[3] During high school, Jones developed a lump in his thigh and learned that it was a tumor; he had surgery to remove it by Dr. Ron Alegria.

[2] Late in life, Jones told The San Diego Union-Tribune that when he was 14 years old, he witnessed a carload of white teenagers laughingly hit an elderly black woman with a watermelon.

[5] South Carolina State revoked Jones' scholarship after they learned that he participated in a protest during the Civil Rights Movement.

[2] While he was playing at Mississippi Vocational, he and his African-American teammates had to sleep in cots in the opposing team's gym because motels would not take them on numerous occasions.

[2] Due to a lack of television coverage and modern scouting networks, Jones was largely overlooked during his college career.

In 1971, Jones suffered a severely sprained arch, which caused him to miss four starts, and he ended the season with 4½ sacks, his career-low to that point.

Jones was traded along with Lee White and Greg Wojcik from the Rams to the San Diego Chargers for Jeff Staggs, a second-rounder in 1972 (30th overall) and a second and third-rounder in 1973 (31st and 60th overall) on January 29, 1972.

An extremely durable player, Jones missed only six games of a possible 196 regular-season encounters in his 14 National Football League seasons.

He appeared as himself on The Brady Bunch, and in a Bewitched episode in 1969, he played a guard to the Giant's castle in "Sam & the Beanstalk".

Fellow Hall of Famer Fred Biletnikoff joined Jones in the film, also portraying a Norseman.

[15] That same year, Jones portrayed a fierce defensive lineman named Gorman in the film Heaven Can Wait.

Jones served as a color analyst for Rams broadcasts on KMPC radio in the 1994 season, teaming with Steve Physioc and Jack Snow.

He was adamant in interviews and appearances that he played for Los Angeles, not St. Louis, and considered the Rams franchise there a different team that should have a different name.

[citation needed] He participated in many grassroots efforts to bring NFL football back to L.A. and also voiced support on many new stadium proposals .

He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1980, and was named to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1994.

[17] Jones stated that he gave himself the nickname Deacon after joining the Rams because too many David Joneses were in the local phone book.

Jones sang onstage with Ray Charles,[29] performed on The Hollywood Palace in 1967 and 1968, and on The Merv Griffin Show in 1970.

[30] On June 3, 2013, Jones died at 74 of natural causes after suffering from lung cancer and heart disease at his home in Anaheim Hills, California.

[31][32] Jones's death left Rosey Grier as the last surviving member of the Fearsome Foursome, the L.A. Rams defensive line which is widely considered the best such unit in the history of the NFL.

Of the former defensive standout, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said, "Even with his fellow Hall of Famers, Deacon Jones held a special status.