Bio

Florence Marie Jones

Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College (1971-1973) / Basketball, Volleyball
Leaf, Mississippi

The Leaf native was an athletic pioneer at Perk: She was one of the first black female athletes to play organized sports at Gulf Coast. In a time where social change and upheaval were taking place all over the world, Jones says playing basketball at Perk just came naturally to thanks to her coach, Sue Ross.

“I played basketball in high school,” Jones says. “I wanted to go to a college that was closer to home. My brother also went to Perk. When I got there and started playing, there were no social or racial barriers. We watched all that stuff on TV happening in other places, but we knew it didn’t happen with our team. Coach Ross treated all of us equally. I always appreciated that. She also had a lot of patience with us. As a former player, she went through what we were going through, so she could relate to us.”

Jones’ courage and leadership were paramount during the 1972-73 basketball campaign, when the Lady Bulldogs win 14-5 and won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national championship held in Bay City, Mich.

The Lady Bulldogs went 4-0 in the tournament by beating Bergen Community College, N.J., 88-57; Grand Rapids, Mich., 48-40; Bay City, 65-35; and Anderson, S.C., 38-37, in the title game thanks to a last-second buzzer-beater by teammate Melody Mixon.

“I remember all the snow in Michigan,” Jones’ says. When we came back home after winning, everyone was there to welcome us. They had signs, posters and everything. For a women’s team, getting that kind of support was big. It was always like that at Perk. We always cheered for other athletes and other sports, and they cheered for us. At bigger universities, you were basically just a number. But at Perk, we always got that one-on-one attention.”

Jones also played volleyball at Perk. “I always enjoyed playing volleyball,” she says. “And all the tournaments we went to, it always seemed like we’d either finish in second or third place, so we did pretty well.”

Off the court, she was a member of several campus organizations, including the Black Cultural Society.

“Florence was a very conscientious student,” says Ross. “She always worked hard to improve her athletic skills, as well as your academic skills and task.”

After graduating from Perk, Jones went on to and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2006, she was working with the Mississippi Department of Corrections in Greene County. She says much of her work ethic and philosophy when dealing with inmates comes from her days with her with Sue Ross at Perk.

“Coach Ross was always there for us,” Joan says. “I think back on how I was treated by her, and many times I try to do the same with the people I work with.”