Joceyln Thomas Shares Her Journey from Alabama to the Army and ESPN
Jocelyn Thomas calls herself a woman of faith and credits God for guiding her throughout her life, from her beginnings in Montgomery, Alabama to her current role as a Crewing Coordinator for ESPN. Thomas is involved with women’s professional soccer, college football, and college basketball, but the journey she has been on between her childhood and today is why she gives the glory to her higher power.
“I’m a woman of faith.”
That faith has been a cornerstone in her life, and it can likely be connected to her upbringing in Alabama. Thomas’ mother lived with cancer for most of her life until her eventual passing three years ago. Her maternal grandparents also died from cancer, which is why health and fitness are so important for her today as well.
“It’s an equalizer for me,” Thomas said. “I work out four times a week when I’m not traveling, and I still play tennis.”
From Alabama to the Army
Another lesson Thomas’ mother taught here was that she could do anything she set her mind to, and she loved sports. Thomas played basketball and tennis, the latter of which she still enjoys today. She described herself as shy when she was a child, and sports helped her in that regard.
“Athletics and sports have always been a connector for me,” she said. With the skills she gained from playing sports and that ambition her mother gifted her with, Thomas needed to figure out what she would do as an adult. The military ended up being the answer for her initially because being in service could also help her get through college, similar to many who choose to enter service. However, the Army ended up being so much more for her than that.
“The Army almost became like my third parent besides my mother and father.”
Thomas would serve for 20 years and travel throughout different areas of the world as part of her service to America, including four deployments to places like Afghanistan, Kuwait and Guantanamo Bay. She would serve as Company Commander twice in that time as well, leading military units of 100 to 250 soldiers. By the time her career ended, Captain Thomas had a lot to be proud of, but she was most proud of the connections she made throughout her journey.
“To this day, I still have people who I served with reach out to me, whether they were my superiors, peers, or subordinates, to tell me all the different things I meant to them.”
Making Her Own Path in Sports Media
As Thomas was preparing to exit service, she was trying to determine what was next for her. Her initial thought was that she would focus on fitness and lean on her experience as a trainer to eventually buy into a gym business. When she told Battalion Commander Matthew Turcott this, he asked her what she would do if she could do whatever he wanted, and she replied she wanted to work in sports.
“He said that if I figured it out, he would sign whatever I needed him to sign,” she recalled. “That lit a fire in me.”
She credited God for putting Turcott in her life to start that journey, which led at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. Through multiple connections, Thomas would be interviewed by Sean McNally, who wanted to bring Thomas in as an intern. Two weeks later, Thomas would be the first ever intern for Disney Sports. Thomas later found out that McNally also came from a military family.
She affirmed, “God aligns the right people in your path.”
Thomas was the first intern, meaning there was no template or program in place to follow. So, she and McNally would create one together. During their time together, McNally would set Thomas up with one-on-one interviews, giving Thomas chances to execute. Eventually, Thomas met Rosalyn Durant, the VP of Talent Acquisition at ESPN. Thomas would receive three offers and become part of the ESPN family, which has resulted in many experiences she treasures to this day.
“I love ESPN. I love Disney, just as a sports junkie. I’ve been on Radio Row during Super Bowl Week, I’ve done a lot of things in a short time. It hasn’t even been two years since I retired from the military.”
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When Thomas isn’t working at ESPN, she’s still playing tennis and raising her son, Legend. She also became an author and advocate for women and diversity in sports media. She feels the path she has taken is living proof that one can excel and achieve their dreams, even when there is no clear path in front of them.
“I call myself a unicorn of diversity because I’m everything that people tell you that you can’t be, but somehow it still worked out. Black, woman, veteran, mother, proud of all that. But I’m Jocelyn, regardless of all those different titles.”
She concluded, “My job is to keep paying it forward and pave the way for other women, whether they’re on the field, behind the cameras, or in the front office.”
Thomas is also an advocate for being active and focusing on health. She has shared that health is wealth and a big reason why she is as successful as she is today. Thomas has seen firsthand what being active can do for people in or out of service, and it can be one of the strongest assets people with big dreams have. She has seen and felt this firsthand.
“That’s why health and holistic healing became such an important part of my life.”
You can follow Thomas on Instagram @jocelynknowssports.
M&F Senior Military Editor Rob Wilkins contributed to this Fit to Serve article.
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