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Today is Oct. 23, 2024. And on this date in Texas history, Johnny “Lam” Jones recorded his second 100-yard performance in a UT uniform.
In a 13-12 win over SMU during the 1976 season, Jones rushed nine times for 122 yards and scored the Longhorns’ lone touchdown on a 63-yard run. It was the second of two 100-yard rushing performances that season for Jones, a freshman from Lampasas who had just won a gold medal at the Montreal Olympics with the United States’ 400-meter relay team.
Jones never rushed for 100 yards again at Texas, but he would top 100 yards as a receiver on three occasions. The first of those 100-yard receiving games came against TCU in 1977. He became the first Longhorn to record both a 100-yard rushing and 100-yard receiving performance, which is a feat that has since been matched by Eric Metcalf and Ivan Williams.
Jones was selected by the New York Jets with the second overall pick of the 1980 NFL draft. He passed away in 2019.