Maurice Jones-Drew’s first appearance in Hawaii provided a dazzling glimpse of his potential. He’s since converted that promise into highly productive college and professional careers, evidenced by his return to Aloha Stadium on Sunday.
Jones-Drew’s senior year at De La Salle (Concord, Calif.) High School was highlighted by a trip to Hawaii to play Saint Louis in the nightcap of a historic prep doubleheader in 2002.
After a standout run at UCLA and having established himself as one of the NFL’s premier running backs, Jones-Drew will be back at Aloha Stadium for the Pro Bowl as the league’s rushing champion.
"When I was here the first time I wasn’t liked too much," Jones-Drew said with a smile. "It was a pretty exciting experience as a senior in high school, so to come back and enjoy the love of the people and the island is great."
Jones-Drew earned his third Pro Bowl selection in six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, but Sunday’s game will mark his first all-star game in Hawaii. He played in the 2010 Pro Bowl in Miami, Fla., and missed last year’s game in Honolulu due to injury.
Jones-Drew savored his first Pro Bowl experience, "but it’s nothing like coming over the water. This is my first time here at the Pro Bowl. I brought my whole family out and everybody’s excited."
While being targeted by defenses as the featured facet of the Jaguars’ offense, Jones-Drew rushed for a career-high 1,606 yards this season with eight touchdowns.
Despite absorbing the physical punishment accumulated over a league-high 343 carries, he’s eager to take a few more handoffs on Sunday to cap the year.
"I figure if the players take the time to vote you in, you should pay the respect to the game and to them to say I’m going to come out and give it my all," Jones-Drew said. "A lot of guys are still sore and banged up, but once you get out here and start running you get in the flow and the next thing you know you’re not feeling anything."
Before he added Jones to his surname, Maurice Drew was the centerpiece of De La Salle’s option offense a decade ago. He wasn’t quite at full strength when he traveled to Hawaii with the Spartans for the game with Saint Louis, which followed Long Beach Poly’s rout of Kahuku. He’d injured his ankle the previous week, "so the flight was pretty tough," Jones-Drew recalled.
Though considered questionable during the week, he showed little sign of the injury in churning for 125 yards and a touchdown in a 31-21 victory on Sept. 22, 2002, the 127th consecutive win in De La Salle’s famed streak.
While playing in Aloha Stadium added to the electric atmosphere that remains clear in his memory, he didn’t let his mind wander to the possibility of someday coming back to play with the NFL’s best.
"I was really just worried about trying to win that game," he said. "It was a very tough game to win, so I wasn’t worried about anything else after that."
