ROLLA, Mo. – During his four years at Missouri S&T, Deshawn Jones (Olympia Fields, IL/Rich Central) has earned numerous honors for his play on the football field and also for his work in the classroom.  Those efforts have landed him one more major award today, as he was selected as the recipient of the Richard F. Paragon Award by the Great Lakes Valley Conference for the 2019-20 academic year.

The award, named in honor of the former commissioner of the GLVC who also served as a coach and director of athletics at Saint Joseph's College, is presented annually to the top male and female student-athletes in the conference who have displayed academic excellence, athletic ability and achievement, character and leadership.

Jones – who is the first football player to land this honor – is sharing the men's award with Payton Staman, a member of the swimming & diving team at the University of Indianapolis, marking the first time since 1994 and third time overall that the men's award has been shared.  The women's Paragon Award recipients will be announced on Wednesday.

Jones, a biological sciences major at S&T, closed out a stellar playing career as the all-time leader in school history with 3,493 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns and also holds the single-season records in those categories with 1,579 yards and 17 touchdowns scored during the 2017 campaign, as well as the single game record with 275 rushing yards set that season against Saint Francis (Ill.). 

He earned first-team All-GLVC honors after ranking third in the conference in rushing with a team-high 831 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2019 season.  Jones also finished his career ranked second with 40 touchdowns scored, third with 242 points scored and fourth with 3,872 all-purpose yards.  His 15 games with at least 100 yards rushing are the second-most in program history behind the 19 recorded by Terry Ryan, who held the career rushing record prior to Jones' surpassing it in the final game of the season.

In addition to his accolades on the field, Jones has also excelled in the classroom and in the community throughout his time at the university.  That work helped him earn Academic All-America team from the College Sports Information Directors of America for the third time in his career after the 2019 season, one of just five Miners in history to be named to that team three times.

Besides his on-field honors, Jones has also been a member of the Missouri S&T Dean's List, has been a three-time GLVC All-Academic team selection – he will be eligible for a fourth such award later this spring as well as the GLVC Council of Presidents award -- a three-time recipient of S&T's Joe Mooney Distinguished Student award and is a member of the Phi Sigma biological sciences honor society.

In addition, Jones has served as the vice-president for both the Association for Black Success and Phi Sigma honor society, as well as serving as president for the National Society of Leadershop and Success.  He has served as a mentor for the "Mentoring Makes a Difference" program for the Rolla Public Schools and the Missouri S&T Student Diversity and Inclusion group that helped new students adjust to their new environment.

Jones has also taught STEM-related projects at Rolla Middle School and spent time as a crewmember for an organization that provides support for pediatric cancer patients and families called "Love Your Melons."  Additionally, he has worked for Phelps Health as a Patient Care Assistant and as an office assistant for the Illinois Home Health Agency in his hometown of Chicago.

Jones is the fifth Missouri S&T student-athlete to earn the award since the S&T program joined the GLVC prior to the 2005-06 academic year.  Jordan Henry, an All-America performer in track & field, was the first Miner honoree in 2009, followed by Spencer Brinkmeyer (men's soccer) and Jennifer Costello (volleyball) in 2013 and Keith Sponsler, an All-America swimmer for the Miners, following the 2015-16 academic year.