AL MVP and Former Gatorade(R) Football Player of the Year Joe Mauer Surprises Standout with Elite Honor

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 25th year of honoring the nation's best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, today announced Malcolm Jones of Oaks Christian School (Westlake Village, Calif.) as its 2009-10 Gatorade® National Football Player of the Year. Jones was surprised with the news during his fourth period Bible class at Oaks Christian by MLB's American League MVP Joe Mauer, who earned Gatorade® National Football Player of the Year honors in 2000-01.

"When I received this award in 2000, it was a really significant moment for me, so it felt great to surprise Malcolm with the news and invite him into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports," said Minnesota Twins Catcher Joe Mauer. "Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids."

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Jones as the nation's best high school football player. A national advisory panel comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country helped select Jones from more than 1.1 million high school football players nationwide. Jones is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade® Male High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.

The 6-foot-1, 220-pound senior running back and linebacker has led the Lions to a 13-0 record and a showdown with Serra High in the CIF Northwest Division finals, scheduled for Dec. 11. At the time of his selection, Jones had rushed for 2,156 yards and 36 touchdowns on 198 carries. A 2010 U.S. Army All-American, he also recorded 136 tackles through 13 games, including 91 solo tackles, along with three interceptions, two sacks, and two fumble recoveries. Jones also collected two receiving touchdowns and three defensive touchdowns. The 2008 CIF Football Player of the Year, Jones has led Oaks Christian, ranked as the nation's No. 3 team in both the USA Today Super 25 and ESPN RISE FAB 50 polls this week, to 34 consecutive victories while rushing for more than 5,000 yards as a four-year varsity standout.

Jones has maintained a 3.46 GPA in the classroom. A peer math tutor at his school and goodwill ambassador for the Tarzana-Encino Hospital Pediatric ICU, he has volunteered locally as a youth basketball referee and at the Dream Center in Los Angeles on behalf of at-risk teens.

"In crunch time, you go to Jones," said Oaks Christian Head Coach Bill Redell, who also coached former Notre Dame Quarterback Jimmy Clausen in the Lions program. "I've had the privilege to coach a lot of talented football players and he's right up there with the best of them. He is really something special."

Jones has verbally committed to play football on scholarship at UCLA beginning in the fall of 2010.

"Without question, Malcolm is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school football player based on his statistics on the field and the impact his accomplishments have had on Oaks Christian's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jennifer Storms. "But he is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. He represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade® Player of the Year recipient."

The Gatorade® Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by ESPN RISE and the Gatorade high school sports leadership team, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Former notable Gatorade® National Players of the Year include:

• Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning
• WNBA all-time leading scorer and rebounder Lisa Leslie
• Reigning American record-holder in the mile Alan Webb
• NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith
• Softball Olympic gold medalist Cat Osterman
• Kansas City Royals ace Zach Grienke

To celebrate the award's 25th anniversary, Gatorade wants you to vote for the All-Time Greatest Football Player of the Year at www.gatorade.com/POY25. To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade® Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more information on the Gatorade® Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of former winners, and future announcement dates, visit http://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.

      ALL-TIME GATORADE NATIONAL FOOTBALL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
  YEAR         NAME             HIGH SCHOOL                STATUS

 2009-10   Malcolm Jones    Oaks Christian School     High School Senior
                             /Westlake Village, CA
 2008-09 Garrett Gilbert        Lake Travis HS       University of Texas
                                 /Austin, TX
 2007-08   Matt Barkley          Mater Dei HA           University of
                                /Santa Ana, CA       Southern California
 2006-07   John Brantley     Trinity Catholic HS    University of Florida
                                  /Ocala, FL
 2005-06   Mitch Mustain        Springdale HS           University of
                               /Springdale, AR        Southern California
 2004-05    Greg Paulus  Christian Brothers Academy  Syracuse University
                                /Syracuse, NY
 2003-04    Jeff Byers           Loveland HS            University of
                                /Loveland, CO         Southern California
 2002-03    Kyle Wright         Monte Vista HS          NFL Free Agent
                                /Danville, CA
 2001-02  Lorenzo Booker      St. Bonaventure HS        NFL Free Agent
                                 /Ventura, CA
 2000-01     Joe Mauer        Cretin-Derham Hall       Minnesota Twins
                                /St. Paul, MN
 1999-00   Brock Berlin   Evangel Christian Academy     NFL Free Agent
                               /Shreveport, LA
 1998-99    Chris Lewis         Polytechnic HS           Retired from
                               /Long Beach, CA            NFL Europe
 1997-98   Ronald Curry           Hampton HS            NFL Free Agent
                                 /Hampton, VA
 1996-97   Travis Minor          Catholic HS            St. Louis Rams
                               /Baton Rouge, LA
 1995-96     Tim Couch         Leslie County HS        Retired from NFL
                                  /Hyden, KY
 1994-95    Brock Huard          Puyallup HS           Retired from NFL
                                /Puyallup, WA
 1993-94  Peyton Manning     Isidore Newman Schoo     Indianapolis Colts
                              l/New Orleans, LA
 1992-93    Ron Powlus            Berwick HS            University of
                                 /Berwick, PA         Notre Dame (Coach)
 1991-92    Chris Walsh       Cretin-Derham Hall       Retired from NFL
                                /St. Paul, MN
 1990-91 Marquette Smith        Winter Park HS          Osceola Ghost
                               /Lake Howell, FL         Riders (Coach)
 1989-90   Robert Smith           Euclid HS            Retired from NFL
                                 /Euclid, OH
 1988-89    Terry Kirby            Tabb HS             Retired from NFL
                                  /Tabb, VA
 1987-88    Curtis Bray           Gateway HS                Temple
                               /Monroeville, PA       University (Coach)
 1986-87   Emmitt Smith          Escambia HS           Retired from NFL
                                /Pensacola, FL
 1985-86    Jeff George       Warren Central HS        Retired from NFL
                              /Indianapolis, IN

SOURCE Gatorade

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