Whittle reaches milestone in Trinity sweep of Catholic
Trinity swept Catholic on Friday, giving Ken Whittle 800 wins for his career. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
When Ken Whittle retired as Trinity’s baseball coach after the 2021 season, he was reminded by his daughter Ashley that he was only 17 wins shy of 800 coaching victories, a milestone that few high school coaches in the state of Alabama have achieved.
“It’s just a number,” Whittle told his daughter. “After 43 years, it was time.”
When his assistant and replacement, Jarrod Cook, took a job at Lee-Scott Academy in late July, less than two weeks before the start of school, Trinity administrators turned to Whittle with an idea that he could coach the 2024 team to give the school’s search committee time to find a replacement.
Whittle’s return fulfilled Ashley’s dream as well as that of her father. On Friday, the Wildcats beat Catholic in a pair of run-rule victories, 10-0 and 17-3, giving Whittle his 799th and 800th coaching victories. More importantly to Ashley’s father, the sweep of the Knights gave Trinity the Class 4A Area 4 championship and its seventh consecutive victory.
“We’re going in a better direction,” said Whittle, whose record is now 800-381 in 44 years.
Returning after a two-year hiatus from coaching, Whittle became the seventh coach in Alabama High School Athletic Association history to record 800 career wins, joining a group that includes coaching legends such as Hartselle’s William Booth and Daphne’s Lloyd Skoda.
“I never really thought about that list and never considered myself one of those kinds of guys,” a humble Whittle said after Friday’s win at Whittle-Armstrong Field. “I just wanted to coach. I like the opportunity to work with young men, hopefully molding them into more than just a baseball player.”
On a day for reflection, the Hall of Fame coach recalled his daughter’s desire for him to reach the coaching milestone, but also his wife Becky’s question of whether his lifelong ambition to coach was about winning games or molding his players into successful adults.
“She hit me hard with that question,” he said, “so I had to go back and reevaluate myself. Was it just because they win? And I said, no, it can’t be that. That’s not why I’m doing it. If it is, I’m doing it for the wrong reasons.”
On Friday, as he was greeted by several former players on hand for the milestone, Whittle knew he was coaching for the right reasons.
“Trinity is a very special place,” Whittle said. “It’s my first job. It’s my only job. It’s special. My girls graduated from Trinity, both my girls. I love it. I love the school.”
THE 800 CLUB
COACHES IN THE AHSAA THAT HAVE 800 OR MORE VICTORIES
William Booth (Hartselle) -- 1206-517
William Murrell (Athens Bible) -- 910-489
Lloyd Skoda (Daphne, Faith Academy) -- 902-265
Richard Patterson (Pelham, Hueytown) -- 893-382
Andy Robbins (St. Paul’s Episcopal) -- 877-183
Stuart Fuller (Fairhope, Baldwin Co.) -- 814-403
Ken Whittle (Trinity) -- 800-381