“T1 Sports Academy is everything I envisioned—and we’re only getting started.”
——————————
Travon Jones got his hands full these days. On the one hand, he’s carrying his precious 4-month old baby and enjoying fatherhood for the first time. But on the other hand, Jones is carrying the hopes and dreams of dozens of young athletes and students.
While he’s new to fatherhood, Jones has served as a father-figure to hundreds of rising stars in the Central Valley for more than a decade. The former Bullard High football star officially launched his journey as a mentor and trainer in 2013 when he opened T1 Academy, a premium athletic program in Fresno, CA.
The mission began in a warehouse, where young athletes were able to work with some vital training equipment. Now, T1 operates from a state-of-the-art facility located on Shaw and Van Ness, helping athletes build their strength and speed while also connecting them with trainers that provide education on nutrition and understanding of various sports.
But athletics is only one part of the mission at T1 Academy.
“I wanted to create the place I needed as a child: somewhere young people could find mentorship, education, opportunity, and like-minded people,” Jones said. “We teach financial literacy, nutrition, mindfulness, character and how to navigate life.”
The T1 founder describes his facility as something that feels like “a country club, but built for student-athletes.”
“So, like I said, I came across this unique office space building and I had a vision and I brought some of my buddies in. I said ‘I want all these walls knocked down and I’m gonna put a gym here, a nutrition room here, an academic room, a performance lab,” Jones said. “My buddies thought I was crazy when I was explaining this. And then a year later after the construction team seen my vision and I seen it come to life and it made everyone believe like ‘oh shoot. I see where Trevon is going, I see what he wants to equip these kids with.’”
T1 has played a key role in helping develop some of the biggest stars in the Central Valley, including Jalen Moreno Cropper, Josh Kelly, Brock Jones and Ricky Correia. Many others have also found success outside of sports after working with T1.
“Mentorship is more important than the physical side of athletics. Sports may open the door, but knowledge, character, and guidance prepare young people for life,” Jones said. “We’ve produced 42 Division I student-athletes who graduated from college, and every one of them finished without academic or disciplinary issues.”
Looking to reach even more students, Jones also started a non-profit sector known as Excellence Through Athletics, a project which relies on partnerships with local school districts.
“We just went into contract with the school districts and we’re able to do our practice on those school grounds,” Jones said. “Just seeing how that has been in the last two to three years – just not only students on those campuses — also the mentors that we’re putting on campus and seeing the feedback and seeing those individuals grow as well, and then we come to teachers and it’s like a whole recycling thing, so it’s been a blessing.”
Jones gained much of his wisdom from playing sports, going from Bullard to Sacramento State to the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. Now, he’s sharing his wisdom with the youth, remembering what he did right and wrong.
“If I can help a child avoid some of the mistakes I made and give them information they can apply to their life, that’s a win for me,” Jones said.
The former D1 standout also remembers how difficult it was to find resources like T1 Academy while he was growing up.
“It wasn’t nothing like T1 Sports Academy,” he said. “I always had this vision as a kid that one day I want to open up something and I wanted to have these resources available, one day I’d open up a facility that anyone can walk into. And if you want to be an aspiring athlete, if you want to be an aspiring doctor or teacher, you never know who you want to rub elbows with.”
Even when he was as young as 8 years old, Jones said he was trying to figure out life. And he was seeking resources that would help him answer the questions in his mind.
“I kind of knew what it was, but I was trying to figure out more,” Jones said. “So I didn’t have those resources at my fingertips, so I seeked it out from somewhere else. So yeah, I just know how challenging it is and I wanted to make sure whatever I was gonna do was gonna be beneficial for our community.”
For Jones, its gratifying to see the ripple effects of the work taking place at T1.
“The whole logistics of all this is teaching these kids young so they can then teach their families and then their families could then teach their families,” he said. “My job as a mentor isn’t to replace a parent. It’s to work alongside parents so that, together, we can give their child the structure and support needed to succeed.”
So while he is raising his own son in his own household, Jones is eager to see more kids develop into contributing citizens of the world.
“The goal is simple: keep young people out of trouble, surround them with the right resources, and help them become assets—not liabilities,” he said. “We’re teaching these kids while they’re young so they can take that knowledge home, strengthen their families and continue paying it forward.”
This was always the goal for Jones. Even when his 3rd grade teacher told him to consider a career outside of sports, Jones refused to back down. Not just because he wanted to be rich and famous, but rather to inspire the world.
“A third-grade teacher told me becoming a professional athlete wasn’t a real career,” Jones said. “That experience made me want to become a positive influence and show young people what is possible.”
With his biggest supporters beside him, especially his wife, Jones is now living the dream and helping many others chase their dreams.
“I couldn’t have built this without my wife. Her support has allowed me to continue doing what I love and serving our community,” the 559 native said. “Everything I’m doing today is something I dreamed about as a young kid growing up on the streets of Fresno.”
But this is only the beginning, Jones says as he remains focused on opening his doors to many more dreamers.
“T1 Sports Academy is everything I envisioned—and we’re only getting started,” Jones said. “The Academy is open to everyone—whether you aspire to become an athlete, doctor, teacher, or community leader.”
Cover photo provided by Travon Jones.