Growing up outside DeLand during the 1970s, Larry Wayne Jones Jr. proved to be a chip off the old block.
Jones’ father coached baseball at T. DeWitt Taylor High School in Pierson. Early on, his son displayed an affinity for spending time at the field and an aptitude for the sport, leading his dad to nickname his boy, “Chipper.”
Chipper Jones, who turns 48 today, is now household name among baseball fans and one of the best players who grew up in the Sunshine State.
Jones joins four-time Cy Young winner Steve Carlton of Miami, seven-time all-star Tim Raines of nearby Sanford, eight-time Gold Glove winner Andre Dawson of Miami and Negro League legend Pop Lloyd of Palatka as the only players from Florida in the Baseball Hall of Fame.