Pulaski County loses former educator, administrator and coach

By RODNEY YOUNG

Patriot Publishing

Ray Dunavant – longtime Pulaski County educator, administrator and coach – has passed away at the age of 89.

Dunavant died Wednesday at his home surrounded by his family.

I first met Mr. Dunavant for the first time in 1969 as a freshman in his Science class at Dublin High School. Then in 1970 we met again my sophomore year as he was now the tenth-grade Science teacher.

When Dublin and Pulaski combined to form Pulaski County High School, Ray became an assistant principal and he would be at games and we would talk.

Then in the early 2000s his son, Doug Dunavant would become the head baseball coach for the Cougars.  Bill Chrisley, Ray, and I would ride together to cover the Cougar games. We would talk about baseball going and coming, among other things. Those times will not be forgotten.

Ray was born in Matoka, West Virginia and went to Matoka High School, graduating in 1953.  He then went on to serve his country for four years in the Navy from 1954-57. After the Navy he went to Concord College in West Virginia and played baseball, along with earning his teaching degree.

After graduating from Concord, he moved and became a teacher and head baseball coach at Fries High School at the age of 26 or 27 years old.

While there he coached a young kid by the name of Ed Goodson. Goodson, born in Pulaski, had moved from Richmond to Ivanhoe and went to Fries to play baseball. During the 1964 and ‘65 seasons, Goodson hit .585 and .588 for Coach Ray.  Goodson went on to play at East Tennessee State University.

Goodson later made it to the big leagues and spent eight years in the majors, mainly with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.

In 1966 Ray would get a job as a teacher and head baseball coach at Dublin High School. There he won New River District titles until the school shut down in 1974 with the merger with Pulaski High. In fact, he won the New River District championship the last year of Dublin High School.

Ray would become an assistant principal at the new Pulaski County High School before taking early retirement in 1991.

The Cougar baseball team at the time had all but hit rock bottom. In 1993 they would win just four ballgames.

In the Roanoke Valley District back then, prior to Dunavant’s arrival, Cougar baseball had all but become irrelevant.

Ray was asked to come out of retirement to take over the Cougar baseball team, which he did in 1994.

That first year he would help the Cougars win eight games. He was asked after that season about the year and he replied, “Our initial record wasn’t very good.”

His teaching of the game and coaching had helped the Cougars double their number of wins from the previous year.

In 1995 the Cougars would up their win total to 12. He had turned the PCHS baseball program back into winners.

Most sports writers back in that time would call him, “A turnaround specialist.”

Ray would step down after that season and then in the early 2000s his son Doug would take the helm of the baseball program.

Ray Dunavant was a respected, long-time coaching and teaching veteran. His players respected him, and he brought extensive knowledge to the Dublin and Pulaski County baseball programs.

He believed in pitching, catching, and defense.  He called it,” Fundamental baseball,” and his teams won that way.

Pulaski County has lost a good educator, good administrator and a good baseball coach. They also lost a really good man! Rest in Peace my Friend!