[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E43]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING MR. RAY WALKER FOR AN OUTSTANDING COACHING CAREER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MO BROOKS

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 15, 2020

  Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate 
Mr. Ray Walker for his induction into the Alabama Baseball Coaching 
Association Hall of Fame.
  Ray was born in 1946 in Anniston, Alabama. At two years old, his 
family moved to Huntsville. Ray was a part of the first graduating 
class at Lee High School, in 1964. At Lee, Ray played baseball, 
basketball, and football. Upon graduation, Ray attended William Carey 
College before transferring to Florence State (UNA), where he earned a 
Bachelor of Science degree in 1968. In 1970, Ray received a master's 
degree in Physical Education (PE) and Administration from Athens State 
College.
  In 1968, Ray began teaching Biology and PE at Chapman Junior High 
School, where he coached baseball, basketball, and football. In 1975, 
Ray transferred to Grissom High School to become a driving instructor. 
At Grissom, Ray took on two head coaching positions: baseball and 
freshman football. Ray remained in these two positions until his 
retirement in 2000.
  As the head Freshman Football Coach, Ray's teams won 102 games and 
eight city championships. Ray served as Grissom's Head Baseball Coach 
for 25 years, where he led his team to 389 wins. Sixty-eight of the 
players from his program went on to play in college and three went into 
the minor leagues. In total, Ray's teams won nine city championship 
titles and advanced to the final four during the state baseball 
playoffs in 1982 and 1991. Ray's Grissom High Baseball team won the 6A 
State Baseball Championship in 1989. Ray was chosen several times as 
Huntsville City Coach of the Year in baseball. In 1989, Ray was chosen 
as Coach of the Year for the State of Alabama. During the last 20 years 
of his baseball coaching career at Grissom High School, his team made 
the state playoffs 18 times. In 2004, Ray was inducted into the 
Huntsville Madison County Sports Hall of Fame for his many 
achievements.
  Ray served in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1998 and retired as a 
Master Sergeant. He recalls that as a young man many people had 
significant influences in his life but none greater than his uncle, Oba 
Belcher. Ray followed his uncle's career at Athens College with intense 
interest as he coached many outstanding basketball teams. Ray observed 
that his uncle always set his standards high, out-worked other teams, 
and projected a positive attitude through his coaching. Oba was a 
wonderful role model and mentor, especially when Ray began his coaching 
career.
  After teaching and coaching for 46 years in the Huntsville City 
Schools, Ray retired, or so one thought. Ray's retirement from the 
school system led to what was the beginning of his new career as the 
owner and operator of Coach Walker's Driving School. Ray jokes that 
because the word ``retirement'' is not in the Bible, you need to keep 
on working. Truth be told, he loves what he has felt he was lead to do, 
and is continuing to fulfill his life's work by teaching and coaching 
today's young people.

                          ____________________