Former Raceland Rams football coach Bill Tom Ross has passed away. Coach Ross was all about family.....his own family....His Church / Christian family and the many, many lives of former Raceland football players, their families along with the teaching staff, administration and all the students that Coach Ross had touched through his many years of teaching, coaching football as an Ashland assistant under legendary coach Herb Conley, students - players at Boyd County where he spent time as their head football coach. Last and certainly not least was Everyone through all the years at Raceland / Worthington high school where coach Ross took our already winning football program and raised it to even higher levels.

I am saddened as I am sure many are to hear of Coach Ross passing. I could go on with stories about the man and Ram Football through his time here but I will just leave it for now as .....Heaven has gained one Heckuva Football Coach, family man and a fine Christian that is with the Lord now.

My prayers to his wife, three daughters and family.

 

"family extended beyond his own household. When you coach high school football, team becomes like family, too. Coaches are often father figures and he was that to many young men in this area. He was adored at Raceland, where he turned the Rams into a Class A power, winning 112 games."

 

"Family mattered to Coach Bill Tom Ross" ...........

http://www.dailyindependent.com/news/mark-maynard-family-mattered-to-bill-tom-ross/article_dd3db96c-8f62-11e4-ac8d-b3e99207c647.html

Edited December 29, 201411 yr by oldrambler

Coach Ross was a great man and great football coach. I played for him and considered him a close friend right up to his death, spoke with him pretty often and will miss those conversations.

It's a sad day. I pray for his family and all of the folks he affected. He had a profound impact on me, and I'll sorely miss him. There will never be another like him.

I remember many years before I came to Raceland when I first started I went with another coach to BC to borrow some football equipment from Coach Ross because we were just starting up a program again. He was very generous in giving us some equipment. I also remember his famous "Red Dawn" practice was going on (LOL), & he was coaching drills like it was the Super Bowl...good times. I also knew the family well long before this occurred. Good people.

 

Prayers for the family and Coach Ross.

Mark Maynard did a great job describing Coach Ross.

 

My first three years as a head coach at Paris, we played Raceland at the end of the season. In 92, we upset them and then in 94 beat them for the district title on the last play of the game. Both times I am expecting to shake the hand of a coach mad and upset. He was upbeat and positive both times, sharing the sentiment that it had been a great game and he had enjoyed every minute of it. 10 minutes later, he was putting away a plate full of food like he was celebrating a victory. I think he was celebrating being a football coach, the game, his players, and how much fun he had every Friday night.

 

In 94, I think he faked every punt. He would do anything at anytime and you had to know that whenever you played the Rams.

 

Bill Tom Ross was a great example of how a Christian should coach his football team and the type of attitude a coach should have on Friday nights as well as through the week.

 

David Buchanan

In 94, I think he faked every punt. He would do anything at anytime and you had to know that whenever you played the Rams.

He would Quick Kick on 3rd down, then the next time he would fake punt on 4th down. He was famous for half-back passes as well.

 

I was the long snapper when I played, I think I snapped to the personal protector as much as I did to the punter.

MARK MAYNARD: Coaching friends for life

 

 

ASHLAND — Herb Conley gave Bill Tom Ross his start in coaching in 1970.

Ross was a student teacher at Paul G. Blazer High School and asked Conley, the intimidating figure, if he could help coach.

“He always said I scared him to death,” Conley said. “I gave him some duties but I was kind of leery because he was a Catlettsburg boy. I didn’t give him a lot of assignments.”

 

But day by day and game by game, Conley started trusting this 24-year-old young man.

 

“He made a believer of me when we played Boyd County,” Conley sad. “He was always coming up with something.”

 

Ross and Brenda, his sweetheart of a wife, *Word Filter Violation - Edit Your Post*made their own “scouting report” about the Tomcats from Boyd County.

 

They left it in the lockerroom so it could be found.

 

“I read it to the team,” Conley said. “It said things about all the coaches and all the players. It really made us mad and inspired us. We were big underdogs and played them close.”

 

Link

Ross remembered as ‘master motivator’

 

 

By AARON SNYDER The Independent

Two of Bill Tom Ross’ countless companions shared stories about one of the most popular figures in local high school football on Sunday night.

 

After the Ashland Invitational Tournament wrapped up its second day, Rex Cooksey decided to stop by Community Hospice to see his dear friend, possibly for one last time.

 

Michael Salmons, Raceland’s head football coach, told Cooksey he could even wait until Monday morning to visit.

 

“The morning might be too late,” Salmons recalled Cooksey’s response.

As it turned out, it would have been.

 

Ross died at around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. Cooksey had signed out at 10:17. Ross was 68 years old.

 

“We had a special relationship. We were highly competitive on Friday nights, but we were real good friends,” Cooksey said. “I can’t put into words what he meant to kids.”

 

In two separate phone interviews, both Salmons and Cooksey coincidentally used the same two words to describe Ross.

 

Link

 

 

Mark Maynard did a great job describing Coach Ross.

 

My first three years as a head coach at Paris, we played Raceland at the end of the season. In 92, we upset them and then in 94 beat them for the district title on the last play of the game. Both times I am expecting to shake the hand of a coach mad and upset. He was upbeat and positive both times, sharing the sentiment that it had been a great game and he had enjoyed every minute of it. 10 minutes later, he was putting away a plate full of food like he was celebrating a victory. I think he was celebrating being a football coach, the game, his players, and how much fun he had every Friday night.

 

In 94, I think he faked every punt. He would do anything at anytime and you had to know that whenever you played the Rams.

