After 37 unforgettable seasons, 760 wins, and two state championships, Oakland baseball's legendary coach Mack Hawks is officially stepping away from the diamond. The Tennessee Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer announced his retirement on May 1, just one day after the Patriots closed out their 2026 campaign with a 12-3 loss to Rockvale in the District 10-4A tournament.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision. Though few knew it at the time, Hawks had already made up his mind back in February that this would be his final season at the helm. "I had planned it," Hawks shared. "It's something I had been thinking about the last couple of years. I just felt like it was my time." He informed Oakland principal John Marshall early in the year, making clear that the choice was final—win or lose. "It's not something I decided over the last couple of weeks or season."

At 66 years old, Hawks leaves behind a legacy that places him firmly among Tennessee's all-time coaching greats. He took over the Oakland program in 1990 after George Hockenberry stepped down to focus on coaching girls basketball. Under Hawks' leadership, the Patriots made five state tournament appearances, capturing back-to-back Class AAA state championships in 1999 and 2000. One of his most memorable squads was the 2007 team, which entered the sectional round with a staggering 42-1 record before falling in a heartbreaking 2-1 upset to Cleveland.

A 1977 graduate of Friendship Christian, where he played baseball before continuing at Cumberland University, Hawks began his coaching career on the gridiron. He taught and coached football at Oakland starting in 1987, with prior stops coaching football at Hendersonville and both football and wrestling at Lebanon. That deep-rooted passion for developing young athletes carried over seamlessly to the baseball field.

Hawks reached the 700-win milestone in April 2022 and retired as the winningest coach in Rutherford County history. At the time of his retirement, he ranked among the top 10 active coaches in Tennessee—alongside names like Lausanne's Buster Kelso, CAK's Tommy Pharr, Friendship Christian's John McNeal, Greenfield's Johnny Growe, and Columbia Academy's Richie Estep—and stood among the top 15 all-time in the state for career victories.

Reflecting on a journey that spanned nearly four decades, Hawks remained humble and grateful. "I've been very blessed," he said. "I've had good players, of course, and very good assistant coaches who were a lot of fun to work with. I've also had very good administrators. All of that goes into it." As the Oakland community bids farewell to a true icon, his impact on the program—and the countless players he mentored—will be felt for generations to come.