Born in Oakland, California, he was raised in Antioch. Born to his parents Sidney Gayles and Andrea Drew, Jones-Drew was raised by his maternal grandparents, Maurice, and Christina Jones. His grandfather died of a heart attack while watching him play at the Rose Bowl against Rice University on September 10, 2005. He had his entire legal surname affixed to his jersey, making him “Maurice Jones-Drew ” this to honor the man who raised him.
He attended and graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord. He is also a cousin of Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety T. J. Ward.
De La Salle possesses the longest series of wins in high school football history at 151 games. The Spartan football teams that Jones-Drew played on never lost a single game during his 3-year varsity career. He was a subtle, high-scoring running back and return authority on offense and a rebuffing linebacker on defense.
Jones-Drew also ran track for the De La Salle track team and was a member of the Spartans’ 4 x 100 meters relay state champion team, with a time of 42.20 seconds. He posted an individual best time of 10.80 seconds in the 100 meters at the age of 16.
