Former Bulldog Walter Jones heads to Pro Football Hall of Fame

Former Holmes Community College standout Walter Jones will be among seven former National Football League greats enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday night at 7 p.m. in Canton, Ohio.

Joining Jones in the NFL Hall of Fame will be Derrick Brooks, Ray Guy, Claude Humphrey, Andre Reed, Michael Strahan, and Aeneas Williams.

Jones, a native of Aliceville, Ala., played in the 1993 and 1994 seasons for the Bulldogs and was named the Clarion Ledger's Mississippi Junior College Player of the Year in 1994. At Holmes, Jones was 6'5 and 265 pounds and played both offensive line and tight end. At Holmes, he only allowed one sack in two seasons.

After Holmes, Jones transferred to the Florida State University. He redshirted his first year at Florida State and then played his junior year at Florida before making the jump to the NFL. At Florida State, Jones started in 11 games and the Sugar Bowl for the Seminoles and allowed one sack during the season and was named Second Team All-ACC. He decided to forego his senior season and enter the 1997 draft.

The Seattle Seahawks saw Jones' potential and traded up in the 1997 NFL Draft in order to select him. The move paid off over the next 12 seasons (180 games) as he solidified himself as the cornerstone of the Seahawks offensive line while becoming one of the finest tackles in the NFL.

His ability on the football field was evident from the start. He earned the starting left tackle spot during his rookie training camp, was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month in October, and selected as a consensus pick for multiple all-rookie teams that year. Jones provided blindside protection for quarterback Warren Moon as the Seahawks topped the NFL in total passing yards that season.

Following the 1999 season, Jones became the first offensive linemen in Seahawks history to be elected to the Pro Bowl. It marked the first of a team-record nine All-Star nods he received in his career.

His level of play continued to escalate and in 2001 he was recognized with his first selection as a first-team All-Pro. Highlights that season included Jones and his line mates opening holes for Shaun Alexander's 266-yard day that, at the time, was the fourth highest single-game rushing total in league history.

Jones earned first-team All-Pro honors five more times (2002, 2004-07). Seattle possessed what was arguably the NFL's finest left side at the time with Jones entrenched at tackle alongside perennial Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson. A team leader, Jones was an integral part of Alexander's MVP season in 2005. Jones helped his running back chalk up a franchise-record and league-high 1,880 yards while establishing the then NFL mark for touchdowns in a season (28) as Seattle led the NFL in scoring with 452 points.

Jones' team-record 10 playoff starts included the 2005 NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl XL. In all, he played in 180 regular season games during his career. He was a first-team selection of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s.

On Thanksgiving 2008, Jones succumbed to a knee injury and played in his last game. The injury required microfracture surgery to repair his knee. He tried again to play in 2009 but was unsuccessful because of the knee injury. He was placed on injured reserve and had all intentions to play in 2010 but decided he would retire from the Seahawks.

During Jones' career, the Seahawks attempted 5,500 passes, and he gave up 23 sacks and was penalized only nine times. On Feb. 1, 2014, he was selected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Since that time, the Seahawks have retired his number and also honored him with Walter Jones Day on April 30. Jones' No. 71 is one of four numbers retired including Steve Largent's No. 80, Cortez Kennedy's No. 96 and No. 12 in honor of the fans in Seattle.

NFL.com contributed to this story.