NFL Pro Bowler, UCONN Standout To Give Back To His Native City
Staff Reports
New Britain’s Byron Jones, a National Football League ( NFL) Pro Bowl cornerback and University of Connecticut standout, will sponsor the Annual Osgood Shootout in its 31st year, Coach and Tournament Director Darwin “Bubby” Shaw announced.
“Byron Jones, informed me earlier this year that it would be his honor to sponsor the 31st Annual Osgood Shootout,” said Shaw. “He saw the value it brought to the New Britain community and wanted to continue its legacy. Byron played football and graduated from UConn. He was drafted in the 1st round by the Dallas Cowboys in 2015. He played for the Miami Dolphins for three years as well. I‘ve known Byron and his family since he was in elementary school. I am very grateful Byron reached out to me, as we continue to keep the Osgood going. God be praised for His Greatness.”
Jones attended St. Paul Catholic High School in Bristol where his athletic skills emerged in football and basketball and as a “gifted” member of the track team. He was one of the state’s top performers in the 200m and 400m. At the 2010 Naugatuck Valley Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he earned first-place finishes in both the 200-meter and 400-meter dash. Jones graduated from UCONN with a Political Science degree focusing on Economics.
During his eight-year NFL career Jones played free safety and cornerback in 109 games and recorded 444 tackles. He was a key part of the Cowboys’ secondary when they finished first in the NFC East in 2016 and was named to the Pro Bowl (NFL All Star Game) in 2018. In becoming a first round pick, Jones established “the unofficial world record for the standing long jump at 12 feet 3 inches” at the NFL scouting combine in 2015.
During and after his NFL career Jones has given back to the community, a commitment that is reflected in his sponsorship of the Osgood Shootout in his home town this summer. Jones also serves on the board of directors of New Heights, Inc., a non-profit sports-based youth development and education organization in New York City.
Osgood Shootout 2023. a single elimination basketball tournament, is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th and Sunday August 13th at New Britain High School. Connecticut high school teams are eligible (No AAU teams).
Contact: Tournament Director Darwin Shaw, [email protected] 860-508-2222
The leadership of Darwin “Bubby” Shaw, longtime coach and teacher in New Britain schools, has made the Osgood Shootout a well-known and respected venue for outstanding basketball players bound for college and professional basketball that will continue this year. In addition to drawing teams throughout the region the Osgood Shootout has provided scholarships. Since 1992, 96 scholarships have been awarded to New Britain High School graduates.
A 1977 NBHS grad, Shaw is a New Britain Sports Hall of Fame inductee and the author of Becoming Coach Shaw: How I Learned To Run My Own Race. . At Kentucky State Shaw was an All-American long-jumper graduating in 1982. He returned to New Britain and has been a physical education teacher, mentor and coach in the school district.
For tournament information contact Shaw at [email protected]. Phone 860-508-2222
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