Oklahoma Sooners QB Landry Jones: Through the eyes of his grandparents, part 1

October 2, 9:41 PMOklahoma Sooners Football ExaminerBryan Waters

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OU redshirt freshman QB Landry Jones, before "The 
Stache." Photo: OU Athletics Dept.

The paternal grandparents of Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones give each other space to share, to reminisce, and to laugh. They sit on opposite sides of the modest living room inside their Granite, OK home.  Country music wafts softly from a back room.  The TV is tuned to ESPN but Fred has muted it even though, he says, "They were just about to tell us how Miami can beat us tomorrow night."  A Bible and a lamp rest on one table.  Coasters and family portraits on another. Paintings of Native Americans adorn the four walls.  Jo maintains a firm grasp on a leash, at the end of which naps Cleo, their 9-year old Basset Hound.  "He won't bite, but he might lick you to death."

Fred, a retired oil and gas man, wears gray sweat pants and a red polo shirt.  A vibrant man, he stands a few inches under six feet.  His hair is graying.  His eyes, big and alert, betray his six year battle with macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in persons over 55.  "My straight ahead vision is cloudy.  I can still see peripherally. It's reduced my vision by 60 to 70 percent.  I watch games (on TV) off center.  I can still see enough to critique my grandson. Notice I said critique, not criticize," he laughs softly.  The proud man, getting older, embraces the opportunity to reflect on his grandson, who calls him "Pop."

Jo wears blue jeans and a green plaid button down shirt.  She is as tall as her husband, maybe taller now, at five years his junior.  She has sparkling red hair.  Jo's reticence to say much doesn't hide self-doubt but unveils keen listening.  Last Christmas, she presented her grandson with "his treasure," a handmade quilt.  It's made almost entirely of school shirts from his days at Artesia, NM High School.  In the center lies one OU shirt, embedded among all the others.  The recipient of the gift calls her "Nanaw."

The couple married in Monahans, TX when Jo was 21, Fred 26.  Life then took them to Midland, TX, then to Artesia, then to retirement in San Angelo, and now, five years ago, to Granite.  Fred sold his oil and gas production business in Artesia before the move to a lake outside San Angelo.  Jo grew up in Granite, and still has two sisters and two brothers living there, the primary reasons they chose the sleepy town of 1,500. She also has a sister living in Stillwater.

"And booooyyyy are they OSU (Oklahoma State) fans," Fred quips.  Jo chuckles.  

Fred explains that he's always been a University of Texas fan--but now pulls for OU, too.  "Really, I'm a Landry fan."

Their memories of their grandson aren't hazy.  Their labors to speak their impressions of his personality, his talent, and his endearment to them come easily.  Their love for Landry is genuine.  You can tell because what they say about him reflects the careful attention they've showered on him.  

Coming next: Oklahoma Sooners QB Landry Jones: Through the eyes of his grandparents, part 2

In part 2: Landry's birth, early years, high school career, impressions of OU, and The Stache