THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 28, 1994 TAG: 9408250157
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: S03 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Football Special '94
SOURCE: BY JOHN GORDON, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines
HE'S BACK.
North Carolina novelist Thomas Wolfe once wrote that you can't go back home again, but Nansemond-Suffolk Academy football coach Terry Crigger is out to prove Wolfe wrong.
Home might be considered a misnomer. Crigger actually lives in Virginia Beach.
But his home away from home or his coaching home, has always been Suffolk.
Crigger (pronounced Cree-ger) left N-SA 10 years ago, after coaching the Saints for eight years. Burnout was the main reason. And like a lot of other former coaches, he decided to sell life insurance.
He joined the A.L. Williams staff, but he didn't care for it. So he and Jerry Fentress started a company called Holes, Inc., a firm that specializes in drilling holes and sawing through concrete.
Strangely enough, he never looked back.
``I'm an unusual coach,'' Crigger said. ``I don't read the sports pages or watch sports on television.
``The only college games I've seen are the ones I played in. And I haven't seen a game since the day I left.''
Ironically, it was his new business that brought him back to coaching.
``I was drilling holes for new volleyball standards (at the school) and I heard a rumor that (former football coach) Ron Killmon was leaving,'' Crigger said while sitting in his N-SA office.
``I called my wife, Tammy, and asked her what she thought. And she said to go ahead and apply.''
He did and Nansemond-Suffolk Academy President Doug Naismith hired him. Ironically, his athletic director is Randy Davis who used to be one of Crigger's assistants in his first tour at N-SA.
Although he didn't miss coaching, Crigger admits he missed the kids, and that it was always in the back of his mind to come back.
``I didn't know if there were any coaching positions open,'' he said. ``But I've always enjoyed teaching kids.''
His return has not been like a sailor who left the Navy in diesel submarine days and came back to nuclear powered boats.
``There's no change in football,'' Crigger said. ``The basics are the same.
``And there's no change in the kids. And I've never had a problem relating to kids.''
Everyone - his family, his business partner, school administrators, other coaches and the kids - has been supportive. Getting back into the routine has not been a problem.
``It's like I never left,'' he said. ``It's like riding a bicycle. There hasn't even been a wobble. It's been a good experience.''
Furthermore, Crigger acknowledges that there's a definite advantage to having been in the same position before.
However, he's 49 now and during the first couple of weeks of practice, he was feeling it.
``I'm like the kids - getting back in shape,'' Crigger said. ``I didn't figure age would be a factor, but I should have.
``I'm young in mind, but my body tells me what I'm doing wrong. If the next 50 years are as tough as the last 50, I'll never make it.''
In spite of his silver hair and bifocals, Crigger's body is very trim. He doesn't play golf, handball or tennis, but he jogs regularly and he's ready to throw himself back into coaching.
His business is going strong, but his wife and partner are taking care of that part of his life. He fields occasional phone calls for Holes, Inc., but the rest of his time revolves around filling the void in N-SA's football program with rock solid fundamentals. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MICHAEL KESTNER
Ten years ago, Terry Crigger walked away from football. But his
business venture helped draw him back to coaching. While drilling
holes for a volleyball court, he heard Nansemond-Suffolk needed a
new coach.
by CNB