Coming Home to Coach

Words by Anna Lee Vaughn | Images by Ryan McGill

Mary Grayson Kilpatrick recently began her second year as head volleyball and softball coach at Cordova High School. Returning to her alma mater was an unexpected yet welcome opportunity, and she reflects on the sports career that led her to inspire and educate young athletes.

Mary Grayson started playing softball at age eight and fell in love with the sport. The same year, she also began cheering at Jasper Elite, displaying her athleticism on the field and on the mats. By eighth grade, she was already a starting player on Cordova’s varsity softball team. She continued cheering and added basketball to her sports rotation for a few years. Still, softball remained her first love and primary passion.

After graduating high school, Mary Grayson accepted a four-year softball scholarship to the University of North Alabama (UNA). She recalls the significant adjustment from high school softball to playing on a Division I team.

“I signed my scholarship, and my first year in college was UNA’s first year as a Division One school. So, it was a big adjustment because I went from being a big fish to a very small fish in the pond. The talent on the team was unbelievable,” she says.

Mary Grayson enjoyed a successful four-year softball career at UNA, inspired by the dedication she saw in her teammates and coaches. This dedication reinforced a passion she had developed in high school.

“When I was in high school, I had a great coach. She was tough, but she made everything fun. She influenced me a lot and made me want to coach.” she continues, “I also went my whole life having mostly male coaching, but I had female coaches at UNA who encouraged me to practice hard in everything while also having fun, and it made me realize that I could do that for other girls too.”

Mary Grayson graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Education, with a concentration in English and Language Arts. Eager to begin her career in coaching and education, she set a goal to eventually return to Cordova to coach. However, she never anticipated that the school would offer her a position immediately after college. Now, as she enters her second year, she feels honored to lead Cordova High School’s softball and volleyball teams.

Looking ahead, Mary Grayson hopes to continue her coaching career at her alma mater and build enduring sports programs.

“When I see the talent already in the students at Cordova, I see a very bright future. They work hard, and I think that my goal for the future is to stay here and build a program that will last as long as possible.” WL

Share the Post:

Related Posts

Get the Latest Walker County Updates!

The Walker Leader

Subscribe now to receive the latest news, events, and positive stories from Walker County straight to your inbox. Don’t miss out on staying connected with your community!