Bio

A six-year member of the Tennessee Tech football team and First-Team All-OVC performer, Marty Jones has proven to be one of the most visible and accessible student-athletes at the university during his career while overcoming adversity on several occasions. Jones went through the struggles of sitting out the better part of two seasons, including the 2011 championship campaign. He never let the roadblocks get in the way of his education or career, however, persevering to earn not one, but three degrees in his time as a Golden Eagle. After earning a bachelor’s in marketing in the spring of 2013, the veteran safety completed his master’s in finance in the summer of 2014 before putting the finishing touches on his second bachelor’s degree (in finance) this spring. Jones was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll each and every one of his 11 semesters heading into the spring and also took home a spot on the OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll in four out of his five previous years as a Golden Eagle student-athlete. On the gridiron, Jones became one of the most reliable players for head coach Watson Brown following his two redshirt seasons, starting all 24 contests over his final two seasons. In addition to his sophomore campaign and three games over his two injury-riddled seasons, he compiled a total of 38 starts while playing in a total of 49 games, more games than any other player in program history. He made every single one of those games count, racking up 356 career tackles out of the safety position to finish fourth all-time in Golden Eagle history. A ball-hawk as well, Jones tallied 12 interceptions in his career, breaking the school and tying the OVC records for picks in a single game with four in a Tech win against Eastern Kentucky his senior season. Jones led the team and ranked fifth in the conference and 27th nationally in tackles with 113 in 2014. A man who proved no task was too big or too small, he served as the team’s holder on extra points and field goal attempts for his final two seasons and earned the honor of team captain in his sixth and final year. Off the field, Jones was an active member of the Golden Eagle Sports Network, providing color commentary for several web stream productions on the OVC Digital Network for basketball, baseball and softball. He also was active in the community, working with underprivileged children in the San Francisco bay area between the 2013 and 2014 seasons and volunteering with the Cookeville-Putnam County Habitat for Humanity several times throughout his six years at Tennessee Tech. At the conclusion of the year, Jones received the team’s Tech Pride Award and the Tony Stone Bumble Bee Award.