African-American to ever grace the front of the magazine.

After college, Jones opted to bypass the NFL and head to the Canadian Football League in favor of better opportunities for black players. After a season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Jones headed to participate on the CFL All-Star Team — a game that would ultimately be his last. As he traveled back to the States to watch his friend compete in the 1956 Rose Bowl, Jones’ plane crashed over the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Everyone on board was killed.

​

But Jones’ legacy is anything but forgotten in the town where he first fostered a love for the game. A statue of the “Gentle Giant,” as Jones was sometimes known, now stands outside Harding Stadium, greeting each and every guest heading to watch his alma mater compete.

At the dedication, people like Frank Gilliam, former teammate and good friend of Jones, spoke about just what Jones has meant to him throughout his life. “We played together. We cried together. We worked together,” Gilliam said of the friendship he, Jones, and another teammate, Edward Vincent, shared. “Calvin was a good person. He was a tough person. He was a kind person. Those who saw him every day knew that.”

For the full ceremony and comments from all the guests, please see below.

​