Dr. Ryan Gray is a native of Southern Illinois. He was a multi-sport athlete at Eldorado HS. He played college baseball at Southeastern Illinois College and Union University. He earned his B.S. and M.Ed. at UU and his doctorate at Middle Tennessee State University. His college coaching career began at MTSU as an assistant baseball coach then served as head baseball coach at Trevecca Nazarene University, Emmanuel College, and Southeastern Illinois College. Gray was an assistant professor at TNU and EC while being athletic director at SIC. He also officiated HS football, baseball, and basketball. He is a 3D certified regional presenter and enthusiastically incorporates all aspects of the 3D framework in his undergraduate and graduate level university courses.
The 2nd edition of his book “The Language of Baseball: A Complete Dictionary of Slang Terms, Clichés, and Expressions from the Grand Ole Game, by Coaches Choice Publishing, is projected to be released in 2025.
Two peer-reviewed journal articles were recently published in Applied Research in Coaching and Athletics Annual; “Selected Demographic Characteristics and Attitudes toward Coaching Certification of Arkansas Varsity High School Head Coaches” (2023) and “Undergraduate Professional Preparation and Attitudes toward Coaching Related Curriculum of Arkansas High School Varsity Head Coaches” (2022).
Gray holds the Institute of Fraud Risk Management’s designation of Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist (CITRMS). Having earned director level with Legal Shield, he helps protect individuals and businesses in the realm of legal and identity theft prevention and protection. He is a two-time past president of the Eldorado, IL Rotary International chapter and a former member of Business Network International (BNI).
For eight years, Ryan was an assistant and associate professor of Health/Physical Education and Exercise Science in the University of Arkansas-Monticello’s School of Education. He currently works as an assistant professor of Kinesiology at Texas A&M University-Texarkana. Gray has been married for over 35 years and has three adult daughters and one grandbaby.
