Jones Named Wuerffel Trophy Nominee

ATLANTA, Ga. — Duece Jones, a redshirt sophomore, picked up a big honor as he was named to as a 2023 Wuerffel  Trophy nominee.  He is UNM’s first nominee since 2020 when Teton Saltes was named the winner of the Wuerffel Trophy.  The Wuerffel Trophy is presented by The Wuerffel Foundation, a nonprofit whose mission is to inspire greater service and unity in our communities.  Jones was one of eight Mountain West student-athletes on the list.

College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service, and one of the most meaningful awards in collegiate sports, The Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Wuerffel Trophy embodies Danny’s commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring a student-athlete who is inspired to serve others and make a positive impact on society.

Jones has been very active during the season.  When hewas a little kid, he arrived to elementary school without a backpack, and took some teasing about it. Duece didn’t want other children to have the same experience, so he did something about it. Teaming with 505 Sports Venture and a few sponsors, he put on the “Duece Jones Backpack Drive” for the start of school, and every fifth grader and kindergarten student at Hodgin Elementary (at Title I school in the North Valley) got a fully stoked new backpack for the school year. Duece wasn’t alone, getting help from Luke Wysong, Everett Hunter, D’Arco Perkins-McAllister and Tavian Combs among others to help give back to the ABQ community.

Jones also has upcoming charity functions to help children in Albuquerque as a volunteer with Coats for Kids and a charity event with the Domestic Violence Resource Center at the 12th Annual Power of the Purse DVRC event and their Leadership Awards, both of which are happening during the season.