COLUMBUS – Jim Jones, who serve as Ohio State’s athletic director for seven years, has died in Florida at age 83.
Jones started at Ohio State as a physical education instructor in 1965 and moved to the athletic department in 1967.
He served as academic adviser, mainly to the football team. for four years and often was referred to by legendary coach Woody Hayes as the team’s “brain coach.”
He then moved to athletic department administration and was athletic director from 1987 until his retirement in 1994.
Jones took over for Rick Bay and one of his first duties was the hiring of John Cooper as head football coach.
The university said Jones died Wednesday of natural causes.