SYRACUSE — Russ Jones is one of the good guys. Always has been, always will be.
In a coaching career spanning 40 years, Jones has never failed to be a calm, cordial, classy and accommodating guy who does his job the way we in the media wish every coach would do it. He's humble, soft-spoken and quick to credit others for his team's success, and he has never been a pushy, whiny, control-freak, pain in the back side of the "end zone” like some of his contemporaries can be.
And pretty soon, he'll be riding off into the sunset — literally.
Jones, the only head football coach that Syracuse High has ever had, announced a few days ago that this will be his final season at the Titans' helm. He'll be retiring from his teaching position in January and is looking forward to spending more time playing golf, traveling and taking road trips with friends on his Harley Davidson touring bike.
"It's been 40 years, and I think it's a good time to get out, to be honest," said Jones, 62, who's in good health and is rightfully proud of the Syracuse program he's helped build over the past decade. "The coaches here are awesome. I don't know if I could've gone the last 10 years if I didn't have really, really good assistant coaches. They've made it worth staying, that and the players.
"You can see how the staff's getting better and better in this building, and you think, 'Dang, I don't know if I should get out.' … I think the coaches and the kids deserve the credit, and you're just lucky to be around ’em."
This retirement thing was entirely Jones' idea. There was no pressure to step down; after all, entering the final week of the 2016 prep campaign, the Titans (5-3 overall) are one of six teams tied for first place at 3-2 in Region 2, a wild logjam that won't be sorted out until Wednesday night — and even then, there'll be a three-way tie for first and another three-way tie for fourth place.
During his career, Jones spent two or more years at six different Davis County schools, including Sunset Junior High and five different high schools — Layton, where he was an assistant football coach and head track and field coach, guiding the Lancers' boys track team to a state championship in 1987; Davis, where he spent 12 years as an assistant football coach and two years as an administrator; Viewmont, where he was the head football coach for three years; then back to Davis for two more years as vice principal, also serving as coach of the sophomore football team; and Woods Cross, where he was the head football coach for two years before coming to Syracuse when it opened its doors in 2007.
As a head coach, his teams have reached the state playoffs 11 times in 14 years coming into this season. At Syracuse, after a winless season as a first-year school, Jones guided the Titans to a stellar 63-26 (.708) record and eight straight state playoff berths from 2008-15.
Syracuse has consistently been one of the better programs in northern Utah, reaching the 5A state finals in 2012 and the semifinals in 2008 and 2011.
Jones gives the credit for the program's success to the coaching staff he's built and the young men who've played for him.
"I feel really humble and really blessed," he said. "One of the hardest things is keeping your staff together, and that's been one of the really good things because the coaches here are very dedicated and work hard and buy in to what you want to do and how you want to do it. They've just been great. There's no way I could have lasted 10 years if I didn't have such a great coaching staff on every level — your sophomores, your J.V., your varsity.
"They've always been good coaches as far as they're all really good teachers, too. They teach the kids well, and they treat the kids well. They've always been really good, fair teachers and coaches who care about the kids and are willing to do whatever they can to help the kids. I think our coaches have always been fair with every kid, and we always believe we're going to put our best 11 on the field at one time."
Jones spent time coaching with current Roy High head coach Fred Fernandes when the two of them worked together at Woods Cross, and he learned a valuable lesson there.
"One of things I learned from Freddie when I was coaching with him is to hire the best staff you can and let ’em coach," Jones said. "We always have our meetings and stuff and you come up with your game plans, and you give ’em good direction about where you want ’em to go.
"As coaches you always second-guess yourself as far as plays you called or did you do this right or that right. But I can't think of a better profession for me personally than what I've been doing the last 40 years. It's absolutely been great; it's been like a dream. It was just so fun to have this job and to do what I got to do with the kids, the coaches, the school. It fit my personality, I thought, to a tee. I can't imagine doing any other job.
"I mean, you come to work in shorts and a T-shirt," he said with a smile. "The assistant coaches are so awesome to be around, and they're not just coaches; they're my best friends, they really are. You go golfing with ’em, you go out to eat with ’em and you have a good time just being around ’em."
Jared Martin, who joined Jones' coaching staff nine years ago and has been his longtime offensive coordinator, also coaching the quarterbacks and receivers, says one of his boss's biggest strengths is the way he allows the Titans' assistants to do their own jobs.
"I think that the biggest thing with Russ is he lets you coach," Martin said. "I've been around other guys where it's like, 'This is what you're gonna do.' And you coach ’em but there's not any input from you. Since I got here, he's really allowed all of us to have input and kinda do our deal. And it's refreshing, it's really nice. That's how you learn, you know, practice makes perfect, and you get a chance to spread your wings and go.
"I appreciate that he does let you do your deal, and sometimes you need that," he said. "It's been awesome that way, and I think that's probably his biggest strength. He wants you to be involved and he wants your input, and you go and grow from there."
Jones has had some memorable experiences along the way, like going 12-0 to reach the state title game in 2012. But the best part, he says, is the opportunity to help young men learn, grow up and become better people.
"Obviously going to the state championship was fun," Jones said, "but I think some of the things that have made it enjoyable is being around the kids and seeing them go through your program, and then you hear from them … and they let you know what they're up to, and more than just the X's and O's, you get to know the kids and get to know the person.
"They always come back and tell you how thankful they are and how glad they are that you got ’em to come out (for football).
"You touch a lot of lives in the position we're in, and not just in football but in track and in the classroom, too. There's a lot of self-satisfaction in this job," he said. "It's great to know that sometimes maybe you made a positive difference in somebody's life."
And over the last 40 years, Russ Jones has definitely done just that, proving once again that nice guys don't ever have to finish last.
EMAIL: rhollis@desnews.com