Chadron State College Athletics

Until Danny Woodhead became college football’s all-time leading rusher while playing at Chadron State, “The Casper Comet,” David Jones, was the Eagles’ rushing leader. He gained 4,533 yards while playing tailback. He rushed for more than 100 yards in 19 games and went over 200 yards six times.
Just 5-foot-8, 170 pounds as a freshman, some believed he was too small to be a running back in college. He was not particularly fast in the 40-yard dash, but he could change directions at full speed and had outstanding balance, vision and courage.
It did not take Jones long to make his mark as a college back.  He rushed for 917 yards, then the second highest total in CSC history, his freshman year in 1987. A knee injury limited him to just 532 yards his sophomore year, but he ran for 1,458 as a junior and 1,625 his senior year in 1990.
He received an array of honors following his final season. He led both NAIA and NCAA Division II in rushing, earned first-team All-American honors from both NAIA and the Associated Press and was a finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy that is awarded to the outstanding player in NCAA Division II. A graduate of Natrona County High in Casper, Wyo.,  Jones received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Chadron State. After working as a drug prevention educator for the Casper schools for eight years, Jones is a subcontractor who frames residential and commercial structures.
Interestingly, Jones nearly always ate a cheeseburger that an assistant coach, trainer or sportswriter would sneak to him just prior to kickoff.