One of the cornerstones of Fort Dale Academy Athletics is stepping down.

Fort Dale Academy head baseball coach Josh Beverly announced his leave from the school earlier this week after a nine-year tenure.

Beverly added that it took a great deal of effort to build the program into what it is today, but he didn’t do it alone.

“Our program was not great at the start, but we turned it into a respectable program,” Beverly added.

“I had Coach Charles Oswald to help me for nine years, and I will miss him just like I do all of my kids.  He helped every day as a volunteer.”

Beverly’s contributions extend well beyond the baseball field, as he has become an integral part of the Fort Dale community for the past decade.

Fort Dale Academy headmaster David Brantley said that his involvement wouldn’t be forgotten anytime soon.

“We appreciate the contributions he’s made to our school and athletic program, particularly baseball,” Brantley said.

“And we wish Josh and his family well in the future.”

Few knew Beverly from a professional or personal standpoint as well as Fort Dale athletic director and head football coach James “Speed” Sampley.

Sampley said that though a new era of Fort Dale athletics is about to begin, he would certainly miss the old one.

“Josh will always be the first baseball coach to coach baseball on our field,” Sampley said.

“For a long time, we didn’t have one, and he did a nice job of architecting the building of the baseball field, and trying to keep it up.  He did a wonderful job with our young men, and he will be missed.”

Sampley added that their relationship during the hectic football season was just as important to him.

“Josh has been on the other end of the headset with me for a lot of years, and it will be a new dynamic with whoever else is up there, but he will be missed on Friday nights.”

In lieu of his spearheading the construction of Fort Dale’s baseball field or the multiple wins and postseason appearances accrued throughout the past several years, Beverly said that his lasting legacy was the relationships he built with his players.

“We have a nice facility, and I worked very hard on it and made it one of the better places to play in the AISA,” Beverly said.  “But I’m definitely going to miss all of the kids.  They’re good kids, and I’ve been there for nine or 10 years and they’ve worked hard for me the whole time. I’m always going to remember the kids.”