Coach Tom Greer’s retirement leaves plenty of great memories

Football in Corbin is very similar to basketball in Kentucky. The local fans eat it, digest it and live it from year to year.

Don Estep is publisher of the News Journal.

In 2020, Tom Greer, a former Redhound player with plenty of coaching experience, became Corbin’s head coach. This week Greer announced his retirement.

In four years at the helm Greer established a record of 46 wins against only five losses. That ranks as the best winning percentage in the 100 year history of Corbin football.

What ranks as high as his record is his character. That is something every Corbin fan and especially the parents of the players can appreciate the most. Greer’s Christian leadership sessions will be remembered along with his many wins.

Greer was a role model for his players. They learned more than just football, his players learned the value of character, of prayers and church attendance. Greer was exceptional.

As for his coaching ability, that speaks for itself. I told Coach Greer after the 2022 season I thought that team was the best I had ever seen at Corbin. Now I have to add to that because last year’s team was that good, and maybe better.

Although Corbin did not win the state championship last year, I still think they were the best team in the state.

Old timers will be questioning my judgment, but it would be hard to place any team above what we have witnessed the last two years.

Our thanks to Coach Greer for providing us with outstanding football during his four years as head coach. But as he wrote on Facebook, “after 33 years of coaching and 34 years in education, I have prayed and reached a peacefulness about stepping down as the head coach.” That is a classy way to explain his decision.

The new coach will undoubtably be under a lot of pressure to maintain the excellence that has been the tradition in Corbin football.

However, Greer has left the next coach a world of talent.

Superintendent Dave Cox and the Corbin school board has provided the football program with some of the finest facilities in the state.

I have followed Redhound football for over 70 years and the opening game last year in the new complex was one of the top events I have witnessed.

I wish my buddy Bill Crook could have lived long enough to see the huge crowd, probably the biggest in the 100 year history of Corbin football, and the new facilities. He would never have quit talking about it.

No doubt, many coaches would like to become the head coach at Corbin because the program is among the best. The task of selecting that person will be interesting.

Writing about Greer’s retirement is special. We thank him for his cooperation with our sports reporters and wish him a happy and rewarding future.

Again, thanks for the memories!