Tennis Runs Through the Family for Jon Thornton
Grandson will play for Cleveland State University
BARNESVILLE —For nearly 50 years, local resident Jon Thornton has staged tennis tournaments for the greater Barnesville community.
Normally held the same day as the Barnesville Independence Day celebration at Memorial Park, Thornton organized both a tennis and table tennis tournament. Due to its rising popularity, pickleball was also added in recent years. The tournament did not occur this summer, but did take place in 2025.
The game of tennis, an important part of Jon’s life, has been passed on to both his son, Shane Thornton, and grandson, Connor Thornton.
For those unaware, Shane and Connor actually compete together as a father-and-son duo and are ranked 11th in that category in the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The two have competed in major sanctioned tournaments across the nation.
Some of those include events held in Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Rhode Island and La Jolla, California.
Jon introduced tennis to Shane when he was a youngster. According to Jon, it was because of his size, he felt that his son couldn’t participate in other sports like football and basketball.
“My son years ago was one of the smallest in his class,” Jon said. “So, I got him started in golf and tennis. He played first tennis tournament at eight years old.”
During his playing time at Barnesville High School, Shane was the Shamrocks’ sole member of the school’s tennis team. Dave Johnson, BHS’s athletic director at the time, served as Shane’s coach from freshman to senior year.
Jon hasn’t always had an affinity for tennis. He was introduced to it through a friend when each of them got married roughly about the same time.
“We were the same age,” Jon said. “We started playing tennis as well as other games like golf, badminton and table tennis. I stuck with tennis.”
Jon’s interest in tennis was the catalyst for Shane’s interest in the sport. That interest has gone on to produce a promising young player in Shane’s son, Connor.
Connor will be competing for Cleveland State University’s men’s tennis team for the upcoming 2026-27 season as a freshman Viking. For Jon, getting to see what both his son and grandson have accomplished is nothing less than extraordinary.
“It’s wonderful,” Jon said. “Like I’ve said before, I didn’t think any of this would happen. It’s an awesome feeling.”
Shane and Connor share the same sentiment even though they are the ones playing on the court!
“It’s something that almost nobody gets to do,” Connor said. “How many people can compete in a competitive environment with their dad or son? There are not a lot of sports where you can do that.”
To get to play tennis with his son, Shane is beyond being a happy father. He’s able to play a sport that is dear to his heart, and he’s experiencing it while witnessing his son grow and develop.
“It’s been an amazing experience,” Shane said. “We’ve had a great time out there on the court and going against other father-son duos.”
Connor remains on-track to play for Cleveland State University in the fall, and until then, he and his father will continue competing together in tournaments.
Likewise, Jon will still hold tournaments for the Barnesville public who also love the game of tennis..
Whether or not it’s competitive, that’s the effect sports has on people and on family trees. Jon, Shane and Connor are proof of that, and that will continue to be the case for many other families around the world.
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