ROLLA, Mo. – As a student-athlete at Missouri S&T, Deshawn Jones (Olympia Fields, IL/Rich Central) was able to make a name for himself not only for his play on the field, but also for his academic accomplishments and his work within the Rolla community.

Those efforts – which earned him many laurels during his time at S&T – has led to Jones landing a major award from the NCAA this afternoon as he is one of the 2021 recipients of the Today's Top 10 Award.

The award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community.  The 10 recipients will be recognized during a virtual Honors Celebration awards show on Wednesday, Jan. 13, which will be streamed at 6 p.m., Central time on the NCAA's Twitter account and on the ESPN app.

The honorees are selected by the NCAA Honors Committee, composed of representatives of NCAA member schools, conferences and distinguished citizens, including past awardees.  Prior to 2013, the award recognized eight student-athletes and was known as Today's Top VIII. The NCAA Honors Committee expanded the award to include 10 honorees to recognize the growing number of college athletes, sports and championship opportunities. This year's recipients competed in 10 sports, including one emerging sport.

Jones is only the third student-athlete from a Great Lakes Valley Conference institution – and first ever from Missouri S&T -- to receive the award, which was first presented in 1973.  The other two, basketball players Michelle Cottrell and Kevin Listerman, both competed at Northern Kentucky University when it was a member of the GLVC.   Listerman earned his award in 2001 and Cottrell received hers two years later in 2003.

The NCAA Top 10 Award is the latest for Jones, who was named as the 2020 co-recipient of the Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award by the GLVC, as well as being a two-time scholar-athlete of the year in football and a recipient of the conference's Council of Presidents Academic Excellence Award in 2020.

A May 2020 graduate of Missouri S&T with a bachelor's degree in biological sciences, Jones had a stellar playing career as he finished as the all-time leader in school history with 3,493 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns, while also setting single-season records in those categories with 1,579 yards and 17 touchdowns scored during the 2017 campaign and 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, a four-time GLVC All-Academic team selection to go along with the GLVC Council of Presidents award  and a three-time recipient of S&T's Joe Mooney Distinguished Student award.

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 Leadership 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 currently interning as a sports and performance trainer for Illinois Bone and Joint Institute in Chicago and also working as a residential coordinator for Lifehouse Group LLC, whose mission is to assist men and women recently released from incarceration to reenter society.  The group provides those individuals with educational, financial and employment resources as well as housing and health care.

The list of past recipients of the Today's Top 10 Award is an impressive one, including former college football standouts Payton Manning (1998), Tim Tebow (2010), Robert Griffin III (2013) and Dak Prescott (2017).  Other past recipients include David Robinson, Rebecca Lobo, Heather O'Reilly and Elena Della Donne.

2021 NCAA Top 10 Award Honorees
Nia Akins, University of Pennsylvania (Track & Field/Cross Country; nursing/nutrition science major)
Bernardo Amaral Neves, Washington University in St. Louis (Tennis; mechanical engineering major)
Brittny Ellis, University of Miami (Track & Field; nursing major)
Alison Gibson, University of Texas (Swimming & Diving; advertising major)
Eoin Gronningsater, Duke University (Fencing; political science major)
Deshawn Jones (Olympia Fields, IL/Rich Central), Missouri S&T (Football; biological sciences)
Lily Justine, UCLA (Beach volleyball; physiological science)
Kayla Leland, Whitworth University (Track & Field/Cross Country & Basketball; health science & Spanish major)
Asia Seidt, University of Kentucky (Swimming & Diving; kinesiology major)
Juah Toe, West Chester University (Rugby; psychology major)