“I had to work hard to be successful at swimming. The first time I thought I was good enough to even go to college I was in my junior year of high school.” - Cullen Jones  In 2006, Jones became the first African American man to break a world record in swimming at the Pan Pacific Games as part of the 4 x 100 free relay. He also won the 50-meter freestyle, swimming the fastest time in the world that year. Jones was a four-time ACC Champion and 2006 NCAA Champion at North Carolina State University. Jones became the second African American to win an Olympic gold medal as part of the legendary 4 x 100 free relay team in Beijing that upset the heavily favored French team and set both Olympic and world records in the event. Jones set a new world record for his swim to earn a place on the team with a time of 47.61, a time that stood as record until broken in 2009. Jones has been on the U. S. National Team since 2006 and served as the first major ambassador for the USA Swimming Foundation’s Make a Splash initiative. Jones continues to give back to the sport, hosting the Cullen Jones Diversity Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina since 2013. http://www.usaswimming.org/ViewNewsArticle.aspx?TabId=0&itemid=7676&mid=14491 CULLEN JONES FUN FACTS HIGH SCHOOL St. Benedict’s Prep '02 COLLEGE NC State '06 COLLEGE MAJOR English (with minor in Psychology) FUTURE PROFESSIONAL ASPIRATIONS Write for a men’s fashion magazine, such as "GQ" PARENTS Ronald and Debra … Ronald (deceased) played basketball at a small college in the Bronx, and Debra was a dancer … Ronald died of lung cancer in 2000 when Cullen was 16. NOTABLE RELATIVE(S) Distant relative (Rodney Wallace) was a former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle STARTED SWIMMING Age 8 ... "almost drowned". SPORTS PLAYED BEFORE SWIMMING Gymnastics, basketball NICKNAME(S) CJ, Nova PET(S) "We brought in a cat, and the first night we had her she jumped into my bed and scared everyone by hissing and swiping at us. I was 7 and slept with my parents." HOBBIES OUTSIDE THE POOL Playing video games, hanging out with friends ULTIMATE WAY TO RELAX Watch a movie, play some video games and fall asleep MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON Late father Ronald and coach Ed Nessel ... role model: "My parents because they woke me up for practice in the morning; that's brave!" CHARITIES Ronald Jones Foundation MORE Is working with "Do Tell Productions" on a documentary about the Flaherty Dolphins, a team from Boston that is made up mostly of kids of color ... the film will follow the lives a few swimmers on the team, in addition to Jones' journey to the 2008 Olympic Games FAVORITES U.S. city: New York City ... int'l destination: London ... band: Linkin Park ... celebrity: Michael Jordan; "I like to model my attitude after him." ... summer activity: going to amusement parks ... movies: Snatch, Van Wilder, Just Friends, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Waiting ... tv: Nip/Tuck, Dirt, Weeds. Through the course of the high school swimming seasons we will starting a new weekly video session before practice: Olympic Wednesdays. On these Wednesday's the Senior and Age Group teams will watch videos on different Olympic Swimmers that show off a bit of their life, training, and background. |