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Robbinsville Today
By the People, for the People
Erwin Football Coaches Find Passion in Umpiring
Rodney Pruett and Eddy Taylor credit their experience as umpires for shaping their coaching styles.
Apr. 20, 2026 at 10:23am
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Umpiring high school sports provides Erwin football coaches Rodney Pruett and Eddy Taylor with valuable leadership lessons they apply to their coaching roles.Robbinsville TodayErwin High School football coaches Rodney Pruett and Eddy Taylor have found a shared passion in umpiring high school softball games. The two coaches credit their time working behind the plate and in the infield as umpires for shaping their coaching styles and approach to working with student-athletes.
Why it matters
Umpiring provides a unique perspective that can translate well to coaching, as it allows Pruett and Taylor to better understand the game from an official's point of view. Their experiences officiating have given them valuable insights that they can apply to their roles as football coaches, helping them connect with players and officiate their own teams more effectively.
The details
On April 9, Eddy Taylor was working the plate, calling balls and strikes, while Rodney Pruett tracked baserunners from the infield during a softball game at Western Carolina University. Though they were just another pair of umpires to most in attendance, their roles as high school football coaches for Erwin High School make their shared passion for umpiring all the more interesting.
- On April 9, Taylor and Pruett were umpiring a softball game at Western Carolina University.
The players
Rodney Pruett
An Erwin High School football coach who has found a passion for umpiring high school softball games.
Eddy Taylor
An Erwin High School football coach who has also taken up umpiring high school softball games, working the plate and calling balls and strikes.
What they’re saying
“We do this job to serve kids”
— Rodney Pruett, Erwin High School Football Coach
The takeaway
Pruett and Taylor's experiences as umpires have given them a unique perspective that has helped shape their coaching styles and approach to working with student-athletes. Their shared passion for officiating demonstrates the valuable lessons that can be learned from taking on different roles in sports.
