Bucknell University Athletics
Jones Decides to Play Football so He Can One Day Coach Football
9/28/2009 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 28, 2009
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
If someone is going to coach football, he might as well play football. That statement helped lead Greg Jones to Bucknell.
A three-sport standout in high school in Springfield, Va., Jones had many options when it came time to choose a college. He could stay close to home and play baseball at the next level or he could head north to a great academic institution like Holy Cross, Dartmouth or Bucknell. Just beginning to learn he had a passion for coaching football and wanting to turn it into a career following his playing days, Jones decided to follow the pigskin path. After all, it would be difficult to become a college football coach after four years off the gridiron and on the diamond.
With one half of his decision complete, Jones still had to pick a school. The burly player was slotted for linebacker or fullback at most of his choices, which, given his 5'11" frame that carried 220 pounds, seemed appropriate. However, at Bucknell, he was recruited at his customary quarterback position. That assurance, along with the beautiful campus and relatively short distance from home, made him choose Lewisburg as his residence for the next four years.
Jones arrived at Bucknell in the summer of 2006 and had the familiar "QB" listed next to his name. That was short-lived as a shoulder injury limited his ability to throw just a week into preseason camp. Former Bison defensive coordinator Jared Backus spotted Jones receiving treatment in the training room and suggested he move to the defensive side of the ball if his throwing ability was hampered. Shortly thereafter Bucknell head coach Tim Landis called Jones into his corner office and informed the rookie he would be making the move to a new position.
Even though it was not his natural position, Jones made a smooth transition to the opposite side of the field. After seeing limited action as a freshman, Jones became a three-year starter and is now one of the most productive linebackers in the Patriot League. He started all 11 games as a sophomore and registered 65 tackles, one sack and one interception. He followed that up with a junior campaign where he recorded a team-best 89 tackles and another interception. Jones again leads the Bison in tackles with 27 through three games this season. He also intercepted a pass and returned it 25 yards for his first career collegiate touchdown -- and the winning points -- in a three-point victory over Robert Morris two weeks ago at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium.
"Moving to linebacker was a challenge because I had never played there before," explains Jones. "I got a lot better during spring ball of my freshman year, which was big for me. I miss not hitting in practice and the throwing, but I can't even throw the ball 10 yards anymore."
The shoulder injury that prompted Jones' position change ended up more serious than initially thought. It turned out to be a torn labrum. He was told he could have surgery and miss the 2007 season or wait until after the year was over. Letting his competitive drive take over, Jones delayed the surgery. Early in the year he injured the other shoulder and played the remainder of the season with both shoulders in need of surgery and still finished second on the team in tackles.
"We upset Fordham in the final game of 2007 and that Monday I had surgery on one shoulder," remembers a durable Jones who has appeared in 29 career games, including the last 25 in a row. "Seven days later they operated on the other shoulder."
With the surgeries behind him, Jones prepared for his junior year with added fervor. He started the season coming off the bench, but worked his way back into the starting lineup by early October. The Bison started the season with a 3-2 record for the second time in Jones' first three years and hopes were high with the Patriot League schedule getting underway. However, Sam Nana-Sinkam, then a fellow junior, went down with a season-ending injury in the first half of a 27-24 victory at Georgetown. The loss of perhaps the defense's best player woke Jones up and he posted 69 of his team-high 89 tackles after Nana-Sinkam's injury.
"Anytime someone like Sam goes down, everyone else has to raise their level to compensate," explains Jones, who has amassed 96 tackles, including five double-digit performances, in his last nine outings. "I had a few good games in a row after Sam got hurt and kept building off them. I was just trying to do well and do my part. Maybe subconsciously I knew I had to make more tackles or plays to help us win since he wasn't there."
While his on-field statistics demonstrate how important Jones is to the team, he also possesses an uncanny knack for leadership. In 2008, Landis started naming captains on a game-by-game basis and Jones earned the honor six times over the season's final six weeks. That streak has continued this year where Jones earned the defensive captain honor for each of the first three games.
"Being captain is a great honor," says Jones. "It shows your teammates deem you a worthy leader and that is something I am very proud of. I am a fiery guy on the field, play hard and try to do my best, but I am not the most rah-rah kind of guy. I don't say much, but I do say something when we need it."
Especially unique about Jones' captain title is the fact he garnered so much respect as a junior.
Now a senior, Jones and his classmates have high expectations for 2009. As always, the squad would like to claim a Patriot League title. The experience is there to accomplish that long-awaited goal as the Bison returned 17 starters, including eight on the defensive side of the field. Especially deep this year is the linebacker corps, which entered the season with 63 career combined starts.
"Having an experienced bunch of guys is fun," smiles Jones, whose 19 career starts entering the year ranked first among Bison defenders. "Meetings consist of more tips and reminders and are not as much about teaching. On the field it is nice to know if I do something, then Sam or Travis (Nissley) is going to be doing his thing. We can work off each other and it is a comforting situation."
While Jones has stayed away from the injury bug since his sophomore year, that has not been the case this season with some of his fellow linebackers. Nana-Sinkam missed much of the preseason with an injured ankle, while classmate Brigham Farrand suffered a knee injury last week at Cornell, testing the depth of the unit.
With just eight games left in his college career, Jones has already started to lay the groundwork to reach his goal from four years ago: to become a college football coach. A three-year starter and team captain at a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program who is sure to end up with more than 200 career tackles and a long list of individual awards, Jones' resume is already quite full. However, he knows he can't rely only on his football credentials to earn a coveted spot in the coaching profession. Prior to this year he talked with the majority of the Bison football staff and asked how each got his start in coaching.
"They (the coaches) all told me to wait until the season ends and start looking then, when all the turnover occurs," mentions Jones, who will turn 22 three days after the season finale against Holy Cross. "We have had a number of coaches come through here over the last few years and I am sure I will turn to some of them to see if I can line up interviews. I just have to take it one step at a time. The coaching world is very uncertain and is all about who you know."
If the coaching dream does not pan out, Jones will still be set. He is in the middle of his senior thesis, for which he interviewed Murray Goldfinger, a Holocaust survivor. That project, for which he earned a $2,500 grant and was able to stay on campus conducting in-depth research this past summer as well as the one other class he needs to complete within his history major, will help him become certified to teach at the high school level. And, of course, if he does that, he would expect to be coaching football.
