Wiedmer: From the edge of death, McCallie track coach Mike Wood has found true joy

Staff file photo by C.B. Schmelter / McCallie cross country and track and field coach Mike Wood

Sixteen months ago, no one was wondering if Mike Wood could guide McCallie School to its first state track championship since 1929 at this week’s Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association’s annual Spring Fling.

Instead, as he was confined to a Vanderbilt University hospital bed while attempting to recover from a massive heart attack suffered on December 29, 2019, his friends and family were just hoping he’d still be alive this spring.

“We prayed for the best, but we tried to prepare for the worst,” said McCallie assistant coach Rodney Stoker on Monday. “They were talking about a heart transplant. At that moment, there’s a realization that he might not make it. It was a very tough time for a lot of us.”

But Wood rallied enough to avoid that transplant. Then the coronavirus canceled spring sports, which gave him even more time to heal without being tempted to wade back into track practice.

“I don’t want this to sound the wrong way, but COVID was a great thing for me,” Wood said. “I’d actually watched a couple of practices before the coronavirus ended spring sports. COVID gave me extra time to quarantine without missing anything. Kind of a miracle.”