Bio

Dr. Jon Groth became part of the support staff in the Athletic Department in the fall of 2023.

He has been a full-time professor in Kinesiology and Human Performance since 1992 at Tyler Junior College. He has been a professor for numerous courses in Health and Kinesiology, both at Tyler Junior College and as graduate faculty at the University of Texas at Tyler.  Most recently he has taught in the areas of health related wellness and athletic leadership. 

Dr. Groth is the lead broadcaster for Tyler Junior College and University of Texas-Tyler baseball livestreams.  He has been baseball analyst for the NJCAA National Championship game on Comcast TV, baseball analyst in Grand Junction Colorado at the NJCAA World Series and was a baseball analyst on the Texas A&M baseball radio network. 

During his first 17 years at TJC, Groth was the head baseball coach  He helped re-start the baseball program in June of 1992. The Apache baseball team was involved in the NJCAA playoffs, 8 of the last 12 years that Groth was coach, were conference champions twice, were ranked in the top 3 in the nation, reaching #1 rankings in the 2007 and 2008 seasons and #3 in 2009. The program won its first National Championship in 2007 at Tyler’s Historic Mike Carter Field. He was named the 2007 NJCAA Division III National Baseball Coach of the Year.  He was actively involved in the committee that helped Tyler to be the host site for the NJCAA Division III baseball World Series between 2007 and 2014.

In his time as TJC head baseball coach, he served as chairman of the Region 14 East baseball committee and was an officer in the Texas-New Mexico Junior College Baseball Coaches Association, including serving as president of the 42-institution organization for two years.

Groth also has been involved in Athletes in Action baseball sports ministry team in Chugiak-Eagle River, Alaska as part of the Alaska Baseball collegiate summer league. He served as head coach for 10 years and General Manager for two seasons. He has also been actively involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in East Texas since coming to TJC.

Prior to coming to Tyler Junior College, Groth was an assistant baseball coach at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia and the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Groth’s playing career included two years at Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio, two years at the University of New Orleans where he played in the 1984 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, and two years as a professional player with the Cincinnati Reds organization.

A graduate of Chagrin Falls High School in northeast Ohio and a three-sport athlete, he is a member of the CFHS Athletic Hall of Fame. He is also part of the University of New Orleans Athletic Hall of Fame, and the Tyler Junior College Circle of Honor.

Jon has been married to his wife Kitty since 1985 and the couple has six adult children and six grandchildren. The Groths reside in Tyler and are active members at Tyler’s Green Acres Baptist Church where he has served as a deacon since 2004.