Letter to the Editor
Marcellus News

January 11, 2023

First, let me congratulate Cordell Jones-McNally on going into the University of Michigan football program.  A real achievement after a lot of hard work to perfect his kicking ability.  His name interests me as I grew up next to the Carroll Jones family and as a teenager I remember Cordell and Danny.  Mrs. Jones was kind enough sometimes invite me to spend a day at their cottage at Cedar Lake.  I expect this current Cordell is a grandson of the Cordell I knew.

Second, Cordell is not the first player from Marcellus to go into a football program in a big ten school.  Bruce Jensen, son of Marcellus teacher and administrator Oliver Jensen, was recruited into the Michigan State football program as a quarterback in 1962.  I have not done the research to know if he was the first. Bruce left the program after the first year because the time commitment was not compatible with his academic goals.  He moved to Western Michigan in Kalamazoo where he got his Doctorate in Chemistry.  He taught organic chemistry at the U of Maine in Orono retiring in 2016.

Willard A. Robinson, Class of 1949

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Editor’s Note

Dear Willard:   Yes, Cordell Jones-McNally is the grandson of the Cordell you remember as a teenager.

And thank you and Ron Welburn for your corrections to the MHS athletic historical record. Yes, again, Bruce was the first in memory to go into a Big Ten football program. Pepper Powers was the second as he was tapped by the U of M football program in 1972. While there were only ten years between Bruce’s and Pepper’s achievements, it took fifty to produce a Big Ten quality kicker in Jones-McNally. 

And if you look at the trend, the Big 10 seems to visit Marcellus in years ending with a 2.  .  .

Thanks again, Willard!

KSM, Editor