Legendary football coach Ben Jones passes away
Adam Gore & Donna Thomas/LetsGoICC.com

FULTON, Miss. – Former Itawamba Community College football coach Ben Jones (87) passed away on Friday.

The Monroe County native was head football coach at ICC from 1973 to 1975. His 1975 state championship team still holds the record for being the only team to go undefeated in school history. He finished with a 22-9-1 record.

Jones was well known for coaching the first integrated high school football and basketball teams in the state of Mississippi as head coach at Itawamba AHS in 1967. In 1971, he was selected as a coach for the first integrated Mississippi High School All-Star game. During his time at IAHS, his football teams won seven Tombigee Conference championships and played in five bowl games.

HottyToddy.com: Ben Jones: A Mississippi Coaching Icon

Following his time in Fulton, Jones finished his 32-year coaching career at New Albany High School. In 1982, he led the Bulldogs to one of the school's best seasons and the Class A State Championship.

Some of his career highlights include being named Mississippi Junior College of the Year in 1974 and 1975; named National High School Coach of the Year for the Southeastern state in 1972 and 1987; winning the 1961 overall State Big 8 basketball championship at Gulfport High School; winning the North Mississippi football championship while at New Albany; winning bowl games at Meridian High School in 1977 and New Albany in 1983; and was an integral part of developing the tie-breaker rule in 1972, which helped pave the way for a state-wide playoff system.

His overall football coaching record was 152-48-8 while his overall basketball coaching record was 118-49. He also coached at Hatley and Tupelo high schools.

He was president of the Mississippi Association of Coaches (MAC) in 1971-72 and chartered the MAC Hall of Fame.

After retiring, Jones worked as a national sales representative for BSN and Riddell Team Equipment. He also spent a decade as a member of the Cleveland Indians staff during spring training.

Jones was recently inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the MAC Hall of Fame, ICC Athletic Hall of Fame, and Northeast Mississippi Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

Daily Journal: Ben Jones inducted into national coaching shrine 

Arrangements for Coach Jones: Visitation will be Tuesday, July 11 from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. The funeral will be Wednesday, July 12 at 2:00 p.m. at Pegues Funeral Home in Tupelo.