This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to talk with Head Coach Tanner Glisson about his tenure and life at Troup High School, the journey through the State Championship Series, and we even talked about a couple of players.

Becoming "Coach"


Coach Glisson, from Manchester, GA, has been at Troup High School for 10 years as the Head Football Coach. 5 years ago, he was handed the baseball team temporarily but per Coach G, “it just ended up being a really good thing.” 

After hearing this, I reached out to Coach Glisson’s family. His wife, Whitney Glisson, principal at Long Cane Middle School, had this to say about seeing Coach G grow into this role:

“He called and asked if we would support him if he helped them out for a year since the timing would have been difficult for Troup to find a head coach. Of course, the kids and I were all in, we are a ball loving family.” Mrs. Glisson continued, “The fellowship and intimacy of the baseball field is so different from football. The support and friendships Tanner had from the baseball coaching staff was so special and they push each other to be better… All in all, baseball has been a blessing to our family!”  

To wrap up, Mrs. Glisson said this, “He works so hard… No one else sees all the scraps of paper with hitting charts and football plays that litter our house, but it’s a constant reminder of his pursuit of excellence for both programs. I couldn’t be any more proud of him, his coaching, his coaches, and his athletes. Go Tigers!”

"What does Troup High School mean to you?"


I asked Coach Glisson what Troup High School means to him and he responded heartfelt and hopefully, “It’s hard to put into words. I left my hometown, Manchester. All I’d wanted was to be head football coach at Manchester, but God opened up opportunities here at Troup High School. God has his way of making things work when He needs it to work. Been really blessed to be here, and now this is our home.” 


Coach, we’re glad you’re here. I spoke with Tashara Todd about what Coach Glisson means to their family. Her heart-warming response was, “ A coach plays a significant role in shaping young athletes…I appreciate the time and effort that Coach G has dedicated to the team and our son… Torreion has always been small in size but big in hustle, heart, and athleticism… he put in the extra work to earn his spot on field as a starter…never once did the coaching staff allow my son to give up…All it takes is one person to believe in you and it makes a world of difference in a kid. They carry that with them for a lifetime. We bleed blue and gold in this household and there isn’t any other team I would rather my son play for.”

The Championship Series


Game 1 looked like a strong win for the Tigers, however Coach said, “Game 1 was not as decisive as it looked on the scoreboard. They hit some balls really hard, they were just right at people. We played really well defensively and scratched together some runs. A lot of those were 2-out runs that we just put together some really good ABs on.”


Coming out of Game 1, energy was high. Fans were excited. There was potential that the Tigers would walk away Tuesday night with the Championship in hand. I asked Coach Glisson about the game plan going into Game 2… “We were going in to win… but they’re an absolutely great team and they’re really explosive on offense… they were swinging really good, and I have to make a decision if we were going to try and come back… or try to save a little bit of pitching… Sometimes, you gotta lose the battle to win the war.” 


I asked Coach Glisson how they prepared for Game 3. He responded, “Baseball is a little different. You can lose a game 17-0 or 1-0 … a loss in the playoffs is a loss.”


To start Game 3, Cherokee came out with that same explosive offense, but Troup rallied to score 6 unanswered runs to win the game. I asked Coach if he said anything to the team, he replied jokingly, “I wish I had that Magic Potion” and then seriously continued, “We knew it was going to be a game of punches, and we had to counter-punch. Davis Moncus… it took a little while to settle in… Once we left that inning 3-2, we felt pretty good about it.”


This 6-run comeback was definitely fun to watch, and part of that comeback is due to Carson Walker. Walker went 2-for-3 with 3 RBIs. Coach Glisson spoke fondly of Walker, remembering those RBI moments, “He’s just such a polished hitter. He knows the strike zone really well, he doesn’t swing at bad pitches. There’s no better guy that we’d rather have in the box in those RBI moments. He lives for those kinds of moments. It was no surprise to us when he came through when needed.”

Crowned Champions


To end the interview, I told Coach Glisson, “Finally, the Troup High School Tiger Baseball team are State Champions. How does it feel?” 

Coach’s response says it all… 

“It’s really surreal. It gave me chill bumps to hear you just say that. It’s been a long time coming for Troup High School, and I’m just happy for our people, our community, our administration, and our kids. It’s just a really great feeling.”


That it is, Coach. That it is. 


Thank you, Coach Tanner Glisson, for your time during this interview. Troup High School is extremely blessed to have such a great man and coach with them and we look forward to seeing you on the field at Callaway Stadium this fall! Go Tigers!