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It was early February in New Braunfels, but it could have been a football Saturday in Kingsville during the 1960s and ‘70s for former Texas A&I coach Freddy Jonas.
A stroke survivor, Jonas turned back the clock at a reunion attended by nearly 50 players who suited up for the Javelinas during his 12-year tenure at A&I. The get-together for Jonas started at a popular New Braunfels barbecue restaurant, and moved to the Jonas home afterward.
“He had a wonderful time visiting with everyone,” said Jonas’ wife, Marty.
Jonas was Hall of Fame coach Gil Steinke’s defensive coordinator and top assistant for 10 seasons, 1967-76, when the Javelinas dominated small-college football. He succeeded Steinke as head coach in 1977, and held the job for two seasons before resigning.
Jonas, 89, beamed with pride and his eyes sparkled as he shook hands and hugged his former players. The bond they share remains strong after all these years.
“Marty always says, ‘You coaches think that football builds character,’” Jonas said. “But then she says, ‘Character builds football teams.’”
Jonas has bounced back from a stroke he suffered in October 2023. His speech is somewhat slurred, but he’s walking on his own and his wit and recall are as sharp as ever.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Jonas said Sunday, not long after getting off his riding mower. The Jonas home sits on a 6.5-acre lot that Jonas mows regularly.
Jonas coached his last game at A&I in 1978, but his players’ memories of him remain vivid.
“He’s the same Coach Jonas,” said Mike Hawkins, a standout defensive end who played at A&I in the mid-1970s when the Javelinas won three straight national championships. “He’ll always be Coach Jonas. He recruited me. Today was like all the kids coming home to see papa.”
From 1967-76, A&I ran roughshod over opponents while building a dynasty that produced five NAIA Division I championships, one runner-up finish and seven Lone Star Conference titles.
“Right time, right place,” Jonas said, when asked to reflect on that period in his life. “You can talk about coaching, but you can’t win without talent. Gil knew talent and he understood that you had to have talent to win. We were fortunate to have a lot of great players.”
Texas A&I, now Texas A&M-Kingsville, finished undefeated four times and was 94-20 during its decade of dominance. The Javelinas’ dynastic run included a 42-game winning streak that started in their 1973 regular-season finale and ended with a tie in 1977.
After losing in the 1968 NAIA title game, A&I took championships in 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Roy Fredrick Jonas grew up in Winters, about 40 miles south of Abilene, and was a college quarterback at Hardin-Simmons under legendary NFL quarterback Sammy Baugh. Jonas started his coaching career with a three-year stint at Lamesa before joining Pete Ragus’ staff at Miller in 1961.
After five seasons with the Buccaneers, Jonas got his first head-coaching job at King in 1966. But he was with the Mustangs for only one season before Steinke hired him at A&I.
It was the beginning of a relationship — although fiery at times — that produced immediate success. The Javelinas won the LSC in 1967 and finished 9-0, capping the season with a 23-21 victory against top-ranked Southwest Texas.
“Gil had won a national championship before (in 1959), but A&I beat you with offense in those days,” former SWT coach Bill Miller said in 1977. “But then Gil hired Freddy and they started playing defense. That’s when they got real tough.”
Jonas recalled a conversation he had with Chatter Allen, then CCISD athletic director, after he took the A&I job.
“Chatter said, ‘You know Steinke is hard to work for,’” Jonas said. “I found out he wasn’t hard to work with. You just had to understand where he was coming from.”
But that’s not to say that the late Steinke and Jonas didn’t clash occasionally. Jonas recalled a heated discussion they had after A&I’s 20-19 victory against Jacksonville (Ala.) State in their 1974 season opener. Displeased with the Javelinas’ defense, which started three freshmen that night, Steinke stayed in Jonas’ ear for most of the game.
“He got wild,” Jonas said. “He said, ‘I’m taking over the defense.’ I said, ‘OK.’”
Steinke could be cantankerous, but he was no fool. Jonas was still calling the defensive signals when the game ended. Ironically, the Javelinas won the game with a defensive play, stopping a two-point conversion run after Jacksonville scored with 1:56 left.
“We had a sit-down after the game,” Jonas said. “I said, ‘You’re letting me coach or I’m gone.’ He didn’t mess with me anymore after that. He might have talked about me behind my back, but he never confronted me again. I liked Gil and we respected each other.”
