Mary Jones making her mark with the Thiel College football team

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Greenville, Pa. native Mary Jones ’22 is a first-year defensive back for the Thiel College football team. No definitive records exist, but Jones is believed to be the first female non-kicker in the program’s 100-plus year playing history.

Jones, a 2018 graduate of Greenville High School, never played competitive football prior to coming to Thiel College. 

“It was mostly a spur of the moment thing,” Jones said of her decision to play football. “I [was working] for public safety, and I was asked to work the desk for the beginning of football camp. I saw everyone and I was like ‘man, I could really try to prove myself here and be part of the team.’”

Jones, a first-year student studying engineering, also plays trombone in the Thiel Tomcat Marching Pride band and is a member of the College’s Dietrich Honors Institute. She is also involved with theater on campus and holds a work-study job during the academic year at the Langenheim Memorial Library.

“I do think football’s fun,” Jones said. “I have fun on the field. I just wanted to be a part of a team. Football was something I never did. I like to try new things, and I thought this would be a great experience for me. Football camp was actually fun for me, I know a lot of players would probably disagree.”

Jones thought about playing football in high school but she didn’t have the time and her father, Thiel College Captain of Campus Police Tom Jones, was afraid that his 5-foot-4, 115-pound daughter would get hurt.

In high school, she turned her energies to physical fitness and took an interest in boxing, Aikido and Taekwondo. Jones also competed in the pole vault and the 100-meter dash for her high school track & field team.

“Some guys weren’t sure how it was going to be having a girl in the room,” said Thiel College Defensive Coordinator Matt Arshinkoff, who also coaches the team’s defensive backs, Jones’ position. “But she’s been good. The guys really took to her.”

Jones has not participated in a varsity game yet, but has played in a pair of junior varsity games against Saint Vincent and Geneva.

“It’s not a bad thing to put yourself out there,” Jones said. “If you put yourself out there in your school, people are going know your name, and that’s a good thing.”

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