Reported by Mike Hobson
Bibb County native Pat Hamrick was recently inducted into the Alabama Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. His induction ceremony was on January 21, 2022. He is a 1986 graduate of Bibb County High School. His late parents were Leo and Billie Jean Hamrick of Centreville. His sister, Vickie Brian now lives in Atlanta.
Growing up in Centreville, Alabama, Pat Hamrick attended Bibb County High School where he was a star basketball and baseball player until transferring to Tuscaloosa Academy his senior year- helping the Knights to their first baseball state championship under the late Don McNabb. At BCHS Hamrick played football under Coach Stan Moss, was coached by Charles McCaleb on the basketball court, and played baseball under Coach Joe Elliott.
After high school, Hamrick signed to play baseball at Shelton State to play for the legendary ALABCA Hall of Fame Coach Bobby Sprowl. After his time at Shelton State, Hamrick finished his playing career at Livingston University, now known as University of West Alabama, and earned a degree in business administration. Hamrick’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at UWA under head coach Mark Hogan. In 1992, Hamrick helped lead a team that won the Gulf South Conference Tournament and competed in the NCAA Division II World Series. Hamrick graduated in 1992 with a master’s degree in Special Education.
Later that year, Hamrick took over as the head baseball and basketball coach at West Blocton High School while teaching special education. During his time there, West Blocton received a new on-campus field and advanced to the playoffs in 1995, reaching the top-10 of the ASWA poll. After two years, Hamrick moved to Thompson High School as a special education teacher and head baseball coach for 26 years until his retirement at the end of the 2021 season. While at Thompson, Hamrick’s teams amassed a 533 – 414 record in the highest AHSAA classification. Hamrick’s teams at Thompson made 11 trips to the state playoffs including the semi-finals in 1997 and 2006, quarter-finals in 2003, and a trip to the state championship in 2015. Thompson also earned Birmingham Metro Championships in 2008 and 2011 and a Birmingham-Huntsville Challenge championship in 2013.
Hamrick has coached over 90 players who have moved on to the collegiate ranks, six players who have played professionally, and one drafted out of high school. Among Hamrick’s many achievements, he was Shelby County Coach of the Year in 1997 and 2006, AHSAA North-South All-Star coach in 2004 and 2010, Birmingham Metro Coach of the Year in 2006, 2015 7A Coach of the Year, and the AHSAA Making a Difference Award winner in 2013.
Coach Hamrick told the Centreville Press that while he has lived in Shelby County for many years that Centreville & Brent will always be his home. He tried to thank the people who influenced him during his early years and mentioned his coaches at BCHS, including Coaches Elliott, Moss, & McCaleb. He also mentioned that he learned the value of hard work spending summers at the Olon Belcher sawmill, working at Cahaba Falls under Mr. George Young, and planting trees with Cecil Lagrone.
Hamrick is retired from the school system, where he was a special education teacher and a coach, and is now employed by the City of Calera taking care of the baseball facility, cutting grass and keeping the grounds he says.
When we found him to talk about his award his was working with players on the pitching machine. Once a coach, always a coach.
