Colorado University Athletics
Tony Jones Biography
| TONY
JONES 5-7, 180, TB Paterson, N.J. (Don Bosco Prep) |
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HIGH SCHOOL - He earned third-team All-America honors by EA Sports. He started all four years at Don Bosco Prep under coach Gary Toal, helping the team to a 47-1 record, four Non-Public Group 4 state championships and a consensus national championship in 2009. Don Bosco Prep won the mythical national championship by finishing in the top spot in the USA Today Super 25 poll, the Xcellent 25 National Football Rankings by MaxPreps.com, the Rivals.com Top 100 and the National Prep Football Poll, among others. In his career, he rushed 343 times for 2,608 yards and 61 touchdowns. He also caught 39 passes for 481 yards and five touchdowns and returned 17 kickoffs for 341 yards and one touchdown. As a senior, he was the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year while The New Jersey Star-Ledger named him the New Jersey Player of the Year, first-team All-State, Non-Public-League Player of the Year, first-team All-Non-Public League, Bergen County Player of the Year and first-team All-Bergen County. He earned North Jersey Record Tri-County Player of the Year, first-team All-Tri-County, 4A Cap 7 Player of the Year and first-team All-4A Cap 7 honors as a senior, as well. He rushed 174 times for 1,387 yards and 34 touchdowns, caught 13 passes for 226 yards and a touchdown and had 13 kickoff returns for 226 yards and a touchdown. His 34 rushing touchdowns and 36 overall touchdowns set a new school records. He also blocked one kick on special teams. He was named the North Jersey Record Player of the Week four times and also earned the U.S. Army All-America Bowl National Player of the Week honors after a win over Prattville High School in Alabama, when he rushed 22 times for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a game that secured Don Bosco Prep as the nation's best team. He scored at least two rushing touchdowns in every game, three or more touchdowns in seven games and four touchdowns three times. Don Bosco Prep put itself on the map early in the season his senior year, opening the season by traveling across the country to play De La Salle out of Concord, Calif., and earning a 30-6 victory behind Jones' performance of 21 carries for 91 yards and three touchdowns. He closed out his career with 31 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns against St. Peter's Prep to win the Non-Public League championship. He scored six total touchdowns in that game, as he had one kickoff return for a 90 yard touchdown and two catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. He put up the numbers his senior season despite not playing in the second half of six games. As a junior, he earned second-team All-4A Cap 7 honors from the North Jersey Record despite having a shortened season with a broken collar bone. In eight games, he rushed 41 times for 271 yards and four touchdowns and had five receptions for 77 yards. He earned third-team All-Bergen County from the New Jersey Record as a sophomore when he rushed 72 times for 487 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also had 11 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns and returned eight kickoffs for 171 yards. He opened his sophomore campaign by rushing 11 times for 102 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-20 victory. As a freshman, he had 56 rushes for 463 yards and eight touchdowns while catching 10 passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. He opened his career as a freshman with 11 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown in a 31-28 win over St. Joseph's (Pa.) and had his first 100 yard game against St. Joseph Regional with just three carries compiling 100 yards that included a 63 yard touchdown. Don Bosco recorded 12-0 records his freshman, sophomore and senior seasons and an 11-1 record his junior season. He also participated on the track & field team as a freshman.
ACADEMICS - He is planning on majoring in communication or broadcast news at Colorado and his ideal career after football would be as a broadcaster on ESPN.
PERSONAL - He was born March 15, 1992 in Paterson, N.J. He enjoys playing video games and studying to keep his grades up. He volunteered for St. Joseph's hospital as a transport assistant, helping deliver patients throughout the hospital, where he worked for five hours every Sunday for seven months prior to his senior season. This past holiday season, he also worked for a landscape nursery, helping trim and deliver Christmas trees.