It takes a special person to excel in three sports and Chris Jones is one of those individuals who turned everyone’s head with his success in basketball, football and baseball.

Jones enjoyed a storied varsity career at Liverpool High School. He set athletic records in all three sports during his career from 1982-84. He was named first team Central New York in basketball and was a 1983 All-American selection. He made all-state in football and excelled in baseball. Rutgers offered him a football scholarship but baseball was his first love and he signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1984.

Jones was 25 when he broke into the big leagues on April 21, 1991 with the Cincinnati Reds. He had a very successful career in professional baseball, one that now has him managing in the minor leagues.

His big league career included time with the Reds (hitting .292 in 1991), the Houston Astros, the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks. He even spent parts of two years with his hometown Syracuse Chiefs in 1999 and 2001. Jones was a member of the inaugural Colorado Rockies team that began play in Major League Baseball in 1993, and the inaugural Arizona Diamondbacks team that began play in Major League Baseball in 1998.

When his playing days ended, his ability to understand the game and work as a teacher brought him to his current career as a manager. In January 2007 he took over as manager of the Kannapolis Intimidators, a minor league affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

1984: Signed with the Cincinnati Reds

1991: Broke into the Major League with the Reds

2007: Manager of the minor league Kannapolis Intimidators