Vina baseball caoch Greg Hamilton has been recognized by the Alabama High School Athletic Associataion for his contributions to the school and the community. | Scot Beard/FCT

There is much more to coaching than teaching players the proper techniques to be successful at a given sport. There is more than implementing a game plan and making sure the athletes are prepared to convert that game plan into a victory.

Coaches also help prepare high school athletes for life off the field. That is why the Alabama High School Athletic Association and the Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association created the “Making a Difference” Coach of the Year Award to recognize coaches throughout the state who impact players’ lives both on and off the field.

The award is presented to one coach in each of the AHSAA’s six classifications. Vina head baseball coach Greg Hamilton is the first recipient of the Class 1A award.

“Honestly, I’m extremely honored,” Hamilton said. “I had no idea why Ron Ingram (director of communications for the AHSAA) would be calling me.”

Hamilton said he knows most of his players will stop playing competitive sports when they graduate. He sees it as one of his responsibilities to prepare them for the real world, and hopes some of the things he has told them will stay with them long after they leave the athletic fields at Vina.

“They have to be able to coexist and get along with others to function in this world in a productive manner,” Hamilton said. “It takes teammates on the field, it will take teammates in life too. You have to have a selfless attitude if you want to be successful.”

Nobody knows that better than former player Patrick McCarley, who is now an officer in the United States Marine Corps.

“He once told me that if he never taught me anything else, he would make sure that when I left Vina I would be coachable,” McCarley told the AHSAA. “By indirectly teaching me selflessness, Coach Hamilton primed me to be a leader and helped me understand what it takes to ensure a greater good.”

Hamilton has been Vina’s baseball coach for 15 years and guided the Red Devils to the playoffs in each of the past three seasons. He has also served as the assistant principal at Vina.

“Vina has been very good to me and my family,” Hamilton said. “I always try to put a product on the field the community would be proud of.”

Candidates for the award must demonstrate “character, integrity and service above and beyond the norm, which has a life-changing impact on the community or school.” A committee of Alabama Sports Writers Association members selected the winners.

“I want to thanks those who nominated me, the adminstration and the community,” Hamilton said. “I want to thank Franklin County and Vina.”