George Francis "Snoozy" Jones, co-founder of Snoozy's College Bookstore in Birmingham, Ala., died July 6, AL.com reported. He was 91.
With his wife, Agatha, son George Jr., and daughter-in-law Virginia, Jones opened Snoozy's College Bookstore on 11th Ave. South. For 34 years, the bookstore served as a destination for textbooks, University of Alabama Birmingham merchandise, and alumni apparel before Jones retired in 2017.
Although the bookstore later closed, George Jones Jr. "continued the family's retail legacy by opening Snoozy's Kids in 1988 in Crestline Village in Mountain Brook. The toy store remains in operation today," AL.com reported.
Born in Montgomery, George Jones Sr. graduated from Sidney Lanier High School, where he played football. He attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and later graduated from Huntingdon College with a teaching certificate.
In addition to teaching, he coached football, basketball, and track, along with officiating high school athletics. He co-founded the Mid-State Alabama Officials Association, an organization for high school sports officials, and was inducted by the Alabama High School Athletic Association into its Hall of Fame in 2012. Jones also served as the University of Alabama at Birmingham's first football line coach when the university launched its football program.