After all these years, the memories of one of the greatest eras in college football history, at any level, endure for those who coached, played or cheered for the Javelinas..
“There will never be two coaches like Coach Steinke and Coach Jonas,” said Miller graduate Margarito “Buffalo” Guerrero, a Little All-America defensive tackle at A&I as a senior in 1970. “They were very different, but both of them were great coaches. They were a hell of a combination to beat.”
With Jonas directing the A&I defense, nicknamed the “Border Bandits,” the Javelinas led the LSC or were near the top annually in almost every statistical category during their run of championships.
Former center Stuart Dornburg was among the players who spoke to the group of Javelinas during the reunion at the barbecue restaurant.
“The ’74, ’75 and ’76 era was pretty special,” Dornburg said. “We had a great defense but, of course, the offense had to score to win, you know.”
Dornburg’s quip prompted laughter.
“But the old saying that offense wins games but defense wins championships," Dornburg said, "Fred is a living example of that. That’s proof.”
Once described as a “pied piper” by Steinke, Jonas was a charismatic perfectionist who relished drilling his players in the fundamentals of the game. A master motivator, Jonas always had his players prepared mentally as well as physically.
While Jonas drove his players hard and was an unyielding disciplinarian, he had a knack for connecting with them and earning their trust and respect.
“What made Coach Jonas such a great coach was that he was a great teacher and had a lot of pride,” Guerrero said. “He wanted everything to be perfect. We had to do everything right in drills. If we didn’t, we’d do them over and over. He also was big on technique.”
David Palmore was a four-year starting linebacker who was part of a senior class that went 46-1-1 and won three national championships. Palmore was effusive in his praise of Jonas.
“He was just an individual who knew how to get the best out of people, just by challenging them, working them, and really being the director of schemes and scouting and (having the) ability to have players understand what their responsibilities were, ” Palmore said. “The one thing I always remember about Coach Jonas is that he made boys into men.
“A lot of people look up to him still today, because he’s been a good mentor and leader for all football players and all people, really. I will never forget how he improved my life to be a better person.”
David Flores is a San Antonio-based freelance writer who writes about Coastal Bend sports history.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Freddy Jonas still ‘Coach Jonas’ to former Texas A&I players
Continue reading...
A stroke survivor, Jonas turned back the clock at a reunion attended by nearly 50 players who suited up for the Javelinas during his 12-year tenure at A&I. The get-together for Jonas started at a popular New Braunfels barbecue restaurant, and moved to the Jonas home afterward.
“He had a wonderful time visiting with everyone,” said Jonas’ wife, Marty.
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Jonas was Hall of Fame coach Gil Steinke’s defensive coordinator and top assistant for 10 seasons, 1967-76, when the Javelinas dominated small-college football. He succeeded Steinke as head coach in 1977, and held the job for two seasons before resigning.
Jonas, 89, beamed with pride and his eyes sparkled as he shook hands and hugged his former players. The bond they share remains strong after all these years.
“Marty always says, ‘You coaches think that football builds character,’” Jonas said. “But then she says, ‘Character builds football teams.’”
Jonas has bounced back from a stroke he suffered in October 2023. His speech is somewhat slurred, but he’s walking on his own and his wit and recall are as sharp as ever.
“I’m feeling pretty good,” Jonas said Sunday, not long after getting off his riding mower. The Jonas home sits on a 6.5-acre lot that Jonas mows regularly.
Jonas coached his last game at A&I in 1978, but his players’ memories of him remain vivid.
“He’s the same Coach Jonas,” said Mike Hawkins, a standout defensive end who played at A&I in the mid-1970s when the Javelinas won three straight national championships. “He’ll always be Coach Jonas. He recruited me. Today was like all the kids coming home to see papa.”
You must be registered for see images attach
From 1967-76, A&I ran roughshod over opponents while building a dynasty that produced five NAIA Division I championships, one runner-up finish and seven Lone Star Conference titles.
“Right time, right place,” Jonas said, when asked to reflect on that period in his life. “You can talk about coaching, but you can’t win without talent. Gil knew talent and he understood that you had to have talent to win. We were fortunate to have a lot of great players.”
Texas A&I, now Texas A&M-Kingsville, finished undefeated four times and was 94-20 during its decade of dominance. The Javelinas’ dynastic run included a 42-game winning streak that started in their 1973 regular-season finale and ended with a tie in 1977.
