Kevin Jones ( American football ) Kevin S . Jones ( born August 21 , 1982 ) is an American former college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League ( NFL ) for six seasons . Jones played college football for Virginia Tech , and earned All - American honors . He was selected in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft , and played professionally for the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears of the NFL . Early years . Jones was born in Chester , Pennsylvania . He was a standout in football when he came to Cardinal O ' Hara High School as a freshman . Coach Stratts had no choice but to put him in as a freshman . Jones broke many records at O ' Hara and finished his career up with a Philadelphia Catholic League Championship . In that game he scored four touchdowns . He was the No . 1 overall recruit in the nation , and could not decide between Penn State and Virginia Tech , eventually choosing to be a Hokie to the surprise of many . He said , " If you ' re a blue - chipper from Pennsylvania , you go to Penn State . But I ' ve always been a little contrary . On the day of my press conference , I still hadn ' t decided between Virginia Tech and PSU . As I sat down in front of everybody , I had both jerseys with me . I pulled the Penn State jersey out of a bag and said , " I will . . . not be attending Penn State . " Then I ripped off my sweater and had a Mike Vick jersey on underneath . The entire room was flabbergasted . Afterward , I got plenty of hate mail , lots of it racial . People weren ' t afraid to use the N - word . " Track and field . Jones was also an outstanding track and field athlete at Cardinal O ' Hara High School . He was a standout in the 60 meters and 100 meters , posting personal bests of 6 . 79 seconds and 10 . 59 seconds , respectively . He also competed in long jump , with a personal best leap of 6 . 92 meters , and triple jump , with a personal best leap of 14 . 57 meters . College career . Jones attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , and played for coach Frank Beamer ' s Virginia Tech Hokies football team from 2000 to 2003 . He was the highest rated recruit in the program ' s history . Following an injury to Lee Suggs , Jones won the starting job and set a school record for rushing yards from a freshman . In 2002 , Suggs and Jones split time at tailback , and were together called " the Untouchables " following a contest for fans to give them a nickname . He finished his college career with 3 , 475 yards and 35 touchdown s on 616 carries ( an average of 5 . 6 yards per carry ) , and 24 receptions for 229 yards ( an average of 9 . 5 yards per reception ) . His 3 , 475 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns both rank second on the school ' s career - record list . Professional career . Detroit Lions . Jones had a successful rookie season with the Lions and became only the third running back in franchise history to rush for 1 , 000 + yards in his rookie season , joining the ranks of Billy Sims and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders . He was sidelined at the end of the 2006 season with a Lisfranc fracture . Jones , still working himself back from the Lisfranc fracture suffered in 2006 , looked impressive early on in the season as the number two back , and saw his first action as a starter in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Jones rushed for 105 yards on 23 carries and one touchdown in his second start of the season in a Week 8 victory over the division rival Chicago Bears . In Week 7 , Jones became the full - time starter , getting the bulk of the carries for the Lions , with backup T . J . Duckett seeing only limited action . But Jones injured himself again , creating concern about his durability . On March 13 , 2008 , the Lions released Jones . However , it was reported that the team could bring him back at a reduced salary . Chicago Bears . On July 14 , 2008 , it was reported that Jones would sign with either the Chicago Bears or Pittsburgh Steelers the following day . On July 15 , he signed a one - year , $ 605 , 000 contract with the Bears . On March 6 , 2009 , the Chicago Bears agreed to terms with Kevin Jones on a two - year contract worth approximately $ 3 . 5 million . The deal includes a $ 1 million bonus and $ 2 million in the first season . He was intended to be the primary backup to Matt Forte . On September 3 , 2009 , Kevin Jones was injured during a preseason football game when he was hit out of bounds by Cleveland Browns linebacker Marcus Benard . Kevin Jones was out for the 2009 season with torn ligaments in his left ankle . Jones was released on March 9 , 2010 after the Bears signed Chester Taylor during free agency . Hartford Colonials . Jones joined the Hartford Colonials of the UFL in September 2010 .