Breaking News= Former University of Georgia Football Player, 21, Dies Following Car Crash: He ‘Lived Life to the Fullest’
Gleaton Jones, a former walk-on running back for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, has died at 21 following a car crash this week.
Jones died on Friday, Dec. 13, according to an obituary shared by Matthews Funeral Home.
His death comes three days after a Tuesday, Dec. 10 car crash left him hospitalized with a brain injury, according to UGA’s independent student newspaper
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Former University of Georgia Football Player, 21, Dies Following Car Crash: He ‘Lived Life to the Fullest’
Gleaton Jones is being remembered as “joyful and magnetic”
By Brenton Blanchet Published on December 14, 2024 12:05PM EST
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A Georgia Bulldogs helmet sits in the bench area during the third quarter against the Auburn Tigers at Sanford Stadium
Georgia Bulldogs helmet sits in the bench area during an October 2024 game in Athens, Georgia. Photo: Todd Kirkland/Getty
Gleaton Jones, a former walk-on running back for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team, has died at 21 following a car crash this week.
Jones died on Friday, Dec. 13, according to an obituary shared by Matthews Funeral Home.
His death comes three days after a Tuesday, Dec. 10 car crash left him hospitalized with a brain injury, according to UGA’s independent student newspaper The Red & Black.
Local outlet WSB-TV also reported that Jones died following a serious car wreck, while the Porterfield Methodist Church in Jones’ hometown of Albany, Georgia, said he “suffered a brain injury from an accident.”
According to his obituary, Jones was a walk-on running back for the Bulldogs in 2021 after a high school career at Deerfield-Windsor School.
“Gleaton lived life to the fullest and emoted joy and enthusiasm in every endeavor,” the obituary reads. “For such a tender age, he created a full life for himself, and for others, by investing deeply in his family, friends, fraternity, and service to others through his growing faith.”
“Known by his closest friends as ‘Gleat,’ he was described as simply joyful and magnetic. There was no room big enough that his bright light was unable to fill,” the obituary continues. “His light-heartedness and joyful disposition could lift others to happiness, and his listening skills often gave peace of mind and encouragement.
Jones was also part of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and was set to graduate with a marketing degree from the University of Georgia Terry School of Business next spring, before returning to Albany to help his father in running their family farm, according to the obituary.
The student-athlete is survived by his parents, Marlin and Kirk Jones; his brother, Cole; his grandparents, Linda Fain, Earle Spurlock and Mary Jones; plus aunts, uncles and cousins.
