(Story taken from the Millsaps College website)
JACKSON, Miss. - Long-time Millsaps athletic coach
Tommy Ranager, 68, died March 22 in Brandon. Obituary in Clarion Ledger
He began a long, successful, happy career at Millsaps in 1964. For 25 years Tommy served as Coach Harper Davis' only assistant. Together they won games, broke records and touched the lives of hundreds of young men and women. Davis retired after 25 years, and Tommy became head football coach, concluding his career at Millsaps in 1996 after 32 years.
During his tenure at Millsaps Coach Ranager taught health and physical education while also serving as the Majors' head baseball coach for nineteen years. He was succeeded by the current coach Jim Page who was his former student and baseball player.
In 1975 Ranager led the defensive unit to finish first in the nation in both scoring defense and total defense. In 1980 he led the defensive unit to set the Division III mark in scoring defense for a season by holding the opposition to 3.4 points per contest. In 1991 he led the football team in capturing its first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship.
Ranager was inducted into the Millsaps Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. In 2005 he was honored when Millsaps named the field house The Tommy Ranager Field House. An academic scholarship was also established in his name. After retirement Tommy worked for Rankin County School District Alternative School.
Memorials may be directed to Millsaps College for the Tommy Ranager Field House or the Millsaps College Tommy Ranager Academic Scholarship.
.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=139&crop=true)
.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=139&crop=true)
.jpg?max_width=280&max_height=139&crop=true)
