HeelSpur

Received word a little while ago that long time South Greene High School coach Larry Neal Ricker has passed away after a valiant battle with cancer. I do not have further details. May he rest in peace and may God comfort his family and the South Greene community.

I, too, have been around South Greene athletics "all my life" so to say that I don't know as much as you do is not a fair assumption to make. We may not agree with each other on Dyer's coaching capabilities and that's fine. I've never tried to say that he was better than Coach Ricker or anybody else. Whether someone else would or wouldn't have done better at this point is irrelevant--you can play the "what if" game all day long. You have to remember that Dyer is not a veteran coach-he's only been coaching for 4 years and he has brought the team from behind in several games. I don't even know that Ricker's squads could have beaten Gibson County. I would be willing to bet that if you compared Dyer's and Ricker's records at the same points in their careers that they would be comparable. You are comparing Ricker at his prime with Dyer at the beginning of a career. Out of respect for Coach Ricker, I'm going to just applaud Dyer for a job well done and leave it at that. Rest in peace Coach Larry Neal Ricker.

As I mentioned, I respect Coach Ricker and whole heartedly agree that he was and is a fantastic coach. The only point I was trying to make is that it has probably been difficult for Dyer to garner a lot of support that he would otherwise likely have had if he had been coaching elsewhere because of the legacy that is at South Greene and constant comparisons to that former regime. That's just part of it, unfortunately and I would think that Dyer would have been aware of that when he took the job. It would just be nice to see Dyer have the support and credit that I think that he is due, which I think that he IS getting from the majority of the fan base. As far as Coach Ricker's condition, I am not close enough to the family to know specifics, but I do know that he is battling cancer and is on several prayer lists (including my church's) and was too ill to even attend a ceremony honoring former SG coaches recently. I have heard that he likely won't be able to attend the Hall of Fame induction ceremony as well because of the concern for his condition, although attempts are being made for a remote link up if that can be arranged. Perhaps someone a little closer could comment more...

Based on that line of thinking, his replacement won't really have to do much coaching either... Although they have lost Dye and Crum, they will be returning Ansley Ricker, Shelby Hicks, standout Maelyn Cutshaw who did well in her freshmen year, and Javan Wilhoit--all who got quality minutes last year and can be considered experienced. Furthermore, it can easily be argued that South Greene has nearly always had talent--does that mean that their previous coaches had little to do with their success, too??? I doubt you would levy that same type of attitude towards Coach Ricker... I typically am an "idle observer" and do not participate much in board discusson, but I have to agree with magicman95 in that Dyer is a good man and a good coach and should be applauded as such. Under his stead they have won their first regional championship in 10 years and have 2 'boro final four finishes under their belts after a LONG absence from the big dance. He has done well in a situation that would be very difficult for a lot of others to handle. South Greene has a rich tradition and history, thanks in large part to Coach Ricker (as can be evidenced by his Hall of Fame induction). I may anger some people by saying this, but a lot of folks can't seem to let go of the fact that he (Ricker) is no longer there and that it is no longer the late 80s/early 90s when the 4 gold balls were won which has made it difficult for Coach Dyer (or any successor) to try to build their own traditions. I respect Coach Ricker as much as the next person and appreciate what he has done for SG, but it's time to move on. Notice I didn't say it was time to forget--just time to move on. And let's not forget that it's not like Ricker left voluntarily--he was forced to leave SG after much controversy--so I doubt that the administration/school board would ask him back even if he WAS in good health (which he is not).

Where is he heading? Blacksburg, VA to be with his wife and son. Here's the link to the story in The Greeneville Sun released today: http://greenevillesun.com/story/308767

I would hope they look up to their current coach and would want to make him proud as well. Good luck to both teams in sub-state!