Deacon Jones (jonesde02)

Grover William Jones, Jr.

• Bats Left, Throws Right
• Height 5' 10", Weight 185 lb.
• School Ithaca College
• High School White Plains High School
• Debut September 8, 1962
• Final Game October 1, 1966
• Born April 18, 1934 in White Plains, NY USA
• Died May 7, 2023 in Sugar Land, TX USA

BR page

Biographical Information

Deacon Jones hit one career home run in the major leagues. He hit on September 28, 1963 for the Chicago White Sox against the Washington Senators. The pitcher was Frank Kreutzer. He started at first base and batted third that day. As of 2006, he is the only major league player from Ithaca College to hit a home run.

Jones missed the 1957 and 1958 seasons due to military service. He acted as a player/coach for the 1966 Fox Cities Foxes. After retiring, Jones was a scout and minor league instructor for the Chicago White Sox from 1968 to 1972 and 1974 and 1975 and a managed the Appleton Foxes in 1973. He was a big league coach with the Houston Astros from 1976 to 1982 and a member of the San Diego Padres staff from 1984 to 1987.

He was by far the last of the major league players given the nickname "Deacon". His real first name was Grover, but everyone started calling him Deacon when he was still a kid because his father was a deacon in the local Baptist church. Jones was Most Valuable Player of the National American Legion Junior Tournament in 1951.

Notable Achievements

• 1956 Player of the Year Midwest League Dubuque Packers

Year-by-Year Managerial Record

Year	Team	League	Record	Finish	Organization	Playoffs	Notes
1973	Appleton Foxes	Midwest League		--	Chicago White Sox		replaced by Bert Thiel on June 21

Related Sites

• Deacon Jones at the SABR Bio Project