Dana Rhea is entering a new chapter in life, but he’s not exactly sure what that will entail.
The longtime softball coach, who led Tupelo to its first and thus far only fast-pitch state championship, is retiring. Besides hanging out with his new grandson, Rhea doesn’t really know what’s next for him.
“I’m kind of lost right now, because all I’ve ever done is coach. … God got me this far, I guess He’ll get me the rest of the way,” he said.
Rhea, 50, spent the last five seasons leading North Pontotoc, the fourth school at which he’s been a head coach. His career began at Nettleton, where he coached both slow-pitch (2001-15) and fast-pitch (2001-06, 2012-15). He then went to Tupelo and spent five years there, winning the Class 6A title in 2017.
After one season at Kossuth, Rhea headed to North Pontotoc.
“I’m just tired,” he said. “Twenty-six years, a lot of things that used to not bother me, bother me now. … I have three girls of my own, I’ve coached girls my entire career, and now I’ve got a grandson, and I want to enjoy him as much as possible.”
Rhea wanted to be a baseball coach when he got started, but when Nettleton hired him for softball, he quickly took to it. He credited former Nettleton superintendent James Malone and former athletics director Jeff Finch with his growth as a coach.
“I cut my teeth there,” Rhea said. “I was so green when I started, and they helped me grow. I owe a lot to the people at Nettleton – all the kids who played for me, the parents. It was the greatest time of my career for sure.”
Rhea led the Tigers to two slow-pitch state titles, in 2009 and 2011. He won his lone fast-pitch championship at Tupelo.
“Coming into Tupelo, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “I’d spent 15 years at Nettleton. it was a new experience for me, and in our second year being able to win a state championship will go down easily as one of my favorite memories.”
Rhea was 64-48-1 at North Pontotoc, including a 13-9 mark this past season. Assistant coach Kyle Robbins has been promoted to the head post.
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