For over 15 years and counting, Ryan Jones, a Prince George’s County native, has left his mark on and off the lacrosse field. Jones took up lacrosse as a junior at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School to emulate his idol, former NFL running back Jim Brown. Growing up, Jones lacked the financial resources to afford coaching, so he taught himself to play. As a head coach, Jones has brought lacrosse to a more diverse player base. Jones has played an integral role in elevating lacrosse programs at HBCUs, helping to build lacrosse programs from the ground up at Howard University, Bowie State, and Morehouse College. Jones has even taken his talents to Africa, helping the nations of Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Uganda by organizing lacrosse equipment donation drives and coaches’ and players’ educational clinics to help these countries have the opportunity to play in the Olympic games in 2028 when lacrosse becomes an official Olympic Sport. Jones is currently a student at Montgomery College with a 4.0 GPA.