Former Duke Blue Devils quarterback Daniel Jones went from being overlooked coming out of high school to an intriguing NFL talent. But he grew up with a family loaded with athletes and a large number of sporting events every weekend.
We’re going to take a look at the history behind the Jones family, including the quarterback who impressed during his collegiate career with the Blue Devils. And to start, it’s worth mentioning that the Duke connection will continue on even with Daniel no longer at the school, thanks to his sister.
Daniel Jones’ Sister, Ruthie, Will Play College Soccer at Duke
Congrats to CSA ECNL Goalkeepers Claudia Dickey & Ruthie Jones! See link for article: t.co/jS1AoeFd5R … t.co/qFMy9Y2S7Y
The Duke colors run through the veins of more than just Daniel, and that became apparent thanks to his sister Ruthie. While Jones has three siblings, each of whom plays sports, Ruthie decided to follow in her brother’s footsteps and take her talents to Durham, North Carolina after an impressive soccer career.
Ruthie was a goalie for Charlotte Latin while also playing club soccer for Charlotte Soccer Academy before committing to play her college ball at Duke, per Top Drawer Soccer. Even before her college soccer career began, she was listed on the U.S. Soccer site for the Under-15 Girls’ National Team.
His Sister, Becca & Brother, Bates Played Sports at Davidson
While Duke and Ruthie both chose to go to Duke, the two other siblings in the family, Becca and Bates, also played college sports. According to Daniel’s profile on Duke’s official website, his sister Becca lettered in each of four seasons as a member of the field hockey program at Davidson College.
Bates also opted to attend Davidson, playing basketball for the school. He’s currently heading into his third season with the Wildcats. After seeing just 2.4 minutes per game over his freshman season, Bates played 7.0 minutes per game while averaging 0.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game in 2018-19. It’ll be interesting to see how his playing time looks heading into year No. 3.
Daniel Jones’ Mom, Becca, Talks About Family Sports History
In a great feature by The Athletic’s Nicole Auerbach about the Jones family and the quarterback’s growth over the years, one of the biggest takeaways is that sports are a priority. As the story points out, Daniel states there was a “family rule” that everybody went to everything when it came to various sporting events for the kids.
Obviously, with four kids all playing different sports, this can be a tough task, but they seemed to manage and impressively, make sure it worked out. Even beyond that, his mother Becca talked about the enjoyment behind the busy weekends.
“It was always fun,” says Becca Jones, Daniel’s mother. “We never felt like it was something we had to do or that it was a burden. Saturdays were the best because everything was all packed into one day, before school sports started. Everybody went to each other’s games and cheered and then got back in the car and went to the next thing. It was just something we did. We felt like there was a lot of joy in doing it. So it just kept going year after year. I don’t think we’ve stopped.
“We still go from game to game, and those are our best days, when we’re still doing that.”
Daniel Jones Convinced His Dad, Steve, Why He’d Be a College QB
GettyFormer Duke Blue Devils QB Daniel Jones
During the same family interview which Auerbach and The Athletic held with the Jones family, there were quite a few things about the Duke quarterback’s younger years that stood out. One of which is how he managed to convince his father, Steve, that he would become a college quarterback early in his high school career.
As the story points out, Daniel stood just 5-foot-10 and 148 pounds at the time of the conversation. But after he told his father the plan, it led to an interesting back-and-forth.
His father wasn’t sure and questioned him. What makes you feel like you can do that? Daniel answered calmly and rationally. He’d always been on the smaller side, and he’d proven he could compete. Daniel also said something that sticks with his father now: “I watch what quarterbacks do and the decisions they make. A lot of them could make better decisions, and I think I would. And I think I could win that way.”
Steve told Daniel that sounded like a good idea, mostly because his son’s main athletic advantage surely wouldn’t be his size.
It’s hard to argue with, but Steve goes on to point out that he didn’t expect Jones to become the 6-foot-5, 220-pound player that he is today.
Duke QB Always Had Someone to Throw the Football With’ Growing Up
While having three siblings and a crowded household with various sporting events and places to travel can be hectic, Daniel didn’t seem to mind it much. He actually enjoyed it based on his comments, largely due to the fact that it allowed him to always have someone to play a sport with.
As Sammy Batten of The Fayetteville Observer revealed in a previous interview, the Blue Devils signal-caller called it “a lot of fun.”
“Growing up with all the sports in the household was a lot of fun,″ Jones said. “It basically meant you always had someone to throw the football with or play one-on-one with.″
Becca and Steve Jones will surely have a busy schedule ahead with NFL games on the horizon for Daniel, along with numerous college events for two of their three other kids.
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Daniel Jones’ Family: 5 Fast Facts About Duke QB’s Parents & Siblings