The Notre Dame football family lost a member unexpectedly when former defensive end Andre Jones, a member of Notre Dame’s last national championship team in 1988, passed away after suffered a brain aneurysm.
He left behind his wife Michelle and five children, including son TJ, a rising sophomore on the Notre Dame football team.
Here’s more from Notre Dame’s official release:
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Andre Jones, a starter on the 1988 University of Notre Dame national championship football team and father of current Irish wide receiver TJ Jones, died this morning in Atlanta after suffering a brain aneurysm yesterday. He was 42.
A four-time monogram-winner, Jones played outside linebacker for former Irish coach Lou Holtz from 1987-90. He played in 42 games overall, starting once as a rookie in ’87, four times during the ’88 championship run and nine times each in both 1989 and 1990. A 6-4, 225-pounder, he made 147 career tackles to go with 12 tackles for loss and three caused fumbles. His top season came as a senior in ’90 when he recorded 58 tackles (second on the squad behind team leader Michael Stonebreaker), after making 49 as a junior in ’89.
A seventh-round selection of the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1991 NFL Draft, Jones was the 185th overall selection. He played for the Detroit Lions in 1992 and also for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League.
A former USA Today second-team prep All-American, Jones came from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md. He received his degree from the College of Arts and Letters with a major in government (international relations) in 1997 and went on toearn a master’s degree in business from Georgetown. He served as CEO of APR Sports Management, an athletic representation business based in Atlanta.
Jones is survived by his wife Michele and five children. His son TJ (a 5-11, 187-pounder from Gainesville, Ga.) played in 12 games as a freshman for the Irish in 2010, starting on seven occasions. He finished with 23 receptions (five each versus Navy and Tulsa) for 306 yards, including scoring catches against Purdue, Michigan and Navy.
Funeral arrangements are pending.