Wadesboro, N.C.----The passing of former Wingate University head baseball coach
Dr. Ron Christopher left a void not only in the lives of his immediate family, but in the lives of many students and student-athletes. I had the privilege of playing three years for Coach Christopher; I can truthfully say those years were three of the best years I have ever lived.
I can speak volumes about Ron Christopher as a baseball coach, but he was much more than that to me and many others. Coach Christopher showed compassion, he demonstrated patience and his character was second to none. As an 18-year-old kid, I never felt away from home due to the hospitality Coach and Mrs. Christopher shared with me. Their home was always open for the baseball players to come have dessert or sit and watch TV.
I admired Ron Christopher for so many reasons. When I played, he had two small children. He always found a way to fit us all in his life and make us feel like family, too.
There was never any doubt Coach Christopher had our backs. My senior year, we were playing a rival on the road…a team we had defeated by a large margin earlier in the season. In the first few innings, the two teams exchanged words…typical for a rivalry game.
During my first two at-bats, the pitcher knocked me down three or four times. When I went to the plate for my third at-bat, the first pitch was at my head. Coach Christopher came out of the dugout and yelled at the pitcher “if you throw one more pitch at his head, I will come out there and yank your %$@ off the mound.” We knew Coach was in our corner.
Coach Christopher made us wear coats and ties to games. We all thought he was crazy at times, but as we matured, we realized that was a way to teach us discipline and build our character. Coach Christopher taught us how to win with humility and to lose with grace.
I could tell so many stories about Coach Christopher. During his final hospital stay, Mrs. Christopher told me Coach shared this story with his nurse. We were playing Gardner-Webb at home. We scored 26 runs, so the victory was never in doubt.
In the eighth inning, one of our pitchers surrendered a grand slam. The ball hit a van in the Helms Dormitory parking lot. Coach Christopher came to the mound to see if our pitcher was OK. As the third baseman, I came to the mound to listen. As Coach was leaving (the mound), he turned around and told the pitcher something I will never forget.
He said, “…that ball traveled further than I can point.” If you have ever witnessed a game at Ron Christopher Stadium and Plyler Athletic Field, you can relate to the humor Coach Christopher shared with us.
Ron Christopher was a man I can only desire to become…he was my coach, my teacher and my friend. I was blessed to have had Coach Ron Christopher in my life. I can only pray that I can make a difference in only one person’s life.
Coach Christopher, you will sincerely be missed. I love you.
About the Author
Jeff Waisner ('82) was All-Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIAC) and All-NAIA District 26 three years each during his Bulldog baseball career. He was inducted into the Wingate University Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 29, 2006.
Wingate won back-to-back CIAC regular season and tournament titles in 1981 and 1982. The 1981 team won the NAIA District 26 title and advanced to the title game of the NAIA Area 7 tournament in West Virginia. Following his graduation, Waisner signed with the Atlanta Braves in 1982.
Waisner has served as the director of the Anson County Parks and Recreation Department since 1997. He has worked with the Chicago White Sox as an associate scout since 1993. Prior to his experiences with the White Sox, he was an associate scout with the New York Yankees for six years.
He is chairman of the State Employees Credit Union in Wadesboro. In addition, Waisner is chairman of the Anson County Special Olympics. A very active volunteer, Waisner has coached numerous youth teams, including a 12-year-old team that advanced to the Little League World Series in 1992. He lives in Wadesboro, N.C.
(The preceding column appeared in the June 25, 2010 edition of
The Enquirer-Journal. The column is published with permission of the author and the publication.)