Stone ’17 Ends Wesleyan Football Career; Takes Advantage of Athletics Advantage Program

Student-athlete Jordan Stone ’17 not only ended the Cardinal football season as tri-captain of the team, he also scored a professional career thanks to Wesleyan’s Athletic Advantage Program (A+).

Head Coach Dan DiCenzo says he was not surprised with the decision his team made to elect Stone as a captain. “Jordan is a special kid and has a presence about him. He works hard and leads by example. He is everything we are looking for in a student athlete.”

A 255-pound, 6’4″ athlete, Stone was named 1st Team All NESCAC in 2015 and 2016 and contributed to the team’s defense being in the top 10 nationally. He ended his Wesleyan football career with 81 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss, five breakups and three blocks. The Cardinals ended their season with a 6-2 overall record and claimed the Little Three title,

Stone, who began playing football at the age of 8 in his hometown of Brooklyn, N.Y., says he chose to play football at Wesleyan for many reasons, including the education it would provide him along with “the extensive alumni base that is willing to help you prepare for your future.”

Through the A+ Program, which combines individual training, mentoring, internships, career coaching, job shadowing and community service opportunities for student-athletes, Stone was able to spend the past two summers interning at Endurance Specialty Holdings, Ltd., a position which he found through alumnus Jack Kuhn ’86, whose son Matt also was on the team. Stone noted his time at Endurance has not only prepared him for post-Wesleyan life, but it has also benefited him on the field.

“In terms of preparation and attention to detail, those are two big things that I have brought over from the internship to the football field,” he said. “If there was a meeting and you weren’t prepared, you’d be lost. You need to know every detail, and that’s the same for football.” He continued: “When you are on the field, you need to pay attention to every detail; you need to be able to pick up on your opponent’s tendencies and capitalize on them. No detail is too small.”

Director of Athletics Michael Whalen says that Stone has shown tremendous growth over his time as a Cardinal and ended his football career gaining more confidence in his abilities.

“He had a commitment and passion to play. He loved to play. He’s always been focused on getting better, and was never complacent, and that’s not just on the football field, that’s in every phase of his life,” Whalen said.

Like many student-athletes who complete their final sports season, Stone says he has accepted that he will no longer play on another team, but he is planning to volunteer some of his free time to his pop warner team, The Queens Falcons.

“It will be a great opportunity to give back to the program that introduced me to the game, and a chance to share my experiences among the young kids who have aspirations of playing college football,” he says.

After graduating, Stone will return to Endurance Specialty Holdings as a full-time underwriting trainee. “I am looking forward to engaging into this next chapter in my life,” he says.

For more information on athletics alumni mentoring, see this website.

(Lauren Dellipoali, athletic communication intern, and Olivia Drake, editor of The Wesleyan Connection, contributed to this article.)