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Jones’ HOF induction adds to Seattle’s big year

By WTOP Staff

TIM BOOTH
AP Sports Writer

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — As Walter Jones started going through names to give his induction speech at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he constantly came back to his son Walterius.

The youngster was with him in New York during Super Bowl week when Jones found out he’d be honored in his first year of eligibility, and just the third player having spent their entire career with Seattle Seahawks to be inducted. It felt only right to have the 14-year-old give the speech.

Talk about a unique summer vacation project.

“When I asked him if he wanted to present me he was like, ‘Well, there’s nobody else that’s going to do it,'” Jones said. “He’s been with me throughout this whole process, so he was an easy answer to present me.”

Regarded as one of the game’s best offensive tackles ever, Jones will get his gold jacket Saturday night and add to a year that has seen the Seahawks reach the pinnacle of the NFL. The party in New York in February didn’t stop with Jones being voted into the Hall of Fame on his first try. That was just the beginning. A day later, he was at MetLife Stadium to watch Seattle’s 43-8 rout of Denver to claim its first championship.

It was a moment Jones was hoping to experience as a player in February 2006 when Seattle reached its only other Super Bowl, losing to Pittsburgh. A championship is about the only thing missing from Jones’ extensive resume.

“When I came into the league, I wasn’t thinking about, ‘Man, I want to be in the Hall of Fame.’ As you play the game, you watch guys. You say, ‘That’s the way I want to play the game of football,'” Jones said. “For me, it’s all about respect. You always go back to the word ‘respect.’ Even guys that don’t play the game of football – or just an average fan – when they watch the game of football, they can say, ‘OK, I respect what Walter’s doing out there.'”

Jones was deemed special when he was selected with the No. 6 overall pick of the 1997 draft coming out of Florida State. He was a unique combination of size and power, but also speed and fluidity for a man who stood at 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds.

His offseason workouts became folklore, pushing Cadillac Escalades as part of his regimen — and usually during some sort of contract dispute. Yet he showed up for every season opener, whether he was unhappy with his contract or not.

Jones was selected to nine Pro Bowls. He was a four-time All-Pro. Mike Holmgren, who coached the Seahawks from 1999-2008, once called Jones the best offensive player he has ever coached. It’s a heady statement considering Holmgren coached Joe Montana, Brett Favre, Steve Young and Jerry Rice during his career.

Jones wanted to be like Anthony Munoz. And like Munoz before him, Jones became the standard for the next generation of offensive linemen.

“I think it’s a situation of setting the standard for how you want to play the game of football,” Jones said. “For me, I tried to do that every time I stepped on the football field. It just validates the things you did on the football field. So when people see you now, people say, ‘Oh, that’s the Hall of Famer Walter Jones.’ That’s something that makes you say I did it the right way,” Jones said. “When young kids go look at film, your name is talked about. So I think that’s something that has changed.

“From Day 1 when I got in the league, I wanted to establish the standard that I set. I wanted to be a guy that when you talk about offensive linemen, I wanted my name to come up.”

Seattle’s coaches once put together the numbers that helped state the dominant level at which Jones played: He blocked for more than 5,500 pass plays in his career and gave up just 23 sacks and was called for holding just nine times in 180 career games — all starts.

Jones is revered in Seattle in a way usually reserved for skill position players. It’s a statue of Jones that stands outside the Seahawks-themed bar at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. His No. 71 was retired the day he retired, while Steve Largent (No. 80) and Cortez Kennedy (No. 96) had to wait for their entry to Canton before their numbers were raised.

“Getting a gold jacket and to be a part of that team, man, it’s just amazing,” Jones said. “Then to be a part of Seattle, it’s just amazing to represent the city of Seattle, man. It’s just amazing. I started there and I ended there. It’s a lot of stuff that goes on.”

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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