Jon Shelton begins his fourth season on the Cortland football coaching staff in 2020 and coaches the Red Dragons' defensive line. He previously served as the program’s co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. The Red Dragons ranked in the top 50 nationally in scoring defense in Division III in 2018, allowing 18.1 points per game.
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Shelton is a coaching veteran with more than 20 years of experience at a variety of levels. He was a graduate assistant and defensive line coach at Division I University of Kansas from 2003-04 and the defensive line coach at Division I University of New Hampshire from 2005-14, followed by two seasons as defensive coordinator and associate head coach at Division II Southern Connecticut State University in 2014 and 2015. While at New Hampshire, Shelton was the developer and lead presenter of the “SMART’’ program, a sexual assault prevention program aimed at educating male student-athletes.
From 1998-2003 Shelton served as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Bryant University (R.I.). He also has coached at the University of Maryland and Montgomery Community College (Md.), and most recently was defensive coordinator at Deerfield Academy (Mass.) in 2016. Shelton was selected to participate in the Bill Walsh NFL Minority Coaching Fellowship for three years - with the Eagles in 2014 and 2015 and with the Texans in 2016.
Shelton earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Maryland in 1997 and a master’s degree in education (counseling) from Providence College in 2003. A native of Rockville, Maryland, Shelton also attended and competed as an athlete at Montgomery Community College from 1983-85 and earned an associate’s degree in finance. He is a member of the Lincoln Park Athletic Hall of Fame in his hometown.
Jon resides in Binghamton, New York, with his fiancée Caroline Dumian, and his dog and best friend, Jack.
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