HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - It was four games into the season before win No. 1 rolled around, a 40-10 thumping of Lane College. He'd only win once more in that 1999 season, which was still a humongous improvement considering Morehouse had floundered around at 0-11 the year before he became head coach.

Now, a relatively short time later, Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones is on the cusp of win No. 100.

It could come as soon as Saturday's homecoming game against Mississippi Valley State.

"I know there's a milestone, but the first thing I'm concerned about is Valley because it's our next game, our next conference game, our next opportunity to show what improvements we've made in our football program this season," Jones said.

Jones, now 53, came to Alabama A&M in 2002, where he's won 81 games. He's only 13 wins from leapfrogging the venerable Louis Crews as A&M's all-time winningest coach. A&M has had but two losing seasons in that time and reached the SWAC title game five times, an accomplishment no other team in the SWAC can touch.

He's not a coach to seek the spotlight. Talking about an individual achievement makes him as uncomfortable as a Baptist preacher in a liquor store.

Mostly because, well, it's not an individual achievement.

One hundred wins will make Anthony Jones' Wikipedia page.

But hundreds of others helped put him there.

"When I started this thing, I didn't know I would be around 14-plus years," Jones said. "I have been truly blessed. For me to have that number of wins, I've had a lot of quality coaches through here. I've had a lot of great people to work with. Presidents, administrators, AD's, people all of this campus have helped me in a number of ways. It's much bigger than me. It's a collective effort of a lot of people.

"We're trying our best to help young men grow into men and to win football games is secondary. I'm truly blessed and honored to be a part of it," he continued. "I've worked extremely had to do this and I will continue to do so."

Of 100 wins, I've seen maybe 20 of them. But it's a loss that will always resonate with me.

It was the season opener in 2002, Alabama A&M at Jacksonville State. It was Jones' debut. The Bulldogs let a 17-0 lead evaporate. They gave up two TDs in the last seven and a half minutes and got hosed on a horrific pass interference call.

I was on the A&M sidelines in the dying moments of the game, the deadline monster chomping at me, and I walked off the field with Jones to grab a few quick quotes. We were sandwiched by a pair of Alabama troopers.

In the distant end zone corner, his players were waiting. So were fans, well-wishers, other media. As we walked, he heard someone faintly calling, "Coach." The voice grew louder. "Coach! Hey Coach!"

Safety Henry Freeman was injured and trying to limp off the field. Somehow, the training staff had missed him. The fans and players and media could wait. Jones immediately wheeled around, helped Freeman shrug out of his jersey and shoulder pads and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, supporting him as he walked toward the locker room.

I wrote that night that "Alabama A&M's football program is in good, caring hands."

It was then. Eighty-one wins later, it still is.

Mark McCarter writes columns on news and sports for Alabama Media Group and The Huntsville Times. Contact him at mmccarter@al.com