Baynes inducted into Hall of Fame
By Michael Butler
Longtime Tallassee coach Ronnie Baynes has been inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame. Baynes was one of eight inductees which included Alabama head football coach Nick Saban.
"All my family is here tonight, and I want to thank Coach Saban for that," Baynes quipped at the ceremony Saturday night in Birmingham.
"It's very humbling, overwhelming, exciting for the whole family," Baynes said. "It was very surprising when it first all came about. It's a great affair, a great honor. I'm kind of winding some things up in my life. It's a fitting culmination."
Baynes spent more than three decades coaching in the high school ranks at Banks, Selma, Talladega and Tallassee. His time in Tallassee included five state baseball titles from 1986-1991.
Baynes remembered the first title at Tallassee as one of his fondest memories in sports. "The excitement we had, you have to rank it high."
Winning the first state title of any sort for THS was a hurdle that set the table for a dynasty in Tallassee under Baynes.
"They say once you break through, it's easier," Baynes noted. "Nick Saban said it really gets harder, because the pressure becomes greater. There's the possibility of complacency. I thought in 1985 when we came in second, that kind of set the tone with something worthwhile that we wanted to work for. Then we won it in '86, it was almost like we were expected to."
After his time in Tallassee, Baynes coached at Mountain Brook High School and then Central Alabama Community College.
As a player at Auburn University, Baynes was a three-sport athlete, excelling in football, baseball and basketball.
Baynes began officiating SEC football in 1974. He spent 14 years as an NFL official and has served as Supervisor of Officials. He is now the Director of Scouting with the National Football League.
His three sons; Rusty, Mark and Allen, have all followed in his steps with football officiating jobs.
#End
