RACELAND — Gary Fannin isn't Raceland's all-time greatest athlete, but his unwavering work ethic allowed him to make some highlight-reel catches in both baseball and football in the mid-1990s.

Turns out Raceland came up with quite a snag itself when it hired the Worthington native onto the Rams' football coaching staff in 2000.

Weeks into his 13th year as an assistant, Fannin is the longest-serving coach on the Raceland staff with the same school. He is the receivers/defensive backs coach.

The 35-year-old wouldn't have it any other way. It's as evident as the uniform is orange.

“All he wanted to do since he left (for college) was come back and coach,” said former Rams football coach Randy Vanderhoof, currently Raceland's baseball and girls basketball coach. “He wanted to live in Worthington, raise his family in Worthington and coach at Raceland.”

After four years of playing baseball at Alice Lloyd College, Fannin returned to the area and taught for one year at Oakview Elementary in the Ashland school system. He coached seventh-grade basketball while there.

Then, it was back to his roots.

“I had a chance to be a varsity assistant (at Raceland) and jumped on it,” Fannin said.

And sure enough, 13 years later, he's got his dream job with his family – wife, Charon, and children, Parker and Carly – right by his side in Worthington.

“I'm just happy with what I do,” Fannin said. “Every day I feel like I'm living a dream. Working with the kids is great. A lot of the kids I coach now I've watched grow all the way up.”

Fannin has also helped coach baseball, and was both a head and assistant coach in track & field, a stint during which the team won Raceland's only state championship in 2003.

“The biggest thing about Gary Fannin is that he's loyal,” Vanderhoof said. “He's loyal, core to the bone. He's Raceland through and through.”

Fannin's high school football coach, Bill Tom Ross, demanded passion and perfection, as Vanderhoof worded it, and Fannin picked up the pair of terms permanently.

Tiny, as Vanderhoof described him, was Fannin as a freshman.

“I was like, man, he's going to get hurt. We thought he was never going to play football here,” Vanderhoof said.

Fannin started his final two years, though, and even nabbed an All-State honorable mention selection as a senior in 1994.

“We beat Boyd, Greenup and Ashland that year,” Fannin recalled.

According to Vanderhoof, Fannin made one of the finest catches the coach has ever seen in left center field – “It was like Angels in the Outfield, that movie was out at the time,” he said – and on the football field.

“We were playing West Carter out here and Gary runs a little drag route,” Vanderhoof said. “He was parallel to the ground when he laid out to make the catch.”

Fannin admitted he doesn't talk about his playing days much with his current players.

“Not much. I do tell them I was not very good as a freshman and sophomore,” Fannin said. “I worked my tail off.

“We started throwing the ball out of the wishbone, and I still tease everybody that I hold the yards per catch record at Raceland,” he laughed.

As a coach, Fannin said he's been fortunate having worked with Vanderhoof and current coach T.J. Maynard.

“They let me have a lot of input,” Fannin said. “In the passing game on offense and coverages on defense, too.”

Former quarterback/defensive back Tyler Boyles, a Shawnee State basketball player now helping coach the Rams on Friday nights, related reasons for that.

“He's on a good communication level with (players),” Boyles said. “With him being younger, guys can relate with him, they feel like they can talk to him.

“He's very knowledgeable,” Boyles added. “We talk throughout the week, pass notes on teams, and he comes up with some clever things.”

Even when not in practice, weight lifting, games or other team functions, Fannin makes his rounds in Raceland sports.

“He' brings his wife and kids and goes to girls basketball, boys basketball, whatever Raceland is doing,” Vanderhoof said. “He fully believes that's part of his job as a coach.”

Fannin, who is also highly involved in Raceland's youth sports leagues, has the tools to be a superb head coach, said his former baseball coach.

“Gary puts in as much time as a head coach,” Vanderhoof said. “He's like having another head coach on your staff. He would make anybody a tremendous head coach.”

Upon entering the profession, Fannin originally thought he would aspire to become a head coach, but he's perfectly satisfied.

“Coach Ross always told me, 'You can't mess with happiness,'” Fannin said. “He told me early in his career he was looking forward to being a head coach. I thought I'd do that at first too, but after a few years, I'm just happy being at Raceland, coaching DBs and receivers.

“I can see myself being in this position for a long time.”

AARON SNYDER can be reached at asnyder@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2664. Look here every Tuesday for another installment of “Sidekicks” throughout the high school football season.