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Johnny 'Lam' Jones dies at age 60

The gold medalist and Longhorn star fought cancer for years.

Johnny "Lam" Jones died Friday at the age of 60.

Jones was a star receiver for the Longhorns from 1976 to 1979 and played in the NFL with the New York Jets.

He found out in 2005 that he had cancer and battled that for years.

Jones first became known for his track skills. He made the Olympic team in 1976 and won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay.

"I can't comment on how tough it was," Jones told me in an interview several years ago. "Because everything we did, nobody expected us to do it."

Jones, who grew up in Lampasas, got the nickname "Lam" when he got to UT. He told me he gave the credit to Coach Darrell Royal and Sports Information's Jones Ramsey because of fellow Longhorn Johnny "Ham" Jones.

"They came up with that nickname to kind-of distinguish between the two," Jones told me. "We were about the same height. He was #25 and I was #26, and we both played in the backfield. It could be confusing at times."

Jones used his faith to keep him motivated.

He told me, "Since I've had the cancer, the difference is sometimes I [am] consciously aware that He is doing the work."

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