Holmes Remembered Throughout Coaching For Accomplishments
Riley Holmes coached Little League and Babe Ruth, in Henderson County, for fifty-one years.
Photo By: W. Clay Crook / The Lexington Progress
Article by W. Clay Crook-
I stand in a field that is now high in cotton, the bolls beginning to open and the leaves turning crisp as I look towards the old Middlefork Schoolhouse. In the 1940’s and 1950’s there was a ball field here. “We were just a group of kids,” Riley Holmes said, and recalled that Ms. Jewell Pope was their teacher. He fell in love with the sport, he fell in love with coaching, and he fell in love with bringing out the best in each of his players, assessing their skills, finding their niche, watching them grow. He coached Little League and Babe Ruth in Henderson County for fifty one years.
He still lives in Middlefork, not far from the wooden school building he attended and the dusty field where he…
For complete coverage, see the September 12th edition of The Lexington Progress
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I played baseball with Riley Holmes in the Babe Ruth League and High School. We played on Babe Ruth all star teams together. I live in Georgia now but receive The Lexington Progress each week. So when I saw the article you did about Riley, it brought back many memories of those days in the 1950’s. I was so glad the paper gave Riley the recognition he deserves for the coaching and teaching the youth of Henderson County America’s Game for so many years. I’m proud to have played baseball with Riley and also Very proud of his accomplishments over the 51 years. OUTSTANDING!
THANKS BP