Biff Jones

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title: "Biff Jones" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1895-births", "1980-deaths", "players-of-american-football-from-washington,-d.c.", "coaches-of-american-football-from-washington,-d.c.", "american-football-tackles", "army-black-knights-athletic-directors", "army-black-knights-football-players", "army-black-knights-football-coaches", "lsu-tigers-football-coaches", "oklahoma-sooners-athletic-directors", "oklahoma-sooners-football-coaches", "nebraska-cornhuskers-athletic-directors", "nebraska-cornhuskers-football-coaches", "college-football-hall-of-fame-inductees", "united-states-army-personnel-of-world-war-i", "united-states-army-officers"] description: "American football player, coach, and administrator (1895–1980)" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biff_Jones" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American football player, coach, and administrator (1895–1980) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox college coach"]

Field	Value
name	Biff Jones
image	L. M. "Biff" Jones.jpg
caption	Jones from 1941 Cornhusker
birth_date
birth_place	Washington, D.C., U.S.
death_date
death_place	Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S.
player_years1	1915–1917
player_team1	Army
player_positions	Tackle
coach_years1	1923–1925
coach_team1	Army (line)
coach_years2	1926–1929
coach_team2	Army
coach_years3	1932–1934
coach_team3	LSU
coach_years4	1935–1936
coach_team4	Oklahoma
coach_years5	1937–1941
coach_team5	Nebraska
admin_years1	1931–1932
admin_team1	Army (Asst. AD)
admin_years2	1935–1936
admin_team2	Oklahoma
admin_years3	1937–1942
admin_team3	Nebraska
admin_years4	1942–1947
admin_team4	Army
overall_record	87–33–15
bowl_record	0–1
championships	1 SoCon (1932)
2 Big Six (1937, 1940)
CFBHOF_year	1954
CFBHOF_id	1500
::

| name = Biff Jones | image = L. M. "Biff" Jones.jpg | alt = | caption = Jones from 1941 Cornhusker | birth_date = | birth_place = Washington, D.C., U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Chevy Chase, Maryland, U.S. | alma_mater = | player_years1 = 1915–1917 | player_team1 = Army | player_positions = Tackle | coach_years1 = 1923–1925 | coach_team1 = Army (line) | coach_years2 = 1926–1929 | coach_team2 = Army | coach_years3 = 1932–1934 | coach_team3 = LSU | coach_years4 = 1935–1936 | coach_team4 = Oklahoma | coach_years5 = 1937–1941 | coach_team5 = Nebraska | admin_years1 = 1931–1932 | admin_team1 = Army (Asst. AD) | admin_years2 = 1935–1936 | admin_team2 = Oklahoma | admin_years3 = 1937–1942 | admin_team3 = Nebraska | admin_years4 = 1942–1947 | admin_team4 = Army | overall_record = 87–33–15 | bowl_record = 0–1 | tournament_record = | championships = 1 SoCon (1932) 2 Big Six (1937, 1940) | awards = | coaching_records = | CFBHOF_year = 1954 | CFBHOF_id = 1500 Lawrence McCeney "Biff" Jones (October 8, 1895 – February 12, 1980) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as a head coach at the United States Military Academy, Louisiana State University (LSU), the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Nebraska, compiling a career coaching record of 87–33–15. Jones was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1954.

Early life

Jones grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Central High School.

Playing career

Jones played tackle and guard at the U. S. Military Academy at West Point from 1914 to 1916. He was slated to be captain of the 1917 Army Cadets football team, but early graduation prevented him from playing that year. Jones served as an artillery lieutenant in France during the rest of World War I and after the war was stationed with 6th Field Artillery Regiment at Fort Hoyle, Maryland.

Coaching career

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Biff_Jones_circa_1926.jpg" caption="Jones, circa 1926"] ::

Jones returned to West Point in 1923 as an assistant under head football coach John McEwan. When McEwan left for Oregon after the 1925 season, Jones was promoted to head coach. He served for four years as head coach of the Cadet football team, then was assigned by the Army to United States Army Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. He returned to West Point in 1931 as assistant athletic director, with the expectation that he would succeed Philip Bracken Fleming the following year. However, Jones decided to return to coaching and in January 1932 signed a contract with Louisiana State University to coach the LSU Tigers football team. He was allowed to retain his rank in the United States Army and served as a Reserve Officers' Training Corps instructor at the school.

Jones was head coach at LSU for three seasons, and led the team to a Southern Conference Championship in 1932. He resigned after the 1934 season after a heated exchange with noted LSU supporter, Louisiana senator Huey P. Long. In the last game of the season, Long was displeased after the team had lost two straight games and was trailing at halftime to Oregon. Long decided to give a motivational speech to the team at halftime, but was turned away by Jones at the locker room door. The ensuing argument ended with Jones declaring to resign, effective at the end of the game. LSU won the game 14–13.

