(1925 – 2015) My dad was one of the most beloved youth league baseball coaches of his time! His coaching career spanned from 1958-1979. Coach Doc taught me so much about how to win championships with his ability to get the best out of all his players. He served as President of Glenwood Hills in Decatur and North Decatur Youth Association. In the 22 years that my dad coached my 3 older brothers and me, I can’t remember a year that he didn’t win a championship or play in the championship game. I enjoyed watching my dad play in the DeKalb County Senior Men’s Softball League after his youth baseball coaching career ended. Of course he was also the coach from 1983-1993, finishing his competitive playing career well into his 60’s. Doc continued to do private baseball and softball lessons until he was in his mid-70’s. My dad and mom, Gwen Fowlkes (1930-2016), were married for 69 years.

(1953 – 2016) My brother Eddie was the Head Varsity Baseball Coach at Decatur High School from 1982-2002. CoFo was also the Head Varsity Boys & Girls Cross Country Coach from 1981-2003. A popular teacher with all the students, he taught Graphic Arts at DHS for 28 years from 1978-2006. Coach Fowlkes’ Cross Country teams were consistently one of the best in the state among public schools, once finishing as high as the state runner-up. In his baseball coaching career, the Bulldogs never qualified for the state tournament, (only the top 2 teams made the state playoffs, the current format allows 4) but his teams finished 3rd or 4th 15 times in a very competitive region. In 2016, a large Bulldog Statue was installed on campus in honor of Eddies tireless dedication to the Decatur athletic program.

My brother David was the Head Baseball Coach at the University of West Georgia in Carrollton from 1991-2009. He coached 962 games, winning 569. His teams consistently had winning records and finished 3rd in the nation in the NCAA Division II World Series in 1998. His playing career was most memorable to me. “Doc” was drafted out of Decatur HS by the Cleveland Indians in 1976 and played professional baseball for 5 years. During that time, he also played 2 years of college basketball for DeKalb Junior College, before actually finishing his career at West Georgia. David’s #14 baseball jersey now proudly hangs in the “Wall of Fame” at Decatur High School.

Buddy, like all my brothers, is also a graduate of Decatur High School, Class of 1965. He started coaching youth baseball in 1962, coaching his younger brothers and later his two sons. Buddy founded an indoor baseball training facility, which had an unreal run from March 1993 to November 2013 in the same location in Gwinnett County. The thousands of young baseball and softball players he trained over the years included future major leaguers Brandon Phillips, Michael Barrett and Brian McCann.

1894 - 1967 My grandfather signed a Major League contract with the Boston Red Sox in 1923. I’m very proud to say that he played in the 1st game ever played in Yankee Stadium against Babe Ruth in April of that year. He started playing professional baseball in 1910 and retired in 1929. Hy stood 6’6” tall and was a hard throwing right-hander. He played in the old Southern League and had some outstanding years in both Augusta, GA and for the Memphis Chicks.