Margaret Stockburger returns to coach Ringgold High School

photo Margaret Stockburger

RINGGOLD, Ga. - Wanting to revitalize a once-proud girl's basketball program, Ringgold High School will look to one of its own. Former Northwest Whitfield coach Margaret Stockburger was hired Wednesday to resurrect a program that went winless last season and has made just one playoff appearance in 14 years.

Stockburger, a Ringgold graduate, won 326 games at Northwest Whitfield and took the Lady Bruins to nine state playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2010. She retired from Whitfield County in 2011 and has been teaching and coaching at Ringgold Middle School for the past two years.

"I am excited about the opportunity Catoosa County Schools has given me to coach at the high school from which I graduated," said Stockburger, whose overall head-coaching record (including nine middle school seasons) is 576-205. "I am excited about taking the Ringgold Lady Tigers in a positive direction and getting them back to work. The past is irrelevant. It is time to move on and look forward to great things."

Ringgold, a mainstay in the playoffs under coach Danny Vest in the 1970s and '80s, has had numerous coaches over the last decade, including current athletic director and football coach Robert Akins, who guided the Lady Tigers for one season. It was during that season he got to witness Stockburger's talents up close.

"The one year I coached against her she beat me like a drum," Akins recalled. "She's the best coach around in my opinion, and she will bring some stability to our program. It's going to take some time to turn things around, but there's no one better to get it done."

Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.

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