Photography by Tim Godbee/Calhoun Times
Diane Crocker Ralston Smith (75C) excelled as a four-sport star at Calhoun High School northeast of Rome. Decades since have been spent motivating other Yellow Jackets to soar.
Last fall, the Berry basketball and volleyball standout retired after 39 seasons and more than 800 wins as head softball coach at her high school alma mater. Fittingly, she led the Lady Jackets to victory in the final home game of a storied tenure highlighted by four state titles.
An inductee in both the Calhoun Gordon County Sports Hall of Fame and the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame, Smith has been hailed as the winningest coach in Georgia for high school softball and in any sport at Calhoun High. Her 52 years of service to the Calhoun City Schools also produced championships in multiple middle-school sports.
Smith’s legacy extends to her incredible career as an adult travel softball player, resulting in Hall-of-Fame recognition by Georgia affiliates of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) and the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA). And then there are daughters Kayla Ralston and Dr. Jaime Ralston Garrett (pictured from left flanking their mother), both now administrators in the Calhoun City Schools.
“I have always been a competitor no matter what the sport,” Smith explained in a 2022 story published by AdventHealth recounting her successful bout with breast cancer. “Coaching is rewarding and satisfying. [It] gives me a powerful sense of self-worth, inner happiness and career satisfaction. I love the game, and I want to pass that love on to my players.”
You certainly did that, Coach. Best wishes in retirement!
