Before Barrett, Harrison, and Walker Jones helped build Nick Saban’s Alabama dynasty, their father had his own story in crimson—and a deliberate plan for raising three sons who understood that life was about far more than sports.
Rex Jones joins Rick Morton and Tommy Ford for a wide-ranging conversation about Alabama basketball, Bear Bryant, Nick Saban, faith, fatherhood, and the relationships that shape a life.
The son of national championship-winning basketball coach Bill Jones, Rex grew up inside gyms across Alabama. He became a 1,000-point scorer at Bradshaw High School before signing with the Crimson Tide and playing for Wimp Sanderson alongside Ennis Whatley, Bobby Lee Hurt, Mark Farmer, and other Alabama greats.
Rex remembers the day Bear Bryant died and the Alabama basketball team left Tuscaloosa carrying the weight of that loss. Days later, the Crimson Tide walked into Pauley Pavilion and upset No. 1 UCLA—with legendary coach John Wooden sitting directly behind the Alabama bench.
He also reflects on what Sanderson taught him about leadership: build the right staff, put people in positions where they can succeed, and let them use their gifts. Those lessons became part of the foundation Rex and his wife, Leslie, used to raise their family.
Their parenting goal was simple but demanding: teach their children how to make good decisions from the truth of God’s Word. Rex shares the three rules that governed sports in the Jones home—play hard, respect everyone involved, and have fun—and explains why parents must allow their children to fail while they are still close enough to help them learn from it.
The conversation then turns to the remarkable journeys of Barrett, Harrison, and Walker. Rex recounts Barrett’s unlikely development from an awkward third-grader who failed to score all season into one of the nation’s most highly recruited offensive linemen.
He also tells the hilarious story of offering Barrett some fatherly football advice—only to discover he did not understand blocking schemes—and why that became the last time he tried to coach his son from the couch.
Rex takes listeners inside Barrett’s recruitment, from an unexpected Auburn offer and a visit hosted by Tim Tebow to the arrival of Nick Saban at Alabama. During one meeting, Rex asked for only one thing in exchange for Barrett’s commitment: the chance to become the first person to operate the newly installed automatic door in Saban’s office.
While Rex played with the door, Saban “closed the deal” with Leslie.
Years later, Rex watched all three sons wear the Crimson jersey, Barrett and Harrison line up beside one another, and the family collect national championship memories that no trophy or ring could adequately measure.
But Rex is clear that football never defined success in the Jones home. He shares why family worship took priority over youth sports, why his sons led mission trips to Haiti, and how his greatest joy today is watching them raise their own children with the same faith, integrity, and love for one another.
Rex also discusses his work leading the Christian Community Foundation in Memphis and the privilege of helping generous people invest in ministries and organizations that serve others.
This is a funny, moving, and deeply practical conversation about raising sons, defining success, building relationships, and trusting God with the legacy that follows.
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