Longtime coach Ron Gray remembered for impact
Ron Gray (photo:ORHS Sports Media )
A longtime high school and middle school coach, Gray led the Rams in 2024 before suffering a stroke following his first season as Robertsville’s head coach.
During his career, Gray coached at Oak Ridge High School, Bearden High School and Knoxville Halls High School.
During his time with the Wildcats, Gray coached Tyler Carr, a former Robertsville head coach and current assistant coach. Carr preceded Gray as the Rams’ head coach and returned as an assistant under his mentor in 2024 before serving as interim head coach last season.
“I’ve coached for 15 years now, and with Ron, his goal was to make sure that every kid he coached had a positive interaction with the game of football,” Carr said. “That didn’t mean they had to start or be an all-star.
“But he wanted to make sure that every player had a positive interaction with the game. He loved football and he loved the kids.”
Gray was an assistant coach at Oak Ridge during Carr’s playing days, and Carr recalled that life was about much more than football for his former coach.
“For Ron, it was about building relationships; it was not only on the football field — it was also in the classroom,” Carr said. “He spent the majority of his career teaching U.S. history. He also taught world history and world geography.
“When he taught history, it was almost like you could see the whole story unfolding.”
As a teacher and coach, Gray wasn’t afraid to push coaches and students beyond their comfort zones.
“He had me coach wide receivers, and I never played a game at wide receiver in my life. I wish I was that pretty, but I’m not,” Carr said with a laugh. “As a teacher and a coach, he would always be looking at things from the opposing point of view.
“He told me that all I had to do was make sure the kids were comfortable running their routes. He also told me that if I could coach wide receivers, I would be better at teaching how to defend them. He was great at developing players and coaches.”
Carr also remembered Gray as a devoted family man. Before his death, Gray retired and was able to spend time with his daughter.
“I was glad to see him enjoy some of his retirement,” Carr said. “He got to go to Florida and spend some time with his daughter.
“He was a family man. He always remembered that we were husbands and fathers. When my daughter had soccer practice, he always told me to leave and get my butt to soccer practice.”
A celebration of Gray’s life will be held Friday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Heritage Fellowship Church.
