Gray is in his 20th season at
Marshall and his 37th as a head a coach. Gray has a career record of
426-242-56. He spent 14 seasons at his alma mater Alderson-Broaddus (1978-1991)
and three seasons at the University of Mobile (1992-1994) before taking the job
at Marshall in 1995.
“I didn’t think I’d be doing it this
long,” Gray said. “When I took the job (at Marshall) I knew at the time it was
a rebuilding project. We were still playing in the football stadium. I
inherited a program that was on the down cline for a while. There was a lot of
potential there and I loved being in West Virginia because I spent 14 years at
my alma mater Alderson-Broaddus. I knew it was a place I’d want to live. Here I
am 20 years later and I’m still here.”
Through seven games in the 2014
campaign Gray has a 171-166-4 mark at Marshall with one conference championship
in 2000 when the school was part of the Mid-American Conference and two
Conference-USA Coach of Year honors in 2005 and 2009.
The size of Marshall made it the
perfect fit for Gray 20 years ago.
“It’s the kind of school that wasn’t
too big and wasn’t too small,” Gray said. “My old high school coach told me you
want to be a big fish in a small pond not a small fish in a big pond. I felt
you could have the best of both worlds here at Marshall."
Gray was one of the most successful
coaches in NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) history
amassing 255 wins and multiple NAIA tournament appearances at Alderson-Broaddus
and the University of Mobile. His accomplishments landed him in the NAIA Hall
of Fame in 1998.
Though he successful in the NAIA
level Gray said he has not accomplished what he set out to do at Marshall.
“I wanted to get to the NCAA
tournament and we haven’t accomplished that,” Gray said. “We’ve won one
conference championship. You have to measure your accomplishments in different
ways. There are some things we’ve accomplished and other things left to be
done.”
Gray cherishes the wins he has had
at Marshall, but his fondest memories go beyond the final score of games.
“Beating Duke (in 1996) when they
were number two in the country,” Gray said of his fondest memory at Marshall.
“But, you have a lot of fond memories. A key to any coach is the athletes that
play for him and the relationships that you develop. I look back and I still
get emails from guys that played for me on that first team at Marshall. That’s
what makes this job so enjoyable. You have an effect on kids’ lives and they
have an effect on your life.”
A losing season is what Gray
considers a bad memory or year, but said as a coach you take the good with the
bad.
With his success at Marshall Gray
said he has not looked for a job since he accepted the Marshall job and has no
timetable to call it a career.
“I’m at that point where it’s one
year at a time and see how it goes,” Gray said. “There aren’t too many of us
who have lasted this long. I’ll do it as long as I enjoy it and my health
allows me to.”
A characteristic Gray gained playing
sports is what he considers the reason why he has been a successful coach.
“My competitive nature,” Gray said.
“I enjoy competition. I played a lot of sports when I was growing up and was
competitive there and it carried over to coaching.”
Gray’s experience as a coach helps
the players trust him when he is teaching a skill or play.
“I know the experience he has as a
coach and where he’s been and the things he’s done as a coach,” Matt Freeman,
junior defender from Irmo, South Carolina, said. “I really trust his ability
and him to make me a better player and make the team a good team.”
Jack Hopkins, junior midfielder from
Birmingham, Alabama, said Gray will push players and that is the most valuable
skill Gray has taught him.
“He teaches people to work harder
than they think they can,” Hopkins said. “He keeps pushing you and pushing you
until you get the job done.”
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