photo by Contributed (McCallie School)
The baton has literally been passed from Mike Wood to Rodney Stoker. Longtime and successful McCallie School cross country and track and field head coach Mike Wood is stepping down from his roles, and the school is elevating assistant coach Rodney Stoker to lead the two programs.
Wood plans to stay on board at McCallie in an assistant’s role in both coaching and with Summer Programs. He began his McCallie coaching career in 1991 with the track and field team and took over the cross country program in 2001.
“It has been an incredible privilege and a blessing to be the head cross country and track coach at McCallie and Director of Summer Programs,” Wood said.
“The impact that McCallie made on my family and me in shaping the trajectory of our lives is remarkable. I had the opportunity to learn from so many great people, and above all, had the honor of working with amazing McCallie boys.
“What a joy to coach boys who are motivated, intelligent, of high character, and in some cases, fast. It’s difficult for me to imagine a better situation where we have tremendous institutional support, talented coaches, and impressive kids. The highlight is the lifelong connections with former athletes and camp counselors. They are a wonderful blessing to my family and me.”
Mike directed the cross country squads to 10 TSSAA state championships and seven runner up finishes. The 2023 state title was McCallie’s fifth straight state title, a TSSAA record for consecutive championships.
As the track and field coach, Mike guided the Blue Tornado to a state title in 2021 and eight state runner up places. He coached 32 individual state champions in 39 different events, and his dual meet record against Baylor was 30-1. He was named the National Federation of State High School Association’s Tennessee Coach of the Year in 2008 and the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association Coach of the Year for Tennessee in 2021.
“Mike Wood has built and advanced remarkable programs in cross-country and track,” said Head of School Lee Burns. “The number of state championships is astonishing, but more impressive is the culture and character of his teams. Integrity, hard work, teamwork and high standards are hallmarks of his teams and student-athletes.”
“McCallie School, and in particular, the cross country and track programs, have benefitted from our version of the ‘Dream Team,’” said Kenny Sholl, Executive Athletic Director and Special Assistant to the Head of School. “With Coach Wood at the helm, he and Coach Stoker have created two of the nation’s top programs at the high school level. Given the nature of their coaching philosophies, love for the student-athletes, and commitment to hard work, I have no doubt the program will continue to meet these high standards under Rodney’s leadership.”
Mike has served as the director of McCallie’s Sports Camp for 25 years and coordinated the school's summer programs since 2013. McCallie’s summer camps bring 2,500-3,000 boys to campus each summer, and the Sports Camp program draws 600 boys each year with a long waiting list.
“I appreciate McCallie permitting me to take a step back and become an assistant coach and camp director,” Wood said. “I thank God every day for His grace and tender mercies in allowing Paula and me to serve and raise our family at McCallie these past 36 years, and we look forward to a couple more years at a reduced pace.”
Stoker has been an assistant coach for Wood at McCallie since 2016, and the two have also worked closely together with McCallie’s Summer Programs since that time.
“We are grateful that Mike will remain involved as an assistant coach and for the transition of head coach to Rodney Stoker, who has worked with Mike for many years in building and guiding the team,” Burns said. “Like Mike, Rodney embodies the ideals and excellence of McCallie.”
Rodney brings a wealth of coaching experience to the position with coaching stints at nearly all levels of athletics. He served as an assistant for the University of Tennessee cross country and track and field programs from 2012 to 2016. He was the head coach of both the men’s and women’s programs at Bryan College for seven years where they won several conference titles, and he directed programs and taught physical education at a few Chattanooga area middle and high schools.
“I love working with the boys, and I love the culture and tradition that Mike has built with these teams,” Stoker said. “The boys know that we are striving for excellence and shooting for the top.
“But it’s not just excellence in the sports aspect. These boys want to be the best in everything they do. Whether it’s school work, helping in the community, or just being good people.”
A Chattanooga area native, he is a graduate of Ridgeland High School in Rossville, Ga. Rodney was a distance runner throughout high school and college. He began his collegiate cross country and track career at Georgia Southern University. He transferred to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and earned a degree in 2000 in Exercise Science. While at UTC, the cross country teams won Southern Conference championships in 1997 and 1998. His senior year, UTC won a Region title and competed at the NCAA Championships in Lawrence, Kansas.
“It will be hard to build on the success of the McCallie programs because right now, it is about as high as it can get,” Stoker said. “But I want to do well in a way that honors Mike and the coaches that came before me. It’s not going to be just about winning.”
The 2024 TSSAA track and field season begins March 4.