Tim Reed, Talawanda High School’s head baseball coach and a longtime teacher and coach in the Hamilton City School District, died Monday morning at the age of 57.
Talawanda principal Tom York said it was his understanding that Reed suffered a heart attack at the Brookwood Avenue United Dairy Farmers store in Hamilton on his way to THS, where he was in charge of the in-school suspension program.
“Tim Reed was truly a fine human being,” York said. “He was a player’s coach. He was a people person. We talk about relationships before tasks here, and Tim was all about relationships first.”
Reed was preparing for his fourth season at the Talawanda baseball helm. He had a record of 26-53 through his first three years. He also directed the Brave boys basketball team for one season, going 5-18 in 2017-18.
“It’s really hard to put into words,” said Talawanda athletic director Wes Cole, a 1995 Hamilton graduate who played basketball and baseball for Reed. “It’s a huge loss for our students and the thousands of students he has coached or taught over the years, whether it be at Hamilton or Talawanda.”
Reed was a longtime football, basketball and baseball coach (he also did some soccer coaching) in the Hamilton district and graduated from Taft in 1979. He had never been a varsity head coach before getting the Talawanda baseball job.
“They don’t make them like Tim Reed anymore,” said former HHS basketball coach Larry Allen, who coached with Reed and has known him for more than four decades. “He’s one of the most loyal, hard-working guys I’ve known. He represents goodness and team and why you participate in sports.”
Reed’s wife Diane and son Jimmy Joe both work at Talawanda. Diane is the EMIS coordinator, and Jimmy Joe is an educational assistant who coaches baseball and basketball.
Tim Reed is a member of the Hamilton Athletic Hall of Fame. He was an All-Ohio basketball and baseball player at Taft, where he also participated in soccer and cross country. He hit 24 home runs in three seasons on the baseball diamond and has the most pitching wins in Hamilton history.
Reed played college baseball at Belmont for four years. He taught for 30 years in the Hamilton district.
Allen was coaching Babe Ruth baseball when Reed was the first pick in the draft as a 13-year-old.
“My love for Tim Reed started then,” Allen said. “I got to know him playing against him in Babe Ruth and I was an assistant coach with Joe Urso for five years at Taft, and Timmy played three years.
“Timmy was a great athlete. He brought stability on the baseball diamond and basketball floor. I even told him back then that I wanted to coach someday and I hoped I could coach somewhere where I could have him as a coach. I thought he would be a great tool for helping kids. That’s one time I was right.
“My heart has a big hole in it right now because of Timmy. Everybody I’ve talked to is devastated. He had such great love for his family and for Hamilton. I don’t know if I ever heard Timmy Reed say a bad thing about anyone, and I know I’ve never heard anybody say anything bad about Timmy. I could tell you hundreds of stories. That’s how much we were together and what he meant to me and everyone that he touched.”
Dennis Malone is the director of human resources for the Talawanda district. He was the principal at Hamilton and Garfield Middle School during Reed’s coaching and teaching days in Hamilton.
“I didn’t remember him when he was playing as an athlete, but as a coach, he cared about his players and knew his sports,” Malone said. “You just never saw him get mad. He was kind of unflappable. I think he was respectful to people, he was good to people. All in all, he was just a really great guy.”
Malone said no funeral arrangements have been announced. He said Talawanda will be available if the family would like to use the building for any services.
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