Following his resignation, Jones was a highly-sought coaching candidate. In April 5, 1935, Jones was hired by the University of Oklahoma and the United States Department of War approved his transfer. Jones coached the Oklahoma Sooners during the 1935 and 1936 seasons and taught classes in military science. On November 18, 1936, the Army transferred Jones to the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, which ended his tenure at Oklahoma.

Rather than leave coaching, Jones chose to retire from the Army. He was released from active duty on February 11, 1937, retiring with the rank of major. This allowed him to accept the head coaching position with the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Jones remained at Nebraska for five years a tallied a 28–14–4 mark. He led Nebraska to its first bowl game, the 1941 Rose Bowl, and also coached the second-ever televised college football game.

Later life

In 1942, Jones left Nebraska to become athletic director at West Point. He retired in 1948 and chose to return to the DC area.

Biff Jones died February 13, 1980, at his home in Chevy Chase, Maryland. His wife had died in 1978.

Head coaching record

| name = Army Cadets | conf = Independent | startyear = 1926 | endyear = 1929 | year = 1926 | name = Army | overall = 7–1–1 | conference = | ranking2 = no | year = 1927 | name = Army | overall = 9–1 | conference = | ranking2 = no | year = 1928 | name = Army | overall = 8–2 | conference = | ranking2 = no | year = 1929 | name = Army | overall = 6–4–1 | conference = | ranking2 = no | name = Army | overall = 30–8–2 | confrecord = | name = LSU Tigers | conf = Southern Conference | startyear = 1932 | endyear = single | championship = conference | year = 1932 | name = LSU | overall = 6–3–1 | conference = 4–0 | confstanding = T–1st | ranking2 = no | name = LSU Tigers | conf = Southeastern Conference | startyear = 1933 | endyear = 1934 | year = 1933 | name = LSU | overall = 7–0–3 | conference = 3–0–2 | confstanding = 2nd | ranking2 = no | year = 1934 | name = LSU | overall = 7–2–2 | conference = 4–2 | confstanding = 4th | ranking2 = no | name = LSU | overall = 20–5–6 | confrecord = 11–2–2 | name = Oklahoma Sooners | conf = Big Six Conference | startyear = 1935 | endyear = 1936 | year = 1935 | name = Oklahoma | overall = 6–3 | conference = 3–2 | confstanding = 2nd | ranking2 = no | year = 1936 | name = Oklahoma | overall = 3–3–3 | conference = 1–2–2 | confstanding = 4th | ranking2 = no | name = Oklahoma | overall = 9–6–3 | confrecord = 4–4–3 | name = Nebraska Cornhuskers | conf = Big Six Conference | startyear = 1937 | endyear = 1941 | championship = conference | year = 1937 | name = Nebraska | overall = 6–1–2 | conference = 3–0–2 | confstanding = 1st | ranking = 11 | ranking2 = no | year = 1938 | name = Nebraska | overall = 3–5–1 | conference = 2–3 | confstanding = T–3rd | ranking2 = no | year = 1939 | name = Nebraska | overall = 7–1–1 | conference = 4–1 | confstanding = 2nd | ranking = 18 | ranking2 = no | championship = conference | year = 1940 | name = Nebraska | overall = 8–2 | conference = 5–0 | confstanding = 1st | bowlname = Rose | bowloutcome = L | ranking = 7 | ranking2 = no | year = 1941 | name = Nebraska | overall = 4–5 | conference = 3–2 | confstanding = T–2nd | ranking2 = no | name = Nebraska | overall = 28–14–4 | confrecord = 17–6–2 | overall = 87–33–15 | bowls = no | poll = | polltype = Rankings from final AP Poll

References

Bibliography

References

1. (January 12, 1926). "Biff Jones Chose Coach of the Army Football Team". The Lewiston Daily Sun.
2. (May 8, 1923). "West Point Names Football Coaches". The New York Times.
3. (December 31, 1925). "Name "Biff" Jones As Army Grid Coach". Berkeley Daily Gazette.
4. (July 9, 1931). "Biff Jones To Be New Athletic Director". The Norwalk Hour.
5. (January 29, 1932). "Sport Slants". Times Daily.
6. "LSU Year-by-Year Records". lsusports.net.
7. (December 19, 1934). "Two Colleges Want Jones". Rochester Evening Journal.
8. (April 5, 1935). "Oklahoma Gets Capt. Biff Jones". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
9. [{{College Football HoF/url
10. (November 18, 1936). "New Appointment for Biff Jones". Rochester Journal.
11. (February 11, 1937). "Biff Jones To Take Nebraska Gridiron Post". The Portsmouth Times.
12. "Archived copy".
13. (January 24, 1942). "Jones Returns To West Point". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
14. (July 29, 1947). "Biff Jones Out At West Point". The Spokesman-Review.
15. [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/02/13/lawrence-biff-jones-84-football-star-coach-dies/9d462d4a-d748-47fb-9da7-60d1cad6e4a5/ "Lawrence (Biff) Jones, 84 Football Star, Coach Dies." ''Washington Post''. February 13, 1980.] Accessed March 10, 2016.

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