Hall of Fame
Ronnie Spry, a native of Princeton, Ky., attended and graduated from Caldwell County High School in 1971 and currently resides in Augusta, Ga., upon his induction. Spry is a graduate of Campbellsville College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and navigated a 35-plus year career making a name for himself as a coach, athletic director, professor, fund-raiser, counselor, tutor and associate minister.
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Spry started his administrative and coaching career at St. Catherine College in Springfield, Ky. where he was named Coach of the Year by the Kentucky Junior College Athletic Association (1977-1979). Spry has won more than 500 games in his career as a head basketball coach at Paine College in Augusta, Ga. He was named Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) Coach of the Year five times; three SAIC Conference Championships along with numerous other coaching accolades, including: Kodak District Coach of the Year (1994), the Atlanta Tip-Off Club Coach of the Year (1994), Paine College Hall of Fame (1998), and the Augusta City Classic Hall of Fame (2014). The Paine College basketball court is named in his honor "Ronnie O. Spry Court" (2013).
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Spry began his academic pursuit at Paducah Community College in 1971, then transferred to Campbellsville College. Later he earned a Master of Arts in College Teaching (Guidance/Counseling) from Murray State University, Murray, Ky. He did further studies in Educational Leadership from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, S.C.
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Not only was Spry a basketball coach, he was also athletic director at St. Catherine College (1977-1979) and Paine College from (1980-2011) where he led and evaluated staff, organized and scheduled all athletic events including travel, hired coaches, and other athletic positions, conducted fundraising programs within the community and supervised the rules and regulations sanctioned by the institution, athletic department, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Kentucky Junior College Association, and the National Junior College Association.
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He is married to the former Audrey Frazier. They have one daughter and son-in-law, ShaRon and Melvin George Dukes and one granddaughter, Shaelynn Dukes. Ronnie O. Spry is the son of the late Mrs. Florine Maxie Gray of Princeton, Ky.