USC’s Ronald Jones II wears No. 4 jersey to honor Joe McKnight in Rose Bowl (Photo)
USC running back Ronald Jones II will wear No. 4 in honor of former Trojan, Joe McKnight, who was tragically killed in a shooting in December.
The USC Trojans are back in the Rose Bowl and there’s a buzz in the air in Los Angeles. With the team set to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday evening, running back Ronald Jones II decided to honor a former Trojan great.
Joe McKnight was tragically shot and killed back in December and it served as a reminder just how fragile life really is. McKnight was an exceptional running back during his time with the Trojans and he made plenty of highlight plays. That’s why Jones decided to wear No. 4 in honor of the late Trojan.
USC RB Ronald Jones II will wear No. 4 in honor of Joe McKnight. (via @BonaguraESPN) pic.twitter.com/MdJhIm3vYI
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 2, 2017
Wearing the jersey of a former player is one of the best tributes in all of sports and it just goes to show how much McKnight meant to the Trojans and especially to Jones. Everyone has their favorite players and players that helped make an impact on their careers and it’s clear that Jones drew plenty of inspiration from the former running back.
Throughout the season Jones has had plenty of huge runs and has been a machine pounding the football for USC. He’s just another great running back in a long line of great ones that USC has had the fortune of putting out on the field.
It’s been a long road back to the Rose Bowl for the program but they’re finally back and on the right path going forward. With players like Jones on the team, it’s pretty easy to root for them to have success because of the class and maturity that they show.