Inducted 1993
Hometown: Mount Olive, N.C.
Sport: Basketball (1980-82)
Coach: Cathy Andruzzi

Leora "Sam" Jones played basketball for the Lady Pirates from 1980-82 following a two-year career at Louisburg Junior College.

While at ECU, she led ECU to a combined record of 40-17 and helped the Lady Pirates to back-to-back AIAW and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1981 and '82. She finished her with a career with scoring average of 16.0 points a game and 252 assists.

In 1982, Jones was introduced to the sport of team handball. She competed in three Olympic Games and was named as the U.S. Team Handball Federation Athlete-of-the-Year three times.

In the 1984 Summer Olympics, Jones was the fifth leading scorer with 32 goals and nine assists as the U.S. finished fourth in Olympic competition. In 1987, Jones led the U.S. Women's team to a gold medal at the Pan Am Games and in 1988, Jones was the second-leading scorer in the Olympic Games with 35 points.