With able assistance from former area athlete Jalon Jones, Deion Sanders is 1-0 as a college head football coach at Jackson State University.

In his first game coaching, the Tigers defeated visiting Edward Waters College 53-0 on Feb. 21 at Mississippi Veteran Memorial Stadium in Jackson.

Among the game’s headliners was quarterback Jones, a former Henrico High School standout who transferred to Jackson State from the University of Florida.

Jones connected on 18 of 20 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns, and ran seven times for 39 yards, including a 12- yard touchdown carry.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Jones is the son of Richmond City Councilman Michael Jones, 9th District, and Tanya Hughes, who represented the United States in the high jump at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. Dr. Jones was a linebacker and team captain on the University of Colorado football team in 1990 that defeated the University of Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl to win the national championship.

Jalon’s older sister, Jocelyn “JoJo” Jones, is a former star basketball player at Cosby High School in Chesterfield County and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

After Jackson State’s victory, a gleeful Jones was among the Tigers who drenched Coach Sanders with a tank of Gatorade.

The sideline spectators included Troy Aikman, Coach Sanders’ former teammate with the Dallas Cowboys.

Edwards Waters College is an NAIA affiliate located in Jacksonville, Fla.

The competition figures to stiffen this Saturday, Feb. 27, when Jackson State plays host to in-state SWAC rival Mississippi Valley State University. Coach Sanders’ first road test will be March 6 at Grambling State University in Louisiana.

Jackson State will play seven regular season games with hopes of qualifying for the SWAC championship game and the NCAA/FCS playoffs.