Football
Associated Press 19y

Former Kings trainer dies at 69

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Longtime Sacramento Kings trainer Bill
Jones died after a long bout with cancer, the team announced
Tuesday. He was 69.

Jones, who also served as trainer for the Kansas City and
Oakland Athletics and the Kansas City Royals, spent 23 seasons with
the Kings before retiring in 1995.

"It's terribly sad," Kings director of player personnel Jerry
Reynolds said. "He was a great trainer, a good friend, a hall of
fame trainer actually -- he was just old school all the way. He was
from the time when trainers did everything, from being travel
secretary to equipment manager. Jonesy was an original."

Jones, a native of Hackett, Ark., began his sports career in
1958 as a trainer for the Kansas City Athletics' minor league
affiliate in Little Rock.

After three seasons, he was promoted to the majors where he
stayed for eight seasons. He then spent four years as trainer for
the Kansas City Royals before joining the NBA's Kansas City Kings
in 1973. He stayed with the Kings as they moved to Sacramento
before retiring in 1995.

"Bill really helped me out an awful lot when I first came to
Sacramento in terms of giving me the lay of the land," Kings
president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie said. "He was just
a real quality guy. He loved his players, loved his teams and its
really a sad day to hear that he's passed on. We wish his family
our deepest condolences -- he did a great job for a long time."

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