By: Jeff Kerr – April 16, 2015

Most athletes will tell you that at some point in their lives they were influenced or inspired by someone outside of their own family such as a teacher or coach. As a young athlete I had many individuals who took time with me and provided me guidance as I was deciding on my future such as which college to attend to play baseball. However the biggest influence I had was my high school baseball coach Bob McCullough.

I first met Coach McCullough when I was 16 years old (1978) prior to transferring from Lake Howell High school to Lyman High School (Longwood, Fl) where Coach McCullough was the head baseball coach. There were lots of reasons I transferred but let’s just say the main reason I transferred was to play for Coach.

When I graduated high school and went off to college I rarely returned home other than to visit family. Having spent my summers playing baseball in the Valley League (Staunton,VA) I just did not have a lot of time. Once I graduated college I stayed in South Carolina but my relationship with coach has always remained. When I do go back to Orlando the first person I go see is coach and it typically is a lunch then a trip to the field to talk baseball. Coach retired about thee years ago after serving as the head coach for 36 years. He is one of the winningest coaches in Central Florida and never had a losing season having won a state championship in 1995 and was runner up in 1996.

He remains active with the program as he still maintains the grounds at the baseball field (Bob McCullough Field) every day. During my time in college and playing in the summer I played on very few fields nicer than the one I played on in high school.

I could write a short story on the influence he has had on my life and the friendship that we have had for the last 36 years. He was also a groomsman in my wedding. That is not the purpose of this.

Many who are reading this and know me know that my son, Austin Kerr is a senior pitcher at Coastal Carolina University. As Austin was growing up and I was coaching him many of the same philosophies and disciplines I instilled in Austin and the kids I coached were a direct result of my relationship with Coach and what he taught me as a young player.

Something I am most proud of is since Austin started playing at Coastal Carolina coach McCullough has been able to see him pitch each year making the trip his freshman year to Myrtle Beach for the series against Winthrop and making a trip last year to see the team play at Winthrop and staying with me at my home. Plans are already in place for him to come to Raleigh in May for the series with NC State.

I know there have been other situations similar to this where a former coach has been able to watch one of his/her former players son/daughter compete in a college event but I have to believe it is not a very long list. I feel very blessed and fortunate to have the one person who was most influential in my life as a young student/athlete to be able to see my son play. It is something that I look forward to every year. It is a chance for us to catch up and talk about the “old days”. When I was 16 years old I feel sure I did not think that when I was 51 that I would still have the relationship/friendship that occurs today but I am forever grateful.

It is nice to sit around at the dinner table with Coach, Austin and myself and talk baseball just like the “old days”.