View source for Wallace Jones

{{Short description|American basketball player (1926–2014)}}
{{for|the musician|Wallace Jones (musician)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name            = Wallace Jones
| image           = 
| width           = 
| caption         = 
| height_ft       = 6
| height_in       = 4
| weight_lb       = 225
| birth_date      = {{birth date|mf=yes|1926|07|14}}
| birth_place     = [[Harlan, Kentucky]], U.S.
| death_date      = {{death date and age|2014|07|27|1926|07|14}}
| death_place     = [[Lexington, Kentucky]], U.S.
| high_school     = Harlan (Harlan, Kentucky)
| college         = [[Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball|Kentucky]] (1945–1949)
| draft_year      = 1949
| draft_league   = BAA
| draft_round     = 1
| draft_pick      = 8
| draft_team      = [[Washington Capitols]]
| career_start    = 1949
| career_end      = 1952
| career_number   = 17
| career_position = [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]]
| years1          = {{nbay|1949|start}}–{{nbay|1951|end}}
| team1           = [[Indianapolis Olympians]]
| highlights      =
* 2× [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1948]], [[1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1949]])
* Consensus second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1949 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1949]])
* First-team [[List of All-SEC men's basketball teams|All-SEC]] (1949)
| stats_league    = NBA
| stat1label      = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value      = 1,428 (10.2 ppg)
| stat2label      = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value      = 408 (5.1 rpg)
| stat3label      = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value      = 429 (3.1 apg)
| bbr             = joneswa01
| medal_templates = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Basketball at the Summer Olympics|basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalOlympics}}
{{MedalGold|[[1948 Summer Olympics|1948 London]] | [[Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics|Team competition]]}}
}}
'''Wallace Clayton "Wah Wah" Jones''' (July 14, 1926 – July 27, 2014) was an American professional [[basketball]] player. He played in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) from 1949 to 1952 with the [[Indianapolis Olympians]].

==Biography==
Jones was born in [[Harlan, Kentucky]]. He attended [[Harlan High School (Kentucky)|Harlan High School]], where he set a national scoring record in basketball and led his school to a state championship.   He was all-state in football, basketball and baseball.<ref name=UKAth_obit>{{cite web|title='Wah Wah' Jones Passes Away|url=http://www.ukathletics.com/genrel/072814aaa.html|publisher=[[University of Kentucky]]|access-date=July 31, 2014}}</ref>

Jones attended the [[University of Kentucky]], where he continued to play varsity football, basketball and baseball. He was twice All-[[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] in football.  In basketball, he was a three time [[All-American]] and four time All-SEC.  He led the Wildcats to two NCAA Championships, in [[1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1948]] and [[1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1949]].  Jones was a member of the [[Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics|1948 Olympic]] Gold medal-winning team with Adolph Rupp's "[[Fabulous Five (Kentucky Wildcats)|Fabulous Five]]" and the [[Phillips 66ers]]. During his four years at Kentucky, the basketball team had a combined record of 130–10 and won the SEC championship every year.<ref name=UKAth_obit/><ref name="SportsRef">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/wally-jones-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418075751/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/jo/wally-jones-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Wallace Jones Olympic Results |access-date=June 14, 2018}}</ref>

He holds the unique distinction of being an All-American under both legends, [[Adolph Rupp]] (basketball) and [[Bear Bryant]] ([[American football|football]]) when both coached at Kentucky. He is the only player to have his number retired in both football and basketball at Kentucky.<ref name=martin>{{citation |last=Martin |first=Douglas |title=Wah Wah Jones, Versatile Kentucky Athlete, Dies at 88 | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 28, 2014 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/sports/29jones.html}}</ref> At the University of Kentucky, Jones was a member of the [[Phi Delta Theta]] fraternity.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.straitpinkie.com/kentucky-2/all-time-kentucky-team-starting-pg-12-ralph-beard/|title= All-Time Kentucky Team (Starting PG): #12 Ralph Beard|publisher= straitpinkie.com|access-date= May 27, 2013|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131005231849/http://www.straitpinkie.com/kentucky-2/all-time-kentucky-team-starting-pg-12-ralph-beard/|archive-date= October 5, 2013}}</ref> Jones was selected in the seventh round of the [[1949 NFL draft]] by the [[Chicago Bears]], but did not play in the league.<ref name="dbF">{{cite web|url=http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=CHI&yr=1949&lg=nfl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070905163755/http://www.databasefootball.com/teams/teamyear.htm?tm=CHI&yr=1949&lg=nfl |title=1949 Chicago Bears |website=databaseFootball.com |archive-date=September 5, 2007 |url-status=usurped |access-date=July 16, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Wallace-Jones-jersey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A jersey honoring Jones hangs in [[Rupp Arena]].]]
In 1953, Jones was elected the [[Sheriffs in the United States|sheriff]] of [[Fayette County, Kentucky]].<ref name=Story>[http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2010/09/05/farmers-political-rise-recalls-another-former-cats/ Story, Mark, ''Farmer's political rise recalls another former Cat's''] Lexington Herald-Leader. September 5, 2010.</ref>  In 1956, Jones was the Republican nominee for [[Kentucky's 6th congressional district]] seat in the [[United States House of Representatives]].  Though [[Dwight Eisenhower]], heading the Republican ticket, carried the state, Jones lost the election to Democrat [[John C. Watts]].<ref name=Story />

