Deacon Jones Trophy

For the Deacon Jones Award for the NFL seasonal sack leader, see Deacon Jones Award.
Deacon Jones Trophy
Awarded forBlack college football player of the year
CountryUnited States
Presented byBlack College Football Hall of Fame
History
First award2016
Most recentShedeur Sanders, Jackson State
Websitewww.blackcollegefootballhof.org

The Deacon Jones Trophy is an annual player of the year award given to the most outstanding all-around collegiate American football player of the year among teams from historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The trophy was named in honor of National Football League (NFL) player Deacon Jones, who played for South Carolina State and Mississippi Valley State University.[1] Jones, who was selected in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL draft by the Los Angeles Rams, would go on to become a standout defensive end accumulating 173½ sacks over his career,[2] earning unanimous All-NFL honors for 6 consecutive years from 1965 through 1970 and 8 Pro Bowl selections. Jones also holds the distinctions of being an inaugural Black College Football Hall of Fame inductee (2010) and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.[3]

  1. ^ "Deacon Jones' HOF Profile". Pro Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  2. ^ Turney, John (2000-06-26). "Setting the record straight on all of those QB takedowns". Pro Football Weekly online. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  3. ^ "Black College Football Hall Of Fame". www.blackcollegefootballhof.org. Retrieved 12 March 2017.