After losing in the 1968 NAIA title game, A&I took championships in 1969, 1970, 1974, 1975 and 1976.
Roy Fredrick Jonas grew up in Winters, about 40 miles south of Abilene, and was a college quarterback at Hardin-Simmons under legendary NFL quarterback Sammy Baugh. Jonas started his coaching career with a three-year stint at Lamesa before joining Pete Ragus’ staff at Miller in 1961.
After five seasons with the Buccaneers, Jonas got his first head-coaching job at King in 1966. But he was with the Mustangs for only one season before Steinke hired him at A&I.
It was the beginning of a relationship — although fiery at times — that produced immediate success. The Javelinas won the LSC in 1967 and finished 9-0, capping the season with a 23-21 victory against top-ranked Southwest Texas.
“Gil had won a national championship before (in 1959), but A&I beat you with offense in those days,” former SWT coach Bill Miller said in 1977. “But then Gil hired Freddy and they started playing defense. That’s when they got real tough.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Jonas recalled a conversation he had with Chatter Allen, then CCISD athletic director, after he took the A&I job.
“Chatter said, ‘You know Steinke is hard to work for,’” Jonas said. “I found out he wasn’t hard to work with. You just had to understand where he was coming from.”
But that’s not to say that the late Steinke and Jonas didn’t clash occasionally. Jonas recalled a heated discussion they had after A&I’s 20-19 victory against Jacksonville (Ala.) State in their 1974 season opener. Displeased with the Javelinas’ defense, which started three freshmen that night, Steinke stayed in Jonas’ ear for most of the game.
“He got wild,” Jonas said. “He said, ‘I’m taking over the defense.’ I said, ‘OK.’”
Steinke could be cantankerous, but he was no fool. Jonas was still calling the defensive signals when the game ended. Ironically, the Javelinas won the game with a defensive play, stopping a two-point conversion run after Jacksonville scored with 1:56 left.
“We had a sit-down after the game,” Jonas said. “I said, ‘You’re letting me coach or I’m gone.’ He didn’t mess with me anymore after that. He might have talked about me behind my back, but he never confronted me again. I liked Gil and we respected each other.”
You must be registered for see images attach
After all these years, the memories of one of the greatest eras in college football history, at any level, endure for those who coached, played or cheered for the Javelinas..
“There will never be two coaches like Coach Steinke and Coach Jonas,” said Miller graduate Margarito “Buffalo” Guerrero, a Little All-America defensive tackle at A&I as a senior in 1970. “They were very different, but both of them were great coaches. They were a hell of a combination to beat.”
With Jonas directing the A&I defense, nicknamed the “Border Bandits,” the Javelinas led the LSC or were near the top annually in almost every statistical category during their run of championships.
Former center Stuart Dornburg was among the players who spoke to the group of Javelinas during the reunion at the barbecue restaurant.
“The ’74, ’75 and ’76 era was pretty special,” Dornburg said. “We had a great defense but, of course, the offense had to score to win, you know.”
Dornburg’s quip prompted laughter.
“But the old saying that offense wins games but defense wins championships," Dornburg said, "Fred is a living example of that. That’s proof.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Once described as a “pied piper” by Steinke, Jonas was a charismatic perfectionist who relished drilling his players in the fundamentals of the game. A master motivator, Jonas always had his players prepared mentally as well as physically.
While Jonas drove his players hard and was an unyielding disciplinarian, he had a knack for connecting with them and earning their trust and respect.
“What made Coach Jonas such a great coach was that he was a great teacher and had a lot of pride,” Guerrero said. “He wanted everything to be perfect. We had to do everything right in drills. If we didn’t, we’d do them over and over. He also was big on technique.”
David Palmore was a four-year starting linebacker who was part of a senior class that went 46-1-1 and won three national championships. Palmore was effusive in his praise of Jonas.
“He was just an individual who knew how to get the best out of people, just by challenging them, working them, and really being the director of schemes and scouting and (having the) ability to have players understand what their responsibilities were, ” Palmore said. “The one thing I always remember about Coach Jonas is that he made boys into men.
“A lot of people look up to him still today, because he’s been a good mentor and leader for all football players and all people, really. I will never forget how he improved my life to be a better person.”
David Flores is a San Antonio-based freelance writer who writes about Coastal Bend sports history.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Freddy Jonas still ‘Coach Jonas’ to former Texas A&I players
Continue reading...
