Glenwood’s Tim Fanning selected to AISA Hall of Fame

Glenwood baseball coach Tim Fanning is the textbook players’ coach. By that standard, it was only fitting he gave the nod to his players after he received recognition for his outstanding coaching endeavors.

Fanning was selected to the Alabama Independent School Association’s Hall of Fame on May 17. Fanning will be formally inducted in a ceremony in Montgomery come October.

When asked what his first thoughts were upon hearing the news, Fanning shared a rapid fire of responses. He quipped it made him feel old before praising his mentors, which included former Glenwood football coach Wayne Trawick and former Glenwood basketball and golf coach Doug Key.

Then, Fanning turned the spotlight to the many athletes who have took the field for him over the years.

“I’m just humbled, to be honest,” Fanning said. “Really, it was thinking about the players. It’s almost been 20 years since I’ve come here, and you think about the hundreds and hundreds of players.”

Since taking over as Gators head baseball coach in 2004, Fanning has captured eight state championships, including the last two AISA Class 3A titles. During that span of time, he has also accumulated over 400 victories. As Glenwood’s athletic director, he’s overseen nearly 30 state championship teams.

Along with his baseball achievements, Fanning serves as president of More Than A Game, the nonprofit he co-founded. The organization “uses athletics as a vehicle to impact lives domestically and around the world through field construction, equipment donations, instructional clinics and community service projects.”

Fanning also released “Serve to Lead,” a book about his experiences in coaching and serving others, in February.

Fanning explained that his team’s triumphs over the years set the stage for these other projects.

“When you do win, it gives you more of a platform to share those things with other people,” Fanning said. “It’s not necessarily the winning; it’s what the winning allows you to do.”

Glenwood senior Carson Allison praised Fanning for his influence as Allison grew up around the program and eventually played for Fanning.

“He means a lot to me,” said Allison, who recently signed with West Florida. “He’s taught me so much over the years. He’s taught me to be a better man. I’ve been on mission trips with him, and it was awesome.”

Fanning explained that making a difference with young men such as Allison or with even younger strangers through More Than A Game is the essence of why he does what he does.

“It gives me purpose on a daily basis,” Fanning said. “When you have a purpose every day, and you get up and you want to make a difference in someone’s life, a lot of those (negative) things fade away. They don’t enter your space because you’re so focused on serving something bigger than yourself. It gives you the opportunity to feel grateful and happy every day.”

Fanning’s selection to the Hall of Fame adds to what has been a special year. Along with the state championship, Glenwood surprised Fanning by naming its home field after him on April 13. The Gators’ baseball stadium is now known as Tim Fanning Field at Bill Bowers Park.

“This is just a total surprise. I really have no words. I’m just so honored,” Fanning said after the honor was revealed. “This school has changed and blessed my life.”

Fanning has amassed a career full of milestones that few in the coaching profession could match. In his mind, the consistency of the Gators program circles back to his mantra of serving others first instead of himself.

“I think it’s putting the program first, period,” Fanning said. “If you constantly preach, teach and strive to put the program first and put others ahead of yourself, then I think the success comes as a product of that.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 9:36 AM with the headline "Glenwood’s Tim Fanning selected to AISA Hall of Fame."