Tommy Knight
Knight, Tommy: Jefferson High School
Knight was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2025.
Coaching baseball was a big deal for Tommy Knight. But the legacy he left off the field was perhaps more important.
The longtime Jefferson High School coach, a devout Christian, is perhaps more satisfied with the seeds he said he was used by God to plant. Baseball was just the avenue he used to do it.
Knight was one of six inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
“There are two things that are very rewarding for me,” Knight said. “One, is seeing the players grow up while they are in your program and seeing them become successful men, husbands and fathers after they move on. A perfect example of this is a young man named Billy Finch, who was in our program several years ago. His freshman and sophomore years, we went round-and-round about things like accountability, doing everything the best you can every single day, and what being on a team really meant. I really didn't know if he was going to make it to his senior year, but he did. Not only did he make it, he was our leader on the 2018 state championship team. He's now a very successful young man with a great career. That just makes you feel good.
“The second, and most important thing is seeing a kid give his life to Jesus Christ, either while they are with you or later on in life. God blessed me with the opportunity to plant the seeds of the gospel and be a part of the greatest game in the world at the same time.”
Knight, however, has an impressive group of accomplishments to merit his induction into the GDC Hall.
He compiled a 585-454 career coaching mark before retiring after the 2022 season. Most of those wins came in 22 years at Jefferson where he guided the Dragons to a state baseball title in 2018 and a state runner-up finish. He also made two trips to the state semifinals.
His career also included stops at Sumter County High School and collegiate stops at LaGrange College and Southern Polytechnic.
The Americus/Sumter County native was also a standout at nearby Georgia Southwestern before getting drafted by the Atlanta Braves.
But Knight would rather not talk about himself. In fact, he was stunned when GDC officials called to tell him he would be inducted into the GDC Hall of Fame.
“When I got the call from Coach (David) McDonald, I was pretty shocked,” Knight said. “When you look at the list of coaches that are in the Dugout Club Hall of Fame, it's a pretty impressive list of names.
“There are names on that list that I remember from when my dad was coaching. Also, there are coaches on there that had an impact on me when I was a young coach, and guys I've looked up to my entire career. You look at that list and it's just an honor to be mentioned with the coaches on there.”
Current Commerce head baseball coach Steve Cotrell played under Knight at LaGrange. Cotrell and his wife Crystal, who played softball at the college, were dating at the time and formed a bond with the Knight family. The Cotrells often babysat his two daughters - Erin and Cathryn - so the Knights could have a date night.
Steve Cotrell remains a big fan of Knight.
“I still stay connected with him and give him a hard time,” Cotrell said. “I know he coached bass fishing at Jefferson High, so I used to tell him that was as close to being an old man as he could get.”
Cotrell said Knight was a mentor in so many ways, but the biggest he said was Knight’s willingness to help him in the mental part of the game.
“Things weren’t going good last year and I called him for some advice,” Cotrell said. “He’s always handled himself professionally and coached kids like they were his own. He went about his business daily and he’d work your tail off. He’s a good person, a great human-being, a great coach and a great mentor.”
After two seasons of being away, Knight said there are still some things he misses.
“What I miss the most is being a part of a team,” he said. “I've been on some kind of team since I was 5 years old and now I'm not and it's really strange. I miss the relationships that you build with your coaching staff and your players. I miss the coaches office where all the team (and sometimes the world’s) pressing problems are solved. Tight bonds are built during those times.”