RAEFORD — When Reggie Miller came back to the Richmond Senior tent after finishing Saturday’s NCHSAA 4A Mideast Cross Country Regional at Carolina Horse Park, a special surprise was waiting for him.
Miller was handed an oblong-shaped present that was perfectly gift-wrapped just enough to hide its protruding edges.
When he unveiled the mysterious packaging, a green stake with gold lettering spelled out his name with the words: “Cross Country Coach 2009-2019.”
“It lets you know people appreciate things you did…I’ve always had good parents that came out and supported,” Miller said while holding back tears.
The honorary presentation symbolized the end to an 11-year run as head of Richmond’s cross country program, nine of which required him to lead both the boys and girls teams.
When asked by a current parent which year was his best, Miller’s response was an appropriate representation of his tenure.
“I told them, ‘Every year is good to me,’” Miller said with a smirk.
He added that he was just as excited in this, his final season, as he was as a first-year coach in 2009.
Throughout the past decade leading the Raiders, Miller was recognized as the conference’s top coach multiple times and says his affinity for the sport dates back to his days as a standout runner in high school.
“Cross country has always been No. 1 to me…it’s more like a family team,” said Miller. “It’s truly got to be, to me, the best sport to coach because it’s a sport that doesn’t have halftimes or timeouts. We get straight to it.”
Miller mentioned some of his most proud moments in the past few years have been starting the Senior Day tradition in 2015, and seeing the team get brand new Nike uniforms, the same that were sported on Saturday.
Another important part of his journey was relationship-building as Miller describes how many “friends” he’s made over the years who he still keeps up with, sharing phone calls and text messages.
“Coaching is a profession of love. You can’t coach kids unless you love them,” he said. “And I truly loved every kid that I coached.”
Having the opportunity to witness growth, both athletic and academic, played a part in the passion to continue coaching. Miller has had a few athletes continue their careers at the next level, the latest being Devin Tilman who committed to join the cross country team at Pfeiffer University starting next year.
Though he laments ending his tenure with the cross country program and says he will miss the players and coaches, Miller now prepares to dedicate his coaching efforts for the girls indoor and outdoor track team that he has also led over the past few seasons.
