If you had never known Coach John J. Jones, you would have come away from Saturday's dedication of a park in his honor wishing you had known him, and infused with a sense of the remarkable influence he had on decades of Greeneville students.

Coach Jones was remembered Saturday as a dedicated man who spent his life creating a sports program for the students of the George Clem School and residents of the surrounding neighborhood.

But he was also praised even more as a mentor and motivator whose tough discipline and no-nonsense advice influenced not only his athletic teams but the entire student body.

A group of about 100 friends, family members, community leaders and former students attended the ceremony Saturday on the site of the former athletic field at George Clem School to dedicate the "Coach J.J. Jones Memorial Park."

"If ever there was a man to deserve this, it was J.J. Jones," proclaimed Don Hamilton, master of ceremonies.

"I remember playing all kinds of ball out here. Coach Jones would have us out here clearing out the rocks and fixing this lot so we'd have a field to play on."

"But I also remember Coach Jones as a man of God, a man of character, and a man of determination," Hamilton said.

"He would always tell us important things like, 'Plan your work, and work your plan,' and, 'When you play hard, good things happen,' and he stressed that those sayings applied not only to the athletic field, but to all things in life," Hamilton added.

Other speakers included former player Bobby Blue, who recalled Jones' training methods seemed to be modeled after Jones' training as an Army Ranger during World War II. "But we never had a losing season," Blue added.

Former Wolverine cheerleader Louise Dickson Tardy said, "He always encouraged students to strive for their best."

Jones' daughter, Mary Jones Carter, said of her father,"He tried to help make a better life for everybody.

She added, "He taught me that you've got to be tough, that the world is no place for creampuffs. Giving up was not an option with my father," she added.

"He was a coach, a teacher, my dad, and a dad for a lot of others, too," Mary Jones Carter said.

State Rep. David Hawk, Greeneville Mayor Laraine King, Aldermen W.T. Daniels, Buddy Hawk and Sarah Webster, Parks and Recreation Director Butch Patterson, and members of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also expressed glowing praise and fond memories of Coach Jones, as well as for his wife, Fannye Jones, a respected English teacher for many years.

In her remarks, Fannye Jones spoke about how her husband will be remembered.

"He left a legacy," she said. "Not a legacy of money, but the idea to invest in people. This park represents his legacy into the future," she said.

At the end of the ceremonies, Fannye Jones and her daughter removed the wrapping over the new sign at the corner of the park, proclaiming it the 'Coach J.J. Jones Memorial Park'. The crowd then sang the George Clem School Song.

"He would be pleased," Fannye Jones said.