Baseball: Ravenwood coach Craig retires after 26 years of coaching

Ravenwood baseball coach Teddy Craig announced on Tuesday he is retiring from coaching baseball.

Craig has coached the Raptors since 2012 with three state tournament appearances. He led Ravenwood to a Class AAA sectional appearance last week before falling to Rossview on Saturday.

“There wasn’t one thing in particular,” Craig said Tuesday of his decision. “I’m not tired of the game. I’m certainly not tired of the competition and March, April and May, those are certainly fun times. There’s not something that is hidden here. I guess I’m just following my heart.”

“This is the right time for me,” Craig added in a prepared release. “I have thoroughly enjoyed coaching for 26 years. I have been fortunate to be able to follow my life-long passion in the game I grew up playing.”

Craig led Ravenwood to the state tournament three straight years from 2014-16. He was named Region 6-AAA coach of the year in each of those seasons and was also tabbed American Baseball Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year in 2015.

His career record is 526-282.

When asked about retiring now, Craig again didn’t have a exact reason. He did mention how the game has changed in his years of coaching and that has weighed on him more.

“After doing this for 26 years, we don’t have as many two-three sport athletes anymore and you're not waiting on them to finish other sports,” he said. “What we have now is a lot of kids who are one-sport kids, and in order to reach your potential, we are training year round. It has turned into a 10-month job so to speak and I’m ok with that, but I won’t miss the 5:45 morning workouts in the fall.”

Craig, who was born in Greensboro, N.C., took his first coaching job as an assistant at the high school he graduated from at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Fla., in 1992. He took his first head coaching position at West Orange High School in Florida and led that team from 1997-2002. He was named Coach of the Year three times and was inducted into the school Hall of Fame this year at West Orange.

In 2003, he and his wife Marna and their three boys made the trek to Tennessee to take over the East Ridge program in Chattanooga. He was named Chattanooga Coach of the Year in his first year. He moved to Dalton, Ga., in 2005 and coached Dalton High School from 2005-07, clinching a state berth his final season.

In 2008, he moved his family to Williamson County and took over as head coach at Davidson Academy in Nashville leading his team to the Final Four in 2008 and 2009 with runner-up finishes in each season. 

At Ravenwood, all three of his sons, Tyler, 22, Chad, 19, and Shane, 16, played for their father. Shane is a current Raptor.

“As I tell our players, chase your passion,” Craig said. “Fortunately for me, my kids chose baseball. That was something that just kind of came about naturally.

"It’s probably safe to say, it's probably harder on them because dad is the coach. I’ve really enjoyed the experience, but it can be very hard at times.”

Ravenwood ended the season 26-11 overall this year. The Raptors clinched the Region 6-AAA championship for the second time in Craig's tenure last week with a 5-3 win over rival Brentwood.

“To get to regionals, win the region championship and get to do the door step of the state tournament was a lot of fun,” Craig said. “Obviously Saturday night, it didn’t turn out the way we wanted to, but certainly not for effort.

“Right now, I’m OK with where I am. I don’t have any regrets. I think it’s just time for me to step back.”