5 RINGS: key contributor with dynasty programs Merritt Island in 1970s and Cocoa in 2000s During his 50 years coaching high school football in Brevard County Coach Gerald Hodgin earned more state championship rings than any other Space Coast football coach in history.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA During his 50 years coaching high school football in Brevard County Coach Gerald Hodgin earned more state championship rings than any other Space Coast football coach in history.

He was a key contributor on five state championship teams with dynasty programs Merritt Island during the 1970s and Cocoa in the 2000s.

Hodgin was born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1942, and graduated from Butler High School in Huntsville, Alabama where he played linebacker and guard on the football team and was on the track and field team.

Hodgin then attended Middle Tennesee State on a football scholarship. During his freshman year, he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his playing career.

He then attended Florence State, now the University of North Alabama, where he graduated in 1963.

Hodgin began teaching and coaching football, basketball, track and golf at Cullman High School in Alabama in 1964.

After a year at Cullman, Hodgin and his wife, Elke, moved on to Boaz High School for three years and then to New Hope High School for another three years.

The worlds attention was riveted on Brevard County when the Hodgin family first arrived in 1969 to check out a job opening for a football coaching and teaching job at Merritt Island High School.

When we got to Merritt Island for the first time to meet coach (Eddie) Feeley, we didnt have enough money to stay in a hotel and parked by the Indian River for the night, said Elke.

During the night, Gerald decided to fish off the bank and caught a huge bass and said, Honey I think were home!

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STONG BOND

During Hodgins first year at Merritt Island in 1969 he was the JV football coach, and in 1970, became the offensive line coach for Feeleys powerhouse varsity squad.

The rest, as they say, is history as the Mustangs racked-up state championships in 1972, 1978 and 1979 with Hodgin leading the defense as the coordinator.

Hodgin said among the highlights for him was spending Sundays with fellow coaches Eddie Feeley, Gerald Odom, Lee Mace, Dwight Thomas, Travis Akin, Joe Pribil and Jim Casper going over game plans along with all the special life long bonds he has made with his adoring players.

I first met coach Hodgin during my sophomore year at Merritt Island, said Jimmy Black, quarterback of the 1972 state champion Mustangs and Florida State standout.

He was the head coach of the JV team and one of the first things you learned about coach was when he told you to do something you had better do it now! Discipline was very important to him and he passed this along to his players. The bond the players had with all our coaches still is strong to this day, almost 50 years later. I would like to thank coach Hodgin for the valuable life lessons he taught me in high school and am proud to call him my friend.

When Gerald Odom became the head coach at Cocoa High School in 2000 Hodgin joined his staff as the defensive coordinator and stayed on when John Wilkinson took over in 2004 and picked up two more state title rings in the process.

During his career, Hodgin also coached the Mustang baseball team for 12 seasons, recording 263 victories, five conference titles, four district championships, three regional titles, one sectional crown and a state appearance.

Hodge put his life and soul into whatever he coached, said former Merritt Island High School principal Hank Smith.

THE 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME Banquet and Induction Ceremony will take place at the Cocoa Beach Country Club on a date to be announced soon.

FOR INFORMATION ABOUT the 2020 SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111 or e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com

CLICK HERE TO SEE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame selection committee announced an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame Induction Banquet and Sports Awards will be held Friday, May 8 at the Cocoa Beach Country Club.

The festivities include a meet and greet with the areas sports royalty beginning at 6 p.m., and the dinner and induction proceeding will start at 6:45 p.m. and includes compelling video tributes of each of the inductees.

The 2020 Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame induction event, and the 2020 High School Breakfast of Champions recognition awards, are sponsored by Health First, Erdman Automotive, All Points, Clear Choice Health Care, Savings Safari, Friday Night Locker Room and Rock Paper Simple.

The Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame includes an impressive array of outstanding individuals to be inducted into the 2020 Class of the Hall of Fame.

Dozens of nominees were considered in four categories including professional sports, college sports, high school sports and amateur sports.

Special honorary recognition will also be bestowed upon individuals and teams that have made significant contributions to sports on the Space Coast.

Space Coast Daily created the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and has so far inducted more than 160 of Brevard Countys most outstanding athletes, coaches and sports personalities.

Serving on the committee are Space Coast Daily President & Publisher Tom Palermo, Vice President Giles Malone, Editor-in-Chief Dr. Jim Palermo, Managing Editor Zach Clark, the Friday Night Locker Rooms Steve Wilson and Orville Susong, former Health First COO Larry Garrison and Amateur Athletic Union Vice President Rusty Buchanan.

The list of inductees for 2020 induction include athletes and coaches everybody knows and some that may have been forgotten with the passing of time, said Tom Palermo.

FOR INFORMATION about the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, or to make a reservation, e-mail Contact@SpaceCoastDaily.com or call 321-615-8111.

SPACE COAST DAILY TV: Tim Wakefield talks about his induction into the first class of the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame.

SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2020

PROFESSIONAL CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Jamel Dean, Football; Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Wrestling; Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Football; Mark Lake, Skateboarding; Juwaan Taylor, Football

COLLEGE CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Derek Hamm, Football; Paulette King, Basketball; Dylan Lewis, Soccer; Melanie Murphy, Softball

PREP CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Lexy Denaburg, Volleyball; Apryl Bigham Nickson, Swimming; Andi Sellers, Soccer

AMATEUR/RECREATION CATEGORY INDUCTEE: Peter Blount, Track & Field; Karina Villegas, Sled Hockey; Caylor Williams, Wrestling

COACHING CATEGORY INDUCTEES: Sean Ballard, Wrestling; Doug Butler, Cross County and Track; Aubin Goporo, Basketball; Gerald Hodgin, Football; Bill Sinclair, Softball; Don Smith, Basketball

SPORTS DEVELOPMENT INDUCTEE: Loren McClanahan

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT INDUCTEE: Clint Hurdle

SPORTS OFFICIAL INDUCTEES: Ted Ruta

SPORTS JOURNALISM INDUCTEES: Steve Vaughn

SPORTS AMBASSADOR AWARD INDUCTEE: Congressman Bill Posey

CHALLENGER AWARDS INDUCTEES: Brevard Special Olympics

TEAM OF THE YEAR: 2019 Satellite High Cross Country

LEGACY CHAMPIONS: TBA

SPECIAL TRIBUTE: TBA

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE MEMBERS OF THE SPACE COAST SPORTS HALL OF FAME

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

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Gerald Hodgin Won More State Title Rings Than Any Other Space Coast Football Coach in History | - SpaceCoastDaily.com