Lewis & Clark College

A 1964 graduate of Lewis & Clark, Nate Jones was a member of the 1963 undefeated Pioneers football team, on which he played defensive back and placekicker. Over his four seasons, the Pios were 27-8-1, and the 1963 team was inducted into the Lewis & Clark Athletics Hall of Fame in 1994. After college, Jones became a teacher, principal and administrator in the Portland Public Schools system for 34 years and was the president of the Portland Football Association. 

He coached and officiated various sports including spending 25 years as a National Football League official. Jones broke into the NFL in 1977 as a line judge and moved during the following year to the side judge position and stayed there for the next 22 years adding three more as a replay official. During this time he worked 10 playoff games: four wild card rounds, three divisional playoffs, two conference championship games and Super Bowl XXVIII. He also worked the 1981 Pro Bowl. He is also an inductee in the Oregon Sports and Portland Interscholastic League Halls of Fame.