College football helps Kat wide receiver overcome obstacles
10/11/2009 7:45:00 AM | Football
By Cody Stark
Huntsville Item Assistant Sports Editor
Drug dealing, gang violence and murder. That is the harsh reality Sam Houston State senior Darnell Jones faced every day of his childhood while growing up in Galveston's Palm Terrace housing project.
It was a tough neighborhood and was controlled by the Bloods, a street gang which originated in Los Angeles, but has branched out to cities across the United States. Each day was a struggle and Jones was caught in the middle of it.
"I grew up in the Palm Terrace projects, which is basically a Blood territory," Jones said. "I have seen a lot of bad things happen over there. I had a childhood friend who got killed. It was a bad neighborhood with a lot of gangbanging going on."
Jones and his mother Doris Ballard, who was single at the time and has since married, did whatever they could to make ends meet. They moved around and stayed with relatives, including Jones' grandmother Letha Franklin, but no matter where they went the gangs were always around.
"We moved from Palm Terrace to my grandma's on 35th Street and that was another Blood territory," Jones added. "Basically I have been around gangbanging, drugs and dope dealers my whole life."
Jones says he was tempted to join a gang. He hung out with gang members and was headed toward a life on the streets.
But things were about to change.
Sign of hope
During Jones' freshman year at Galveston Ball High School, Doris met Larry Ballard and the two were married. Finally Jones had some stability in his life, and things were starting to look brighter.
"It was a struggle, but being a single mother, she did the best she could for me," Jones said. "When I got in the ninth grade, she met my stepdad and he has been great for me. He treats me like his real son. I applaud him for taking care of me the way he did and how he taught me to be a man."
The second step of getting his life on track came when Jones was a sophomore.
He was kicked off the basketball team because he said he didn't like to practice. That was when he met former Sam Houston State wide receiver Jonathon Cooper, who was a young football coach at the time.
"I really wanted to play basketball, but I got kicked off the team. I was a hothead in high school," Jones said. "I got with football and coach Coop, and he got me right. He started helping me a lot and that is when I started to play football."
Jones excelled as a wide receiver and earned all-district honors when he caught 28 passes for 513 yards as a senior in 2004. His performance earned him a scholarship to Sam Houston State and he became the first person in his family to go to college.
But he still couldn't escape the violence back home. His uncle, Alfred Douglas, was murdered during Jones' sophomore year of college, and recently, his cousin, Lionell Franklin, finally recovered from a near-fatal stabbing incident.
"My cousin just got off life support and I had my uncle get killed when I was a sophomore," Jones said. "I really feel like coming to Sam saved my life. I feel better being up here away from all that trouble, getting my life on track and getting ready for the future."
A bump in the road
Everything was going according to plan for Jones. He was working toward his degree and was starting to produce on the field during his junior year in 2007. He was the Bearkats' fourth-leading receiver with 20 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns.
Then his past caught up with him. In the offseason, Jones let his judgment slip and he failed a drug test. He was suspended for his senior year and was forced to redshirt.
"I don't mind talking about it. I failed a drug test," Jones said. "It wasn't worth it. I couldn't play football with my friends or be a part of the team. I had to do everything by myself."
Just when it looked like Jones had made it to the clear skies ahead, he was back in the storm.
A wake-up call and a shot at redemption
Jones lost part of his scholarship because of the suspension. It was now up to him to either keep fighting for the better life he wanted or to give up, return to the streets and possibly end up dead or in prison.
His school was still being paid for, but he needed to find a job to pay for his off-campus living expenses, such as money for rent and food.
So he did the best thing he could do to keep his dreams alive and to keep his life in perspective. Jones got a job with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as a correctional officer at the Walls Unit in Huntsville.
The experience was an eye-opener.
"Last year, I made some personal bad choices that got me suspended for the season," Jones said. "I had to go work for TDC at the Walls Unit. Seeing all that and what they go through in prison, I don't want to be a part of that. I could have easily gone back to Galveston and got in trouble, something that could have put me in prison for a long time.
"I just wanted to stay focused and get my grades up. I wanted to show the coaches I was dedicated and ready to play football."
Jones did everything the Sam Houston State coaching staff asked. He went to class, kept his grades up and left his old life behind him.
The Bearkats welcomed Jones back this fall and so far, he has been a model citizen and has continued to produce on the field. He is second on the team in receptions (14), receiving yards (171) and touchdowns (one).
"I'm just so proud of Darnell," Bearkats head coach Todd Whitten said. "He got into some trouble and we had to suspend him. But he got a job with TDC and paid his way through school. I admire how he bounced back.
"He is more mature now and knows what is required to be a college football player. He was inches away from not being a part of this program, and now he is a big part of what we are trying to do."
Light at the end of the tunnel
Jones is close to becoming the man he wants to be. He is taking 16 hours this semester and is set to graduate in December with a degree in criminal justice.
Being the first in his family to go to college is nothing compared to what it is going to feel like when he walks across the stage in Johnson Coliseum and is handed his diploma.
"I might even cry (when I graduate) because I have been through so much in life," Jones said. "I know my mom is going to be proud and my grandma. My grandma was my rock. She passed when I was in the 12th grade, but she always talked to me about going to school, staying focused and staying out of trouble.
"I want to make everybody proud, and I will feel so good that I accomplished that degree."
Jones' life has been filled with obstacles, struggles and triumphs. But there is still more left for him to do.
After he graduates, Jones plans on getting his teaching certificate and wants to be a high school football coach. His ultimate goal is to show kids that it is possible to get off the streets and make a better life for yourself.
"I want to help troubled kids that are like me, who go through the stuff that I went through," Jones said. "I want to help them see there is another way than getting into trouble. Coach Coop helped me get off the streets, and I want to help them get off the streets."
