Joining University of Oregon football staff bittersweet for Hall of Fame Missouri prep coach Greg Jones

By Chris Geinosky I Photo by Marty Williams

For those that have followed the Hall of Fame football coaching career of Greg Jones, they’ve seen this before. 

After all, Jones has made stops at eight different high schools during a 30-year coaching tenure that began in the early 1990s after he completing his playing days at Northwest Missouri State University.

However, his latest job change is quite different than any that have preceded this one. Jones has resigned as the head coach of the Liberty North High School football program, just a few months after guiding the Eagles to a state championship appearance, to join the staff at the University of Oregon. 

“College football has always been a dream of mine,” Jones explained in his southern Louisiana accent. “Twenty-five years ago, I was offered a college job, and I turned it down. I remember telling my wife, I hope that wasn’t my ship that sailed, out and I wasn’t going to get another chance.”

Jones announced his decision to step down at Liberty North last week via Twitter.

He certainly paid his dues the past 30 years as a high school coach to get here. In his 24 seasons as a head coach, Jones compiled an all-time record of 212-62, a winning percentage of .774. 

As a head coach, he guided all five of his programs from the Kansas City metro area – Park Hill, Park Hill South, Odessa, Kearney and Liberty North – to winning records and some of most successful years in each school’s history. He was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2020.

 “There’s a lot of mixed emotions right now,” Jones admitted. “I’m excited and nervous for this new challenge, but at the same time, it’s difficult because this is the end of my time in high school football, at least for now because you never know where I’ll be three, four years from now. There’s a lot of great memories.” 

During the past five years, Jones established Liberty North as one of the top large-class football teams in the state, and not to mention, took the entire athletic program to a new level, as he also served as the head of North’s strength and conditioning program. The Eagles went 39-19 under his watch, advancing to the state semifinals each of the last two seasons, highlighted by a run all the way to the MSHSAA Class 6 Show-Me Bowl this past fall.

Before that, Jones turned in his most noteworthy accomplishments during an 11-year stretch at Kearney High School. Jones’ teams accumulated an impressive 119-23 record while posting 11 consecutive winning seasons and capturing nine district titles. 

Kearney advanced to the state semifinals six times in those years, winning state championships in 2009 and 2015 and finishing as the state runner-up in 2016.

“We’re happy for him. This has been a dream of his,” said Liberty North defensive coordinator Andy Lierman, who has served with Jones the past nine years, five at North and four at Kearney. “He’s a high-energy guy that brings his best each and every day, and he’s the one responsible for changing the culture of not only our football program but the school’s athletic department. His fingerprints are all over each and every success Liberty North athletics has enjoyed the past five years.”

Now Jones turns his attention to his next challenge. He has been hired by first-year Ducks head coach Dan Lanning, who played collegiate football from 2004-07 at William Jewell College in Liberty and actually spent time with Jones as a student teacher at Kearney. 

A two-time finalist for the Broyles Award, which is given to the nation’s top assistant coach, Lanning spent the past four years defending national champion Georgia, the last three as the team’s defensive coordinator. 

Although his new position has not been completely defined yet, Jones expects to serve as a chief analyst for defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who has worked in the NFL as a defensive line coach with the Cleveland Browns, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars the past three years after spending five seasons at the University of Alabama, which was highlighted by four NCAA national championship appearances. Jones may have the opportunity to work as a position coach on the defensive side of the football and will likely be involved with recruiting efforts as well.

“Whatever it takes to get my foot in the door,” Jones said. “It’s taken me 30 years to get here, and I’m not planning to change who I am. Just keep working. I want to be like a sponge and soak it all in.

“The goal for me every day is when my feet hit the floor I’m going to do the best I can do for the 24 hours I have that day. Just bust my ass one day at a time. It’s just like I tell the kids, ‘You have to prove yourself every day. No one’s going to give you anything. You have to go earn it.’ All you can ask for is an opportunity to earn what you want, and I’ve been given that opportunity.”

Oregon spring practice begins next month, and the annual spring game is scheduled for the last week of March. Things are moving quickly. 

“There’s been a lot of praying,” Jones said. “We’ve spent the last 25 years calling Kansas City home, and it’s been a great place. Now I’m going to live in a state that I’ve never stepped foot in, do a job I’ve never done, and walk on a university that I don’t know but three people. There’s a lot of anxiety that goes along with it. I’m going to be in a different world. But at the same time, I can’t even imagine how exciting it’s going to be.”

Ironically enough, Oregon opens the 2022 season on the road Georgia. The game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, not far from Jones’ southern roots.

“For me, this is the perfect situation,” Jones said as he prepared to finish packing his office at Liberty North while wearing his new neon green and yellow Nike sweatshirt. “My kids are in college on their own paths, so it’s just me and my wife at home now. It would have been even better if we would have won the state championship this year obviously, but we’ve taken this thing to the tip of the iceberg and the program is in good hands with the incredible coaching staff they have here. It’s time to pass on the torch and let them run with it and go chase my dreams for awhile.”