Photo from The Champion
By. Jay Phillips
Just a few months after hosting baseball clinics and handing out supplies in the Dominican Republic, former Redan High School head coach and principal Greg Goodwin has received another award for his public service and career in baseball.
Goodwin’s most recent award—the Rise 2 Greatness Honoring Black Baseball Award—comes from The Perfect Game Foundation. The former Redan head coach is scheduled to officially receive the award on Nov. 16 in Orlando, Florida.
“I was shocked when they called me and told me I was selected,” said Goodwin. “They said they talked to a bunch of people and my name continually popped up about what I’ve done for kids in the last 40 years.”
According to Perfect Score’s website, the selection committee “looked for individuals who have made remarkable strides in helping children rise to find their individual greatness.”
Goodwin said his recent trip to the Dominican Republic helped teach children about baseball and provided valuable resources to families.
The Hall of Fame head coach has accomplished plenty since retiring from baseball coaching and has received numerous accolades to go along with his coaching career.
“You don’t do this stuff for awards, but it is good to be recognized. Especially because some of these organizations want to donate and help the kids,” added Goodwin.
During his coaching career, Goodwin had a win/loss record of 228-96, four coach-of-the-year awards, a coach-of-the-decade award, coached and guided many scholarship baseball and softball players, 18 professional baseball draftees, and two Major League Baseball players – resulting in Goodwin becoming the first Black coach inducted into the Georgia Dugout Association’s Hall of Fame. He was also the youngest coach ever inducted into the association’s hall of fame.
After he retired from coaching and became an administrator at Redan, Goodwin continued scouting baseball prospects for three professional teams. He then earned the Love of the Game award from the Georgia Professional Scouting Association.
Goodwin still works with the Atlanta Braves’ RBI organization—which handles outreach and programs for Atlanta youth—and his own organization Mentoring Viable Prospects (MVP). He most recently helped coach the Braves’ junior and senior high school RBI teams to a national runner-up position at the RBI World Series in Florida.
MVP’s camps and projects are what takes Goodwin to places such as the Dominican Republic and throughout the country for camps and other opportunities for youth athletes.
“Charlie Flowers—a longtime coach at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia—who runs an organization called Second Chance Kids, teamed up with my organization Mentoring Viable Prospects for the second year in a row. We do clinics and provide food and baseball gear for these kids,” said Goodwin.
For more information about Goodwin’s organization and dates for camps and events, visit www.viableprospects.org.
Just a few months after hosting baseball clinics and handing out supplies in the Dominican Republic, former Redan High School head coach and principal Greg Goodwin has received another award for his public service and career in baseball.
Goodwin’s most recent award—the Rise 2 Greatness Honoring Black Baseball Award—comes from The Perfect Game Foundation. The former Redan head coach is scheduled to officially receive the award on Nov. 16 in Orlando, Florida.
“I was shocked when they called me and told me I was selected,” said Goodwin. “They said they talked to a bunch of people and my name continually popped up about what I’ve done for kids in the last 40 years.”
According to Perfect Score’s website, the selection committee “looked for individuals who have made remarkable strides in helping children rise to find their individual greatness.”
Goodwin said his recent trip to the Dominican Republic helped teach children about baseball and provided valuable resources to families.
The Hall of Fame head coach has accomplished plenty since retiring from baseball coaching and has received numerous accolades to go along with his coaching career.
“You don’t do this stuff for awards, but it is good to be recognized. Especially because some of these organizations want to donate and help the kids,” added Goodwin.
During his coaching career, Goodwin had a win/loss record of 228-96, four coach-of-the-year awards, a coach-of-the-decade award, coached and guided many scholarship baseball and softball players, 18 professional baseball draftees, and two Major League Baseball players – resulting in Goodwin becoming the first Black coach inducted into the Georgia Dugout Association’s Hall of Fame. He was also the youngest coach ever inducted into the association’s hall of fame.
After he retired from coaching and became an administrator at Redan, Goodwin continued scouting baseball prospects for three professional teams. He then earned the Love of the Game award from the Georgia Professional Scouting Association.
Goodwin still works with the Atlanta Braves’ RBI organization—which handles outreach and programs for Atlanta youth—and his own organization Mentoring Viable Prospects (MVP). He most recently helped coach the Braves’ junior and senior high school RBI teams to a national runner-up position at the RBI World Series in Florida.
MVP’s camps and projects are what takes Goodwin to places such as the Dominican Republic and throughout the country for camps and other opportunities for youth athletes.
“Charlie Flowers—a longtime coach at Shaw High School in Columbus, Georgia—who runs an organization called Second Chance Kids, teamed up with my organization Mentoring Viable Prospects for the second year in a row. We do clinics and provide food and baseball gear for these kids,” said Goodwin.
For more information about Goodwin’s organization and dates for camps and events, visit www.viableprospects.org.
Read the article on The Champion.
