MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Longtime Chowan baseball coach, Jerry Hawkins, was called home on Monday, February 17th, 2025. Jerry Hawkins was more than just a baseball coach at Chowan. He was also a professor, an assistant football coach, Hall of Fame inductee, community advocate, and lifelong learner. “Coach Hawkins”, as he was known, was wholeheartedly committed to Chowan and the Murfreesboro community in which he lived and raised his family. 

In total, Coach Hawkins worked for over 32 years for Chowan as the Head Baseball Coach and Assistant Football Coach.  In baseball, he reached the “500 Win” plateau and the baseball field was named in his honor in 1987. In addition to his love of baseball and football, Coach Hawkins also was a Lifeguard Instructor for the American Red Cross beginning in 1965 and a water safety instructor and first aid instructor, where he taught many kids as well as adults to swim.

In his leisure time, Coach Hawkins served as a little league coach for over 15 years, high school baseball umpire and also officiated many high school basketball and football games. In addition, he was a Charter Member of Murfreesboro Rescue Squad and also served as President. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Murfreesboro Rescue Squad; a member of the Murfreesboro Exchange Club; and was both a Sunday School teacher and Youth Director at Murfreesboro United Methodist Church.Coach Hawkins was inducted into the Chowan University “Jim Garrison” Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. Former Chowan golf coach and one of Coach Hawkins’ best friends, Professor William Sowell, said of Coach Hawkins in his Hall of Fame induction speech, “Knowledge, respect, and honor. These three words are very familiar to Jerry, because they are the foundation in which he has built his life. The many people whose lives have been touched by Jerry Hawkins, see these qualities in him and are greatly influenced by his sincerity.” 

His lifetime of devotion to Chowan  led to the baseball field being named in his honor. While Coach Hawkins has crossed home plate for the last time, he left behind a legacy that will serve as a constant reminder of the devotion he had to his community and the people that he served.