August 16, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
One of the most successful high school coaches ever at DeKalb County High School is being recognized with an honor for all time
During Thursday night’s regular monthly meeting, the Board of Education voted to name the DCHS baseball field for former coach Joey Reeder, who guided the Tiger baseball program for 16 seasons from 1982 to 1997.
The recognition took Reeder by surprise and staff at the central office where Reeder works as the school district’s attendance supervisor had to cleverly plan for the presentation without his knowledge.
Speaking with WJLE after the meeting, Reeder said its an honor to be recognized, and he gave credit to all the athletes who played for him over the years for their dedication along with his family for their support.
“It’s a tremendous honor for me and every player that played for me during those years. It was a great time of life. We certainly had a big time and were fortunate to have won a lot of baseball games. Hopefully we all learned a little bit about life. I was very fortunate to have grown up here and then to get a coaching job right out of college and have all of these good players. I want to thank all the people who played for me. I am just shocked and humbled to receive this honor. I had no idea,” said Reeder.
In making the announcement, Director Patrick Cripps, who was among many high school baseball players under Coach Reeder, choked up with emotion as he spoke of his friend and mentor.
“We are all given a beginning in time, a birth date. We are also given an end of time, a death date. There is a little thing in between called the dash (-) and that dash is what you do with your life and what impact you have on your community, your society, and the people around you,” said Director Cripps.
“There are four individuals in this room (Director Cripps, DCHS Principal Bruce Curtis, Supervisor of Instruction for grades 6-12 Randy Jennings, and School Board Chairman Shaun Tubbs) that have been impacted by sports in this town playing baseball for Coach Reeder,” Director Cripps continued.
“Its my recommendation that we name the baseball field the Joey Reeder Baseball Field. Coach Reeder’s stats I dare say will never be met again in our community. His district record was 179-15 (.993) and if you look at those 15 district losses that’s over a 16-year career. But as much as he taught us on the field on how to play, he expected us to be that type of young man and represent his club. We had to make the grade in class. We couldn’t get in trouble at school and definitely couldn’t get in trouble on the streets because at that time, he could boot you. He didn’t need you and he would not keep you around if you got in trouble. I have used him many times over my career as a reference and as somebody that I go to. Coach, it’s a privilege to say that field is going to have your name on it from now on,” said Director Cripps.
In his tenure, Coach Reeder compiled an overall record of 387-146 (.663). His district record was 179-15 (.993) and during the post season his teams went 55-23 (.705). Under Coach Reeder, the Tigers secured 13 District Regular Season, 13 District Tournament Championships, 2 Regional Championships, and 2 State Quarterfinals appearances. Reeder is a 12-time District Coach of the Year and he was also named 4 times as District Coach of the Year by the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association and as Regional Coach of the Year by both the Tennessee Athletics Coaches Association and Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association.
For the last several years, Reeder has served as the Attendance Supervisor for the DeKalb County School District
The following statistics further tell the story of Coach Reeder’s success:
13 District Tournament Championships
13 District Regular Season Championships
2 District Runner-up
1 District 3 rd place
2 Regional Championships
2 State Quarterfinals
16 Consecutive Without a Losing Record
17 Former Players signed or walked on to play College Baseball
2 Former Players selected in Major League Draft
2 Years Finished Ranked in the Johnson City News High School Baseball
Poll Top 25 (All Classes)
12 District Coach of the Year
4 District Coach of the Year Award (Tenn Athletic Coaches Association)
1 Regional Coach of the Year (Tenn Athletics Coaches Association)
1 Regional Coach of the Year (Tenn Baseball Coaches Association)
2 Years Coached for the East Squad in the Tennessee State High School All
Star Game