Jim Minor: Woodward Academy

Minor was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2023.

A longtime baseball and football coach, Jim Minor won’t disclose which sport he liked the best.

“I like them both,” he said. “With baseball, I liked having my own program. I always enjoyed the competition.”

Minor made his mark coaching baseball, guiding the Woodward Academy program to unprecedented success. His efforts landed him into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame where he was inducted as part of the Class of 2023.

“It’s a great honor to be mentioned in the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame,” Minor said. “There are a lot of great coaches in there, a lot of folks who have done a lot for baseball in this state.”

The longtime coach spent most of his baseball coaching career at Woodward Academy. He started in 1979 and coached until 1983 before departing to be a head football coach. He led the Darlington program for one season, then was head football coach at Stockbridge before serving at Morrow High School as an assistant for two years.

He didn’t return to Woodward Academy until 2000 where he coached football and served as the head baseball coach until 2018. In 24 years, he compiled a 401-209-3 coaching mark. His team made 18 straight postseason appearances from 2001-2018. He captured seven region titles and sent more than 30 players to college. Four of his players were drafted including first-rounder Delino Deshields, Jr. who was selected eighth overall in the 2010 Major League Baseball Draft by the Astros.

Minor’s peers describe him as one who continually wanted to learn everything he could about baseball.

“Jim’s teams at Woodward were always well-coached, well-disciplined and he always had great players,” said Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame coach Bobby Howard who annually played Minor when he coached at Columbus High School.

“Jim was an outstanding coach but an even better person. We played them home-and-home for decades. I remember seeing him at many national clinics. He was a student of the game, and he was always trying to learn how to play the game better.”

Georgia Dugout Club Executive Director David McDonald said he remembered Minor and many Woodward Academy coaches coming to his classroom to observe the physical education department when McDonald coached at Wheeler.

“He was very straight-forward and he wanted to do things the right way,” McDonald said. “He was a wonderful guy and a great coach.”

Minor said he misses the relationships he built with players and coaches the most.

“I think every coach enjoys the competition, but seeing guys succeed as individuals, that’s still a big deal."