![](https://i0.wp.com/spokesman-recorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Prep.Minor_.44.jpg?resize=771%2C1126&ssl=1)
Prep Scene
Leonard Jones and Tyrone Minor will forever be connected in the eyes of this columnist for many reasons. Not only were both the top high school track and field athletes of their time, but both had a connection that resonates after they met nearly 35 years ago.
It was at the 1989 state track and field meet on a warm June afternoon at White Bear Lake High School that Minor, a senior at St. Paul Central, and Jones, a junior at Minneapolis Patrick Henry, would compete for the Class AA triple jump title.
Minor had defeated Jones in the long jump the day before, so the stage was set.
![](https://i0.wp.com/spokesman-recorder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Prep.Jones_.44.jpg?resize=771%2C1076&ssl=1)
Though Jones set the state meet record with a leap of 48 feet 9 and 3/4 inches, Minor won the event with a wind-aided jump of 49 feet 8 inches on his final attempt.
The wind-aided jump prevented Minor’s winning leap from being recognized as a state record. Nevertheless, Minor led Central to the Class AA state crown.
Jones would return the following season with Martez Williams to lead Henry to the 1990 Class AA title. All of their points came from jumps.
Both Jones and Minor are still making their marks today.
Minor went on to an outstanding track and field career at Drake University and the University of Minnesota. He is a physical education teacher at Osseo High School and the owner and founder of the F.I.T. Lab, an organization that focuses on physical fitness and health.
Jones, who became a Division III Track and Field All-American at the University of St. Thomas, is an administrator at Park Center High School and a member of the Grammy Award singing group Sounds of Blackness.
Jones and Minor will live in track and field lore for years to come.
Support Black local news
Help amplify Black voices by donating to the MSR. Your contribution enables critical coverage of issues affecting the community and empowers authentic storytelling.