From the UF-Findlay DII National Tournament Coverage Page.
Link =
http://www.thecourier.com/issues/2006/Mar/031106.asp#story4 1 leg, one tough Broncho
By JAMIE BAKER
Staff Writer
Central Oklahoma's Earl Jones gets ready for his matches just like any other wrestler competing at this weekend's NCAA Division II wrestling tournament.
He runs, drills and makes sure he breaks a good sweat before he steps on the mat to face his opponent.
Then he removes his prosthetic right leg.
Don't for a single second feel sorry for Jones, who lost his lower right leg below the knee in an accident when he was just 7 years old.
Any opponent who may feel a bit of empathy for the junior from Coffeyville, Kan. will soon be counting the lights on the Koehler Center ceiling as he is pinned.
"I started wrestling when I was like 3 or 4 when I had two legs and I lost my leg when I was 7.
"I wasn't going to let it stop me from being a good wrestler no matter what," said Jones, who is competing at 133 pounds.
"It took me a little while to get used to it but I adjusted pretty well. I was going to wrestle and I wasn't going to take no for an answer," Jones said.
He assured himself of All-American honors on Friday after using a cradle to score three second-period nearfall points in a 5-1 quarterfinal win over Western State's Marques Bravo.
Jones has already accomplished more than 99.9 percent of the wrestlers who have performed on the mats this weekend. He is a three-time Kansas state high school champion and won the junior college national wrestling tournament each of the last two years while competing for LaBette Community College in Kansas.
He wrestles from a kneeling position on the mat, and judging from his 32-7 record this season his unique stance has caused his opponents fits. But wrestling without his lower leg can be a plus and a minus.
"Well, the disadvantage obviously is mobility. It's tougher to move around and I'm not as quick as I could be," said the soft-spoken Jones. "I also can't do some things like ride legs. But I am a lot stronger than a lot of guys I wrestle and I try to use that to my advantage. I think it all balances out."
Veteran Central Oklahoma Coach David James is a pretty good judge of talent. The Bronchos' tradition, which includes 14 national championships, speaks for itself.
"What a special kid. He's inspirational for our team and everyone that watches him. We feel really blessed to have him on our team," James said. "With Earl, the biggest and most important thing about him is that he's a gamer. When you see him go out there and you have to wrestle him, you better be ready to wrestle.
"Wrestling in a tournament like this, Earl thrives on that and it drives him. He gets so bubbly just talking about it. I promise you we need to find nine more guys like him because he's really special."
Jones has won five straight season-ending tournaments, counting his three Kansas crowns and the junior college titles. Now he's aiming for nothing less than winning two more titles in his final two seasons of collegiate wrestling.
"In a tournament like this, you just have to step it up a little more," Jones said. "You have to keep improving and getting better all the time. Every match here is like a state championship match.
"After I won (the junior college title) last year this is what I wanted to do ... win another national championship. If I don't do that I won't be completely satisfied."
Contact staff writer Jamie Baker at: (419) 427-8409 jamiebaker@thecourier.com

EARL JONES (in blue) of Central Oklahoma battles Marques Bravo of Western State in a 133-pound match Friday at the NCAA Division II national wrestling tournament at the University of Findlay. Jones lost his lower right leg below the knee in an accident when he was 7, but refused to let that accident halt his wrestling. Jones won this match and advanced to today’s semifinal round. (Photo by Kent Tarbox)