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Former power forward McCray now Trotwood-Madison assistant principal

By Chick Ludwig

Dayton Daily News

Mike McCray always had a keen sense of direction.

As a power forward in basketball at Roth and Dunbar high schools, he took the ball to the rim for in-your-face dunks. As a linebacker and tailback in football, he sacked quarterbacks and crushed safeties. In track, he took the baton and ran like crazy.

Nowadays, he's right where he wants to be — assistant principal at Trotwood-Madison High School.

McCray, 39, has a family — wife, Glenda, and their 10-year-old son, Michael II. But his extended family includes all the kids he taught at Colonel White High School, where he spent five years as head football coach, and all the children he guides as a T-M administrator.

Those lessons of perseverance he learned from his high school coaches — Mike Haley in basketball, Tom Montgomery in football and Randy Waggoner in track — he's passing on to a future generation.

"I played hard in everything I did," said McCray, a 1984 Dunbar graduate who became a three-year football letterman at Ohio State (1986-88), where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in education. "I had talent, but I think my energy sometimes helped me in tight situations.

"What I enjoyed most out of my four years of high school is that I won at each sport at the highest level. Just the ability to learn how to win was special. I tell people: I may not be the greatest basketball player, football player or track runner in Dayton history. But combine all three of those together, and I feel like I'm one of the best athletes with the way I won and competed."

McCray said one of his greatest honors was being named an honorary Ohio State captain against Michigan a few years back.

"They told me: 'You are the type of kid we want in our program. You worked hard, took care of business and graduated,' " McCray said. "They really respected me for the person I was and how I carried myself and conducted myself."

McCray, who was cut by the Detroit Lions after signing as a non-drafted college free agent in 1989, has no regrets about giving up football after spending a year in NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy. Earning his master's degree in education from Miami University while coaching at Colonel White kept him busy, but it was worth it.

"I did exactly what people didn't expect me to do," he said. "I had a good family background, but I beat the odds. Being an athlete, you're not supposed to come back and become a principal. You're supposed to be lost. You're supposed to be still trying to find yourself. You're supposed to still be upset for not making it into the pros.

"But I decided I wanted to have a family. Life is bigger than sports. I enjoy it. I miss coaching more than playing. But I really enjoy working with kids. And I really enjoy being here in Trotwood. We're building a new school. Things are headed in the right direction."

Contact Chick Ludwig at 225-2253.