A tribute to one of the most influential coaches in Washington history

Coach Jerry Jones and his daughter Angie Mathews posed together after the Shorecrest girls basketball team won the state tournament. Jones died Sunday after a five-year battle with leukemia. (Contributed by Dori Monson)

We lost a great man on Sunday. Coach Jerry Jones passed away after a five-year battle with leukemia at the age of 69.

Jerry was a husband, a father, a Seattle firefighter who retired as a deputy chief, a coach and a great friend.

He also touched the lives of more girls basketball players than probably anyone in our state’s history. Jerry ran WWPBA &#8212 the Western Washington Premier Basketball Association &#8212 but no one ever called it that. It was always known simply as “The Jerry Jones League.”

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I’ve known Jerry for 18 years, starting with coaching my daughters and their friends in his league.

Then, two years ago, I convinced Jerry to come coach with me at Shorecrest High School (after two years of being turned down by the man). And it was a package deal. Jerry’s daughter Angie &#8212 a former player at the University of Washington, and one of the most delightful people I’ll ever know &#8212 also coached with our Shorecrest girls. She loves coaching &#8212 but she also wanted to be alongside her dad.

Angie coached this past season even though she was pregnant. Jerry told our girls that he wanted to see the birth of his baby granddaughter &#8212 and he wanted to see our basketball girls get to the state tournament.

In the final weeks of his life, Jerry showed a strength that will have me forever in awe. He was at every practice, every team activity, every game. And he shared with the kids a joy and a commitment to greatness that filled our hearts and lifted us up &#8212 and that sustains us through the sadness of our loss.

One month ago, Jerry’s daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. And Jerry was by my side three weeks ago as we won the first Washington State Championship in school history. Fittingly, in the final game he would ever coach, Jerry went out a champion.

There will be a celebration of Jerry’s life at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 26 in the Shorecrest High School gym.