‘He was the very fabric of Jordan.’ Columbus school’s vigil honors life of Tony Dimitri
Jordan Vocational High School hosted a candlelight vigil Thursday night on the school’s baseball field to honor Tony Dimitri, a former head baseball coach and co-athletics director at Jordan. He was the head baseball coach at Harris County High School when he died in an ATV accident Jan. 24.
During his 20-year coaching career, Dimitri worked at Monroe Area High School, Jordan, Russell County and Harris County. He also played baseball at Jordan, where his father, Anthony, was the baseball program’s head coach and athletics director for 18 years before he died in 2008.
Here are excepts from tributes to Dimitri spoken during the vigil, attended by an estimated 200-300 people:
Jordan principal Ryan Hutson: “He was the very fabric of Jordan. He embodied the hard work, selfless service and an unwillingness to waver in the face of adversity that makes Jordan not only a school but a shared experience that brought many of you here this evening.”
Jordan athletics director Russell Scott: “To sum up Coach Dimitri, if I had to do it with one word, it would be great. He was a great coach, he was a great father, he was a great husband, and, to me, he was a great friend. Coach Dimitri, we love you, and we miss you.”
Dimitri’s twin brother, John, the head softball coach at Marion County School: “Tony wanted nothing more than an opportunity to touch someone’s life. He walked these halls trying to find baseball players or athletes or someone that he can help mold their future. He’s touched so many lives, as you can see today, and we all have a small part of Tony Dimitri in us. We need to carry that as we move forward in life.”
Former Jordan Diamond Club president Ricky Rogers: “Coach Dimitri believed in playing for each other. He believed in staying in the fight and picking up your teammate. … And that’s what we have to do now. We have to lean on each other. We have to keep showing up, and we have to keep moving forward together. That’s how he coached. That’s how he lived, and that’s how we will honor him.”
Dimitri’s son, Cayden: “He loved each and every single one of y’all, and it speaks so much that y’all came here today and all the lives he impacted. So I just want to say thank you. Like my uncle said, we’re not just doing things for him, we’re doing things because of him. He was the greatest role model in my life. I love him very much.”
Kyle McFadden, one of Dimitri’s former players: “Coach Dimitri was more than just a baseball coach and a teacher to all of us. He was a mentor, a leader, a friend. His passion for the game and dedication to the team inspired everyone he worked with to push past their limits. … He molded me into the man I am today. … There was never a dull moment on the baseball field with Coach. I will carry the laughs and the hard lessons for the rest of my life.”
Darius Stokes, one of Dimitri’s former players: “Coach Dimitri, he was more than just a mentor. He was more than just a coach. He was a father to me. … He put a footprint on how I just look at everything. He taught me how to be a leader. He taught me how to be respectful, and he taught me how to play the game to win because he was a big winner himself. … Coach Dimitri, we love you, brother.”
The celebration of life service for Dimitri will be at 4:30 p.m. Feb. 3 at Cascade Hills Church in Columbus, according to McMullen Funeral Home and Crematory.
This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 4:20 PM.
