Just a week prior to Senior Night, our Heritage Girls Basketball team helped their coach, Greg Elkins gain his 300th overall win. “It was not about 300 wins, it was just important for us to beat them for confidence purposes.” Elkins said.
Elkins has lived in the Ringgold area his entire life. He was born in Chattanooga and has lived in Ringgold since. His mother was a native of Ringgold and his father, who sadly passed away prior to his birth, lived in Chattanooga. His mother remarried around the time he was seven to his step-father, who he took the last name of when he was able to. Elkins grew up playing sports to pass the time, using whatever he and his friends could get their hands on to entertain themselves. He developed a love for basketball when he was in middle school and decided that he always wanted to be involved with the sport later in life.
“I never really dreamt of being a coach, but when I got into college, I realized real quick that this is what I wanted to do.” Elkins said.
He has coached for over 25 years at different schools and in different areas before finding what he loves. He previously coached at Lakeview Middle School his very first year of coaching as a baseball coach. He spent six years coaching boys basketball at Ringgold Middle School and was later the head coach in boys basketball at Ringgold High School, where he stayed for 12 years. Here at Heritage, he’s the Athletic Director, which gives him much more of a say in athletic-related topics and gives him more responsibility than he previously had.
Not only has Elkins been a coach, but he was also a teacher for a long period of time. He taught World History for around 20 years at a different school. When he got to Heritage, he taught World History for the first 2-3 years before he entered the Rally Program. The Rally Program is a credit recovery initiative which helps students get the credits they need for their academic requirements to graduate. After he moved to become an Athletic Director, though, he decided to help out with the ISS classroom, which is now where you can primarily find him.
Coaching has made such a large impact on not only Elkins, but also the people around him. His career has helped him to make unbelievable relationships and friendships while also allowing him to stay young at heart and be around the sport that he’s passionate about. He is a passionate, consistent character who works hard each and every day to uplift those around him. This milestone is such a big one for him, and we at Heritage are so happy for him and his achievements. “Coaching is one of the best things I’ve ever done outside of being a husband and a father, it’s been an absolute honor.”