 

Bill Tom Ross was a great example of how a Christian should coach his football team and the type of attitude a coach should have on Friday nights as well as through the week.

 

David Buchanan

Chief Smoke.....As a Life long Raceland fan and friend of Bill Tom, I thank you for your kind words. They mean a lot coming from a former opposing coach, friend of Ross.

 

He would Quick Kick on 3rd down, then the next time he would fake punt on 4th down. He was famous for half-back passes as well.

 

I was the long snapper when I played, I think I snapped to the personal protector as much as I did to the punter.

I heard him say one time that there wasn't any way that a coach could watch film and "know what we were going to do" in a certain situation. "That's bc that I don't know what the heck that I'm going to do myself" :lol2:.

 

It's a sad day. I pray for his family and all of the folks he affected. He had a profound impact on me, and I'll sorely miss him. There will never be another like him.

Spindoc, I know that I have had him always talk very highly of you as well.

One quick "Coach Ross" story ..... My wife and I were also friends of the Ross family, attended the same church. When his oldest daughter was married, we attended and at the reception I saw Bill Tom standing off by himself, I walked over and shook his hand, said "Coach, are you going to get through this one o.k."? He looked up, shook his head and answered ......"I just lost the best dang scout, film analyst I ever had" :lol2:. What ome didn't know is that although he had all daughters, those girls knew football. The particular one that I spoke of really knew football, she grew up with it, listening and learning. Aside from her being a Rams cheerleader, she would analyze film with her dad. I had also heard that aside from cheering for the guys, she would tell them what they did or didn't do right....and be right about it.

Anyway, I could go on and I know that ones that coached under him, played for him could tell far more than I so I will just leave it to them.

Coach Bill Tom Ross .....what a great man, fine Christian, great coach and I was honored to call the man a friend.

One of my favorite Coach Ross stories:

 

Coach Ross always had 7 on 7's at Raceland and invited area schools. He tried for years to get Coach Ivan McGlone to bring Russell to a 7 on 7. Coach McGlone always declined saying, "We don't pass, there's no reason for us to come". Finally, Coach McGlone agreed to come and brought his Russell team to Raceland for a 7 on 7 competition. Coach McGlone comes over to Coach Ross and says, "I don't know the rules or what to do here". Coach Ross said, "it's all pass, no runs and no blocking". Coach McGlone said, "You go on offense first and we will see what to do". So, Raceland starts on offense and first play Coach Ross runs a draw. Coach McGlone goes off, "you said no runs". Coach Ross come running across the field yelling "I got you, I got you".

 

I stood there watching and thinking, "we have a two kids for coaches". Coach Ross made the game fun.

My 1st year of officiating football I was a replacement official. You weren't allowed to work on a regular crew back then for varsity games, but if a crew was a man short you were picked up from the pool, and officiated varsity games. This particular week I was picked up from the pool, and was officiating a Raceland/Lawrence County game near the end of the year. I may be wrong, but it may have even been for a district championship. I was the side official, and was on Raceland's sideline. There was a play to my side, and I threw a flag for a facemask on a Raceland defender. As soon as I signaled to the white hat what I had, one of the Raceland assistant coaches started ripping into me. I'm sure he knew I was a rookie official, and was trying to intimidate me. Coach Ross calmly walked up to his assistant coach, and said "If he believes he saw a face mask then I believe him. I don't believe for one second he's out here making up calls. Let it go. " Now Coach Ross knew I was a rookie official also, and he could have done the same thing as his assistant, but he did just the opposite. He was trying to make things easy on me. I've also had a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Ross. Like spindoc texted me yesterday as we were talking about Coach Ross, he's kind of cool to imagine him with a new body up in Heaven.

I always liked the picture he put up in the locker room.He took a picture of a body builders body and put his head on top of it .He told us all that was what he looked like when he played in High School.You never knew what was going to happen at practice.He so mad one time he dropped to his knees and ripped off his shirt because a certain player kept missing a block in a drill that we were running.He would make up nicknames for guys on the fly and the would be perfect,like he set up the night before and thought them up or something.When you played for him you wanted to put on a orange Jersey and lay down in front of a bus for him.He made me believe in Raceland long before I got to the varsity level.We sure was lucky to have gone to Raceland at the time we did and have him as a coach.

I heard today that the visitation for Coach Ross will be on Friday, from 6-9 pm at the old Raceland High School Gym. This is located adjacent to Ram Stadium on the Raceland / Worthington Schools Campus.

I am glad that the Ross Family decided to honor their beloved Husband, Father, Brother, Grandpa in this way with the visitation.

I guess that in a way it will be like going to see Coach Bill Tom Ross one last time on the home side at Ram Stadium and at the school that he loved so much and has, will always be loved, remembered by the Raceland Community, schools and most of all the countless players / students / Admin., fellow teachers/coaches along will the Raceland Ram fans that he touched through the years.

 

Coach Ross, as we all here at Raceland say "Once a RAM, Always a RAM ! R.I.P. Bill Tom Ross.

 

( I apologize if this sounds inconsiderate to some, it's certainly not meant to be )

One of Coach Ross's greatest attributes was, he did more with less then other other coach I have known. When Coach Ross was at Raceland, we were not that great, we had one or two good players each year, but the rest of the team was average at best. For the most part, we were not graced with size or strength. But, Coach Ross got the best out of his players.

 

Recently, I heard a coach say, "we aren't that good, there's nothing we can do about that". And I thought to myself, "I sure am glad Coach Ross didn't think that way or Raceland may not have a football program".