COACH JOHN McNeal scanned the hallway at Friendship Christian School — not for hall passes or horseplay, but for instincts. One boy’s shove and a quick twist out of a headlock might’ve looked like a blitzing linebacker and a defensive end blowing up third down. A stolen notebook on the fly carried the energy of a tight end.
In 1986, as the school’s new head football coach, McNeal needed a team. Only nine players showed up to the first practice, but he wasn’t discouraged. He recruited in the hallways, and the roster grew to 20 within weeks. The closure of Castle Heights added a few more, and some early division. With only two assistants, the biggest victories didn’t show on the scoreboard. They came in the trust built at water breaks, the laughter during bus rides, and the grit shared on long practice days.
“Building relationships has not changed from the first year I coached,” he said. “That’s the reason I still coach.”
Over time, those relationships built a program. McNeal has coached football, softball, and baseball through the years, often overlapping seasons and watching boys carry lessons from one field to the next.
Families and community leaders improved the fields, added locker rooms, and expanded the facilities.
In 2021, the baseball field was named in his honor.
“I was very honored, of course,” he said. “It was funny, though, after it was announced, I had a few old friends call to ask if I was retiring or even still living.
I feel privileged to be able to continue coaching in the stadium bearing my name.”
McNeal was also inducted into the Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
“It was very rewarding that this recognition came after many years of pouring my life into the game of baseball,” McNeal commented. “It was even better with my family and friends present at the ceremony. I feel like God has blessed me with a family that supports and loves me and my dream career, and that the relationships built during this time outweigh the wins and losses.”
Over the decades, McNeal’s teams brought home four football state titles and three in baseball. But McNeal feels it had less to do with trophies and more with leadership.
“Each one of them had a close-knit senior class,” McNeal recalled. “They were committed to their sport and were outstanding leaders for the younger players.”
That kind of commitment, McNeal believes, carries far beyond the field.
“It’s our mission to help our athletes to be outstanding men, faithful husbands, and loving fathers — and state champions!” he said proudly.
McNeal said he’s had enough football and baseball to be content, but that’s never been what keeps him going. It’s the quiet work of building teams, trust, and the kind of relationships that last long after the season ends with the community, his players, and coaches who’ve stood beside him year after year.
After decades on the field, that’s still what brings him back. GN
