Tim Jones began his wrestling path in Grayling Michigan in 1975 during a gym class that was taught by Michigan High School Coaches Association Hall Of Fame member Don Ferguson.

In High School, Tim was involved in football and wrestling all 4 years. He earned all-state honors in wrestling in his senior year.

After graduation from high school Tim was set to enter the workforce, but with some persuasion from Coach Don Ferguson, Coach Wolcott and Tim’s mother Claudia, Tim enrolled in Northern Michigan University in 1980. Tim’s father Jim was very insistent that he should try wrestling for a year. He walked on to the NMU wrestling Team, coached by a National Hall of Fame member Mike Duroe, who made a major impact on Tim’s career there.

During Tim’s senior year a new coach would enter from Iowa. It was NCAA Division 2 Hall of Fame member Robin Ersland that coached Tim in his final season at NMU. Tim was a 2x D2 All-American, D2 Runner up and a NCAA division 1 national qualifier. The following year Tim stayed on as a grad assistant with Coach Ersland. It was during that year; Tim began to develop his passion for teaching and coaching.

In 1986 Tim decided to pursue that passion as a career. His first teaching job would be at South Haven High School where he was influenced by another, yet to be, National Hall of Fame member and Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, James McCloughan.

Tim coached with Jim McCloughan for 7 of his 12 years at South Haven.

In 1998, Tim, his wife Kay, now of 38 years and their 3 children moved to be closer to family in northern Michigan. They moved to the small town of Tustin Michigan, where he would coach another 22 years at Pine River Area Schools. It was a natural fit.

During Tim’s 50 years around the mats, he has been part of many championships and individual wrestling successes. While he believes those are important, it is the lessons we learn from individuals that we cross paths with and the relationships we make that are the most important to our personal development.

Tim would like to share a debt of gratitude to those individuals that helped him along the way: teachers, coaches, administrators and all the students that gave him a chance to wrestle and coach.

• High school wrestling coach 1986-2019 Asst coach@ South Haven Schools 1986-1991 Head Coach

• South Haven Schools 1992-1997, Asst Coach@ Leroy Pine River Area Schools 1998,

• Head Coach @ Leroy Pine River Area 1999-2019

• 1986-2019 coached, organized and or involved in High school sub varsity football, JR High wrestling,

• youth wrestling, team wrestling camps and team camp outs or canoe trips with wrestlers and families.

• Served numerous years as a Northern Michigan representative in Lansing on MHSAA Wrestling Committees and referee selection committee.

• Career record 653- 193, 20 team conference titles, 20 team district titles, 8 team regional titles

• 4 team quarter final appearances

• 67 Individual all-state wrestler honors

• 5 individual state wrestling champion honors

• 9x Michigan Wrestling Association Regional Coach Of The Year Honors

• Northern Michigan University:

• 3x NCAA D2 Qualifier 1983,1984, 1985 2x All-American

• Runner up@ 1671bs 1984

• Most improved 1983

• MVP 1985

• Co-captain 1985

• 2018 Northern Michigan University Hall of Fame inductee.

• 2022 Pine River Area Schools Hall Of Fame Inductee.