Toya Jones, the Refugio track and football star who became a national relay champion at Texas A&M, died on 22 October 2026 at the age of 49, after suffering a heart attack the previous weekend.
Born in Victoria, Texas, on 28 October 1976, Jones won 17 medals at the UIL state track meet for Refugio, including a state-record 13 golds, and helped the Bobcats to three state track titles. On the football field he was the 1994 Class 2A Defensive Player of the Year in Texas and a Parade All-American. He was inducted into the Texas Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2020.
At Texas A&M he was part of the 400-metre relay team that won the 1997 NCAA title, and played defensive back for the Aggies team that beat Kansas State in double overtime to win the 1998 Big 12 championship. He went on to spend time with the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans, and played in the XFL and for the BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.
“He was really a celebrity athlete in Texas and beyond,” said Refugio track coach James King. “He will be remembered forever.”