Grier Jones is part of the 2020 Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame induction class. The class will be inducted on Sat., Jan. 25.

Wichita State men's golfers knew that coach Grier Jones always wanted a little more – another hour on the putting green, another few swings, and there's plenty of light, so let's hit a few more balls.

They also knew he would be there with them. They knew everything Jones asked he did during his golf career and they knew it worked.
 
"He always found time for the guys, no matter how good or bad you were," former Shocker Alec Heinen said. "I wasn't anything special. No matter how bad I was playing, during practice, he would take time out to come over and watch me hit and make sure everything was OK. He really took the time out to go to every single player."
 
Jones, who coached the Shockers for 24 seasons before retiring in 2019, will be inducted into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame this month. He led the Shockers to 15 NCAA regionals. In 2003 and 2004, they advanced from the regional to the NCAA Championships.
 
Judd Easterling replaced Jones as golf coach after playing for him and serving as assistant coach for three years. As an assistant, he told recruits to expect honesty from Jones – if they asked him a question about their game or work habits, he would give them a straight answer, even if it was hard to hear.
 
"He's never wavered from doing things the right way," Easterling said. "He preached hard work. It's pretty easy to listen to a guy that's been there, that won on the PGA Tour, that won an NCAA national championship."
 
One of Jones' favorite sayings "The truth is in the dirt" reflects his insistence on practice, with the team and individually. The shoe prints in the dirt and grass tell how much work a golfer puts in.
 
Setting those expectations became the program's hallmark.
 
"I always tried to make the practice rounds and the qualifying rounds harder than the tournament rounds," Jones said. "We always played one step from the back of the back tees. It's what you become used to."
 
Jones, who spent 14 years on the PGA Tour and won NCAA medalist honors in 1968 for Oklahoma State, coached the Shockers to 15 Missouri Valley Conference titles, including eight in a row from 2008-15.
 
"The two trips to the NCAA (Championships) come to mind first," Jones said. "We didn't have all the talent in the world, but we had some, and when we had five or six guys that wanted to be there every day, we had some success. We won a lot of during-the-year tournaments, and those things weren't easy to win."
 
Jones, who won the 1966 Kansas Amateur and was a two-time state champion at Kapaun Mount Carmel High School, grew up playing at McDonald Golf Course. That is where he learned the importance of competing and finishing every round strong. In those days, he said, finishing a round with a birdie or two meant a few extra bucks in your pocket.
 
"As a golfer, you have to be able to finish," Jones said. "If you get your chances, you better take advantage of it."