Ron Jones is set to begin his first year as the defensive coordinator at Pasadena. He played high school football locally before going on to play Division 1 College Football. He recently sat down with Mid Valley Sports for a Q & A.
Q: I know you played high school football at Muir. What position did you play?
A: Free Safety & Wide Receiver
Q: Where did you play college football? What position?
A: Oregon State University. Free Safety & Strong Safety.
Q: Having played at Muir how will it feel now coaching at rival Pasadena? You will now be on the other side of the Turkey Tussle.
A: I am a Coach first and foremost, so I approach the DC position at PHS like I would any other, focused on stopping the other team’s offense regardless of what jersey they’re wearing. And this is not my first time coaching for PHS. In 2017, I coached for PHS and called the Offense during the Turkey Tussle. It can’t get any realer than that.
Q: When did you decide you wanted to be a high school football coach?
A: My cousin was President of the Pasadena Trojans Football program and asked me to come coach one of the teams. She thought I would be good for the program because I didn’t have a kid playing. Once I started coaching at the Trojans, I knew that I wanted to work towards coaching at a higher level.
Q: What was your first coaching job?
A: My first volunteer coaching job was with the youth at the Pasadena Trojans. My first professional coaching job was as Assistant Coach (Defensive Backs) at Cathedral High School under Coach Kevin Pearson (now at Warren HS).
Q: What attracted you to the Defensive Coordinator job at Pasadena? What things did you consider in taking that job?
A: I was fortunate to have a few options for the upcoming football Season. But I chose Pasadena because I have a good relationship with Coach Sham and Coach Maxie and honestly it felt like the best fit.
Q: What coach so far in your football career has had the biggest influence on you and why?
A: Todd McNair has had the biggest influence on my football career. He really showed me another side of coaching. Because he has coached at such high levels during his lengthy career, he has a ton of knowledge to share. On a high school level, it might appear like you are doing well as a coach, but he always says, “You don’t know what you don’t know”. So basically, he taught me that every single aspect of coaching is about always learning. He really changed my approach to coaching and made me a better coach.
Q: Will you bring the same approach, schemes, etc. to Pasadena that you have at your other coaching jobs, or does it vary based on the talent and personnel that you are coaching?
A: It varies based on the talent and personnel that I will be coaching.
Q: Do you have any aspirations to be a head coach or to coach at the next level? College or otherwise?
A: Absolutely.
Q: Who are the top 3 players that you have ever coached?
A: This is a tough question because we have a lot of top tier talent that comes out of Pasadena. So many amazing players wouldn’t be right to name just three!
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