Andre Dawson Classic vet brings Alabama A&M to big stage

NEW ORLEANS -- The Alabama A&M baseball team had not played in the Andre Dawson Classic prior to this year, but there is one person affiliated with the school who is more than familiar with Major League Baseball’s signature college event.

Head coach Elliott Jones holds a unique distinction no other person in uniform this weekend at the MLB New Orleans Youth Academy can claim. He has been a part of the Dawson Classic -- previously called the Urban Invitational -- in three capacities: as a player, an assistant coach, and now, the head coach of a participating school.

Jones has watched the event grow from a modest effort to showcase baseball programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to a prestigious event that is well known through the college ranks. The prestige mostly comes from the high level of competitive play on the field, with a full slate of games from morning until night for three days in a row.

Add to that the presence of MLB Network, which traditionally televises two games nationally from the tournament each year. This all has helped the Andre Dawson Classic become one of the more recognizable college events MLB hosts each year.

And that has helped, a lot, when the schools involved seek talent to add to their programs.

“It’s helped us with recruiting and allowed us to attract some regions that we were normally not attractive to,” Jones said. “It’s really big for the kids that are coming up nowadays to get that exposure.”

Jones has firsthand experience in this area. More than a decade ago, he was a first baseman for Southern University, the only school that holds the distinction of playing in all 15 Dawson Classics. Jones played in the tournament during each year of his college career, reaching a pinnacle of sorts early last decade when the games took place in Houston -- at Minute Maid Park.

The games were supposed to be split between the Astros Youth Academy and the Major League facility, but rain interrupted those plans. That’s when the roof at Minute Maid Park came into play -- allowing Jones and dozens of other college athletes to play the entire tournament on a big league field.

“There’s not even a full percentage of kids from our conference that get to go play professional baseball, in the Minor League or big league stadiums,” Jones said. “Having an opportunity to be a part of this tournament for now over 10 years as a player, coach and head coach now, it’s been an amazing experience.”

Jones, one of the younger NCAA Division I college coaches, brings plenty of pedigree to his position. He played for, and later coached with, celebrated college coach Roger Cador at Southern University. Jones spent a total of five years as an assistant coach, first with Southern and then Grambling State. He was named head coach at Alabama A&M prior to the 2021 season, and he knew immediately that he wanted the school to be a part of the Dawson Classic. So he lobbied for the Bulldogs to be added to the tournament roster.

“We’ve never played in this tournament before this year,” Jones said. “Once I got this job, I knew this was an event that I wanted to push hard to give our kids a chance to put [forward] our brand as well.

“The [Southwestern Athletic Conference] has gotten better top to bottom, across the board. The TV games are two games, four teams, all in our conference. And they see the SWAC has good baseball. It’s quality baseball, and it’s growing and getting better every year.”

Jones grew up as a two-sport athlete in Shreveport, La. He was better at football than baseball, but the latter was his passion. His mother played softball and his dad and brother found careers in basketball -- his dad in the high school ranks, and his brother as a coach at Grambling State.

“I was the different one,” Jones said. “I played football because I was good at it, but I didn’t have a love for it like I did with baseball.”

Given the hotbed of baseball talent in the South, Shreveport -- which is located in the northern region of Louisiana -- wasn’t considered a big draw for recruiters. But Cador was aggressive in his pursuit of Jones, and a college career was born. Jones earned his Bachelor of Arts in Education from Southern and immediately went into coaching.

The Andre Dawson Classic has played a role in every step of Jones’ career, and he’s grateful to be a part of it for the first time as a head coach this year. He’s also happy to see how much the event has grown over time.

“It’s given minorities and Historical Black Colleges and Universities a chance to really explore, and put their brand at a high level,” Jones said.