Stout honored with Hall of Fame induction

By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR CORRESPONDENT

   There are many professional and collegiate coaches in this world that people look up to. Elizabethton's Harold Stout is one of those people.
   Perhaps one of the most admired coaches locally, Dr. B. Harold Stout got his due recognition for his contributions to the game of baseball in Tennessee when he was recently elected to the Tennessee Baseball Hall of Fame.
   "I have loved coaching," said Stout, who was also named to the NAIA Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987. Stout receives this honor based on his 33 years as a coach in Tennessee and Virginia.
   "I believe Pat Gunn said it best in the last stanza of his poem, 'The Evening Score,' 'If you would as me one question, and leave me no room to rave; I'd have to be honest, and tell you I got a lot more than I gave.' For me that sums up everything."
   Stout coached for 31 years on the college level, perhaps widely known for his 24 years at Milligan College, as well as his successful seven-year reign at East Tennessee State University.
   "I have retired three times," joked Stout. "I enjoyed several years at Milligan, then I went to ETSU, and I coached a team for the prison."
   Stout won a remarkable 621 games as a head coach, with a winning percentage of 65 percent, making him the 11th all-time winningest coach in the NCAA as of 1988.
   Stout began his collegiate sports career as a pitcher for ETSU, where he had a phenomenal 36-4 record during his four years. He was named All-Conference and All-District as well as receiving an honorable mention All-America honor from the NAIA.
   Baseball wasn't his only sport, as Stout excelled for three years on the hardwood, and later on as a professor in the classroom. Stout graduated from ETSU in 1956, and the University of Tennessee in 1959, completing his masters. He received his doctorate in education in 1974 at ETSU.
   He began his coaching career at the high school level, coaching two years at Marion High School in Virginia before making the switch where he would excel.
   In his years of coaching, Stout's teams were the winner or runner-up 15 times in VSAC and NAIA District 24. Stout was named Coach of the Year 13 times (VSAC - 7, NAIA Dist. 24 - 6) and Area 5 Coach of the Year twice.
   He was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year during his reign at ETSU, as well as receiving the American Association of Baseball Coaches Award (Outstanding Coach) in 1985.
   Stout has been awarded two Awards of Merit, one for his outstanding Leadership in Coaching in 1981 from the NAIA, as well as the Outstanding Alumnus award from ETSU in 1986.
   Stout spent seven years working on the professional level as a scout for the Cleveland Indians, and was inducted into the ETSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1986.
   It's a great honor for a legendary coach, and the community should be proud.