University of the District of Columbia Athletics Mourns Loss of Firebird Coaching Legend William S. Jones; Funeral Services to be Held at UDC Friday Morning
Click here to view the Washington Post Feature on William Jones
WASHINGTON, DC – University of the District of Columbia Athletics Hall of Famer William S. Jones, the winningest men's basketball coach in school history, passed away Wednesday night, March 12th.
All funeral services will be held in the auditorium on the campus of UDC Friday, March 21st. The wake is from 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. with services beginning at noon.
"William Jones is a legend in NCAA basketball on every level," Director of Athletics Patricia Thomas said. "He was an exceptional educator who deeply cared about student-athletes. The University of the District of Columbia deeply mourns this loss to our community."
Jones was a standout basketball student-athlete at American University before a brilliant coaching career at UDC that spanned 20 years. Jones took the Firebirds to two NCAA Division II Basketball Final Fours in 1982 and 1983, with the 1982 team winning the school's first NCAA Championship. He amassed a record of 234-145 from 1979 to 1999.
Jones was a member of the inaugural UDC Athletics Hall of Fame Class that was inducted on February 17, 2012 at Maggiano's Little Italy. His entire 1982 National Championship team was inducted that same night. Very animated and emotional, he said the following on the night he was inducted:
"A night like this is something that documents history. It starts something…and I'm so happy with the people in the athletic department, for somebody to think about putting something together to honor those athletes [from the past]. It's very very very heartwarming to me, and I'm not an easy guy for things to feel home and warm. But this is just overwhelming."