Football Head Coach, Don Jones, Inducted into Westfield’s Athletics Hall of Fame

Hudson Valley Community College's head football coach, Don Jones, was inducted into the Westfield State University's Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday evening, Oct. 24 as part of the school's homecoming weekend.

The Westfield State University Athletic Hall of Fame honors individuals and teams that have had great impact on the Owls' athletic program, whose individual success reflects the core values of the athletics program and the institution.  The first Hall of Fame class was recognized in 1994; the Hagan Award (sustained excellent service in support of the Westfield State athletics program was first given in 2009); Teams of Distinction were added to the rolls in 2017.  For full information, please utilize the links on this page for nomination information and criteria.

Don Jones was one of the top running backs in the history of the program, and part of the 2001 team that was unbeaten in the regular season and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in program history.

He was a key member of the 2001 Owls football team that went unbeaten in the regular season, won the NEFC championship, and made the programs first (and only to date) appearance in the NCAA Playoffs.

He ran for 1000-plus yards in both his junior and senior years. His 1,281 yards rushing in the 2003 campaign, when he earned honorable mention all-New England Football Conference honors, was the third-best season in Owls' history, and his 3,126 career yards were also the third-best in school history at the time of his graduation. He scored 25 touchdowns for 150 points in his career as an Owl.

After graduating from Westfield State with a degree in political science in 2005, Jones has gone on to a long and productive coaching career at the high school, junior college and NCAA Division 1, 2, and 3 levels as both an assistant and head coach. Among his many experiences, He coached the defensive line at Westfield State during the 2012-13 season, and coach at D1 Delaware State and Dartmouth. Since 2019 he has settled in as the head coach at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y., winning five Region III Championships and earned a #4 in the nation ranking in 2024.

A graduate of Springfield Central high school, Jones was a 2-time all-Western Mass selection in football, and the Norman Dagenais award winner in his senior year as the Most Valuable high school player in Western Mass.  He was inducted into the Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame in 2011.