In 1978, Jones started a charter bus company called "Blue Grass Tours" that is contracted to the [[Kentucky Wildcats|UK Athletics department]]. Blue Grass Tours is currently run by his son Wallace (Wah) Jones and grandson Corey Jones, and manages a fleet of [[Coach (bus)|coach busses]] for the use of the athletic teams.<ref name=HLObit/>

==="Wah Wah"===
Known as Wallace in his early years, Jones acquired the [[nickname]], "Wah Wah", when his younger sister Jackie, just learning to talk, could not pronounce his name.<ref name=HLObit>[http://www.kentucky.com/2014/07/27/3354327/legendary-uk-basketball-and-football.html Legendary UK basketball and football star Wah Wah Jones dies] Lexington Herald-Leader. July 27, 2014.</ref>

===Death===
Jones died in Lexington on July 27, 2014, at the age of 88.<ref name=HLObit/>
{{clear}}

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend}}

===NBA===
Source<ref>{{cite web|url=http://basketball-reference.com/players/j/joneswa01.html|title=Wah Wah Jones|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=[[Sports Reference]]|accessdate=10 February 2023}}</ref>

====Regular season====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1949–50 NBA season|1949–50]]
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1949–50 Indianapolis Olympians season|Indianapolis]]
| '''60''' || &ndash; || .374 || .751 || &ndash; || 3.2 || '''12.5'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1950–51 NBA season|1950–51]]
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1950–51 Indianapolis Olympians season|Indianapolis]]
| 22 || &ndash; || '''.392''' || '''.792''' || '''5.7''' || '''3.9''' || 11.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1951–52 NBA season|1951–52]]
|style="text-align:left;"| [[1951–52 Indianapolis Olympians season|Indianapolis]]
| 58 || 22.8 || .313 || .750 || 4.9 || 2.6 || 7.4
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 140 || 22.8 || .355 || .757 || 5.1 || 3.1 || 10.2
|}

====Playoffs====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
|-
! Year
! Team
! GP
! MPG
! FG%
! FT%
! RPG
! APG
! PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1950 NBA playoffs|1950]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1949–50 Indianapolis Olympians season|Indianapolis]]
| '''5''' ||  || .301 || '''.853''' ||  || '''4.4''' || '''14.6'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1952 NBA playoffs|1952]]
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1951–52 Indianapolis Olympians season|Indianapolis]]
| 1 || 8.0 || '''.333''' || &ndash; || .0 || .0 || 2.0
|- class="sortbottom"
|style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 6 || 8.0 || .303 || .853 || .0 || 3.7 || 12.5
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/joneswa01.html Stats]

{{Navboxes
| list1 =
{{Indianapolis Olympians coach navbox}}
{{Footer 1948 Olympic Champions Basketball Men}}
{{1948 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball navbox}}
{{1949 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball navbox}}
{{1949 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1949 BAA Draft}}
{{Bears1949DraftPicks}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Wallace}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2014 deaths]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Kentucky]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Olympians coaches]]
[[Category:Indianapolis Olympians players]]
[[Category:Kentucky Republicans]]
[[Category:Kentucky Wildcats football players]]
[[Category:Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Kentucky Wildcats baseball players]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball]]
[[Category:People from Harlan, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:United States men's national basketball team players]]
[[Category:Washington Capitols draft picks]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]