By Thomas Corhern
Cookeville Herald-Citizen
COOKEVILLE — When describing Tennessee Tech football senior Marty Jones, the phrase “renaissance man” comes to mind.
Whenever the call arose, Jones was there, ready to do what needed to be done and to the best of his ability.
Maybe it was because he was in the right place at the right time.
But Jones wasn’t going to let those opportunities fall by the wayside.
“There are just so many opportunities that are available at Tennessee Tech,” Jones said. “I just got lucky to be a part of so many of them. The school has just given me so much and I am just so happy to have had the opportunity to be a part of so many great things.”
With that, Jones was an inspired choice for the 2015 Tennessee Tech Athletics Man of the Year award, beating out a well-deserving field, which included David Allen (baseball), Dylan Bosheers (baseball), Cody Matthews (football), Javon McKay (basketball), Austin Tallant (football) and Lee Whitehead (golf).
“It’s humbling,” Jones said. “Throughout my career, I’ve been proud of the on-the-field accomplishments. Off-the-field, I’ve been so much prouder of being a Golden Eagle. This award exemplifies what it means to be a Golden Eagle and other people have recognized that. For me, as a whole, to be an exemplary student-athlete, that’s something I’m especially proud of.”
Tech head football coach Watson Brown couldn’t have been prouder of the selection.
“Marty represents Tech football to me,” Brown said. “In his six years here, he showed nothing but class from the day he walked in to the day he left. We’re so excited to let Marty go out into the real world and represent Tennessee Tech for the rest of his life. Everywhere you look about Marty, he was just first-class.
“He’s done so much for the athletic department, but that’s just Marty. He’s going to stay busy. He was a coach in the two years he was injured. He basically coached those free safeties when he didn’t get to play. He took Austin (Tallant) and Taylor Hennigan and coached them. Good gracious, I don’t know what else you could ask from a kid. We’re very proud, and I’m probably prejudiced, but I think he’s well-deserving of that award.”
Jones currently is in the third week of his new career, working as a registered representative at Fidelity Investments in Covington, Ky., near his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio.
“I’m a broker right now, executing trades for people who call in,” Jones said, “helping them buy and sell mutual funds and securities options.”
Jones, a six-year member of the Golden Eagle football team, was no slouch player, earning first-team all-Ohio Valley Conference accolades — even though an injury kept him on the sidelines during Tech’s 2011 conference championship.
“We was going to be our starting safety and it was a blow to us. We didn’t lose too many people in that championship season (in 2011), but we lose him on the last play of the last scrimmage before the season started. And it was a bad injury. Austin Tallant came in and took his place and Marty just fought back and fought back, then got hurt again the next year — he was one of those 24 surgeries that year.
“I thought he was an all-OVC safety and then went through two unbelievable years. He decided he just wanted to keep trying, comes back and is an all-OVC player.”
But Jones started 38 games out of his 49 played — a Tech record in itself — and collected 356 tackles as a safety to become the fourth all-time in Tech history. He also intercepted 12 passes, breaking the school and OVC record with four in a single game against Eastern Kentucky.
“These last few years have been phenomenal,” Jones said. “I owe it to just so many people.....
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