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MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After 43 years, Trinity Presbyterian School is saying goodbye to Baseball Coach Ken Whittle, as he prepares to hang up his cleats and retire. I鈥檝e spent all 35 years of my life watching him do what he loves, and I couldn鈥檛 be more honored to write about my dad.

Ken Whittle grew up in Port St. Joe Florida, where he lettered in basketball, baseball, and football, eventually winning a State Championship in football as starting quarterback his junior year. Sports have been a huge part of his life since his birth, and the only thing stronger than his love of all things sports, is his faith.

Initially drawn to their strong faith based approach to education, Whittle applied to Trinity. He was hired by former Trinity Headmaster Brian Willett as the head basketball coach in 1978. Whittle was fresh out of Huntingdon College, with nothing more than student teaching experience. 鈥淚 first met Ken the spring of 1978. I had been at Trinity only two years, and had far more challenges than I ever dreamed of facing. One of the biggest was hiring coaches who really grasped my concept for the direction I wanted the school to go. I remember that we talked for what seemed like forever. I know we probably covered his background, his philosophy, and his view of coaching. I do remember one thing specifically: The interview ended and Ken, (in a fashion that became his trademark,) leaned over in his chair, looked me straight in the eyes, and said with absolute sincerity, 鈥楽ir, if you hire me, I promise you will never regret it!鈥� No truer words were ever spoken.鈥�

Another challenge Willett faced was getting a baseball program started. 鈥淚 was desperate to bring someone on board who could build a baseball program from basically nothing. We had no field, no facility whatsoever, no athletic director,鈥� he recalled. Whittle was named head coach of the Trinity Presbyterian School baseball team in 1982, and has been at the helm of it ever since. That first season was nothing to write home about: the team played 10 games, winning only one. 鈥淲e were just excited to have baseball,鈥� Whittle remembers, 鈥渨e weren鈥檛 thinking about winning records and state championships. We were just happy to start a baseball program. Trinity wasn鈥檛 established in the AHSAA, everything was new. We were just excited about playing and seeing what the future held.鈥�

Just four seasons later, the Wildcats would capture the 1A State Championship. 鈥淭hat team was special. Not that they aren鈥檛 all special, but it was the first championship. That team set the expectations: After that, we knew we could win one,鈥� said Whittle. The 1985 team was the first but certainly not the last. Trinity would make six more appearances in the championship game, bringing home the win five out of six times, including back to back wins in 2012 and 2013. This year, Trinity finished 21-9 in his final season, placing first in their area and sweeping all their opponents. He has been inducted into the AHSAA Hall of Fame, the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Port Saint Joe High School Hall of Fame.

Of course, if you know my dad, you know that none of that matters. Trinity Athletic Director Jessica Lassiter said, 鈥淗e鈥檚 never cared for the glory or recognition that comes with his legendary status. He prefers to be in the shadows of his players and peers. He鈥檚 a team guy, always has been. He has selflessly served thousands of people. He鈥檚 guided, molded and impacted lives for 43 years. His career has been one of sacrifice and love.鈥�

After the Coronavirus ended the 2020 season, the dream to reach 800 career wins was dashed. I made a comment to him about how it made me sad and how I had wanted that milestone for him. He looked at me and said, 鈥淎shley, it鈥檚 just a number. It doesn鈥檛 matter. The only thing that matters is Jesus.鈥� And he is right, all that matters to him is that Jesus is his Lord and that the Bible tells him to be a light in this world.

Brian Willett wrote 鈥淎s the years passed, his level of spiritual growth and commitment to both the program and his Lord grew deeper and stronger. He truly began to see his role most importantly as that of a spiritual mentor and role model. To a fault, Coach tried to view the impact of his decisions and actions through the lens of a godly role model and example. He truly did just that. The number of lives he has impacted for eternity are beyond measure.鈥� Not only did he want to prepare his players for eternity, he wanted to prepare them for life after high school.

Former Trinity player and current Montgomery Academy head baseball coach Stephen Vosel said, 鈥淐oach Whitt has taught me so much about life. He has always told me to strive to do things the right way and everything else will take care of itself. I’ll never forget when I got to a point in life, after playing for him, I learned why he held us accountable for certain things. Communicating to him if you had to miss. He wanted you and no one else to do that because he knew later in life that you would have to communicate that to your boss. I still talk to him every day. I couldn’t ask for a better teacher, coach, colleague, mentor, but most importantly, a friend. He is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). All of the wins, playoff appearances and state championships are great, but it’s the amount of boys he has turned into men when they walk out of that dugout for the last time.鈥� When asked what he hopes his players remember about him, Whittle said, 鈥淚 hope they remember that I loved them, not because they were baseball players or because they were winning but because of who they were and because of our relationship. I hope they felt like I cared about them as young men and wanted them to be good workers, citizens, husbands and fathers.鈥�

On April 16, 2021, Trinity honored Whittle for his years of service to the school. For the first time in Trinity Athletics history, the school retired a number. His number 9 will never again be worn on the back of a Trinity baseball player. During a speech on the field, Lassiter said, 鈥渟ince 1981, there has been one constant on the field. Players and assistant coaches have come and gone, but for over 1000 games, number 9 has been a fixture for the Wildcats. So, it is with great joy that we are proud to announce that for the first time in Trinity Athletics history, we are retiring a number, and we can鈥檛 think of a better one to start with than number 9!鈥� In a second surprise, the Trinity baseball field was renamed. The family of Jason Armstrong, a former player tragically killed in a boating accident, (and the field鈥檚 namesake,) was on hand to reveal the new name. The Trinity baseball field will now be known as 鈥淲hittle-Armstrong Field.鈥�

Whittle finished his career with 782 wins, and 362 losses. He has coached more than 700 baseball players in over 1000 games, and even though he is retiring, his coaching days are far from over. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to miss the relationships the most, with the other coaches, teachers and players. But I’m excited about spending time with Becky. I鈥檓 looking forward to seeing Mary Landers, Margaret Ann and Avery grow. I鈥檓 excited to get to play with them and spend more time with them.鈥�

My mom is excited to spend more time with him, and so will his three granddaughters, who will all call him 鈥淐oach.鈥� He would tell you that he was just lucky to be part of it, but since I grew up, along with my sister, cheering him on, it is me who feels lucky to have been along for the ride. For the past 40 years, he has coached from the third base line, but now you can find him safe, at home.

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