(Spencer J Eggers/ The Daily Campus)

He talks; you listen. SMU Head Coach June Jones receives that kind of respect both on and off the field.

He has established himself and his program, along with his coaching staff and the players are beginning to buy into it.

Coach Jones’ professional appeal appears to handle adversity with a sense of ease and calm that resounds with both his coaches and players. Coach Jones has pinpointed exactly his purpose, saying his goal everyday is “to help my kids learn how to be men.”

“We must manage ourbehavior to meet the objective.” A famous proverb by Aristotle is brought to the turf daily by Coach Jones to instill greatness in his players. And simply put, “well you just repeat all the things that we do everyday…excellence then is not an act, it is a habit,” Coach Jones said.

On the sidelines, Coach Jones is seen as calm, cool, and collective. It is not an act or a show.

“I always just felt that you kind of have to be who you are. And when I was a quarterback or player I wasn’t a yell, holler, scream guy. I led by example and got them to follow me by doing the things that I needed to do,” Jones said.

When it comes to coaching one-on-one, Coach Jones doesn’t think much about negative reinforcement.

“I believe putting your arm around a guy and talking with them does a whole lot more,” Jones said.

As with all coaches, game day is big for Coach Jones, and each game is a different experience. Coach Jones describes his view of game day as “one of those deals you practice all week for and wait on, butterflies and all that stuff. It is different for different people. You know game day is unique to every person.”