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IMO, Ricky Bowers & Ensworth is having a major impact on all private schools in Middle Tennessee. Look for Ricky to build Ensworth into the type of powerhouse that MBA once was. It also helped when MBA had a run of QB's like Martin & Fisher. How many schools get that type of QB once every 25 years much less when they follow each other?

Please allow me to educate you on why the D2AAA private schools were "FORCED" into another division after most of them had been playing in the same division for 30+ seasons. Riverdale and their coach at the time Gary Rankin lost the state championship game to Brentwood Academy. Everything was great when Brentwood Academy was playing down in classification and winning state titles but when they decided to request that the TSSAA place them in the states highest classification and they won the state title everything broke loose. Before someone starts talking about cheating don't forget that Brentwood Academy won the case in front of the United States Supreme Court.

Before anyone takes the job they need to look at a few things if they wish to have a winning program: 1. Practice facilities: field is small and not in very good condition 2. Strength & Conditioning: Is the room large enough so that the whole team can workout and do you have enough equipment 3. Will they allow you to hire your own staff? 4. Will you be able to have a 1/8 coach to player ratio including the varsity, jv and freshmen teams? 5. Would they allow you to bring your own certified strength & conditioning coach into the school? This all sounds crazy but you need to know what you are going to be allowed to do before you ever take the job. It would be foolish to take the job if the school system is not going to give you the tools to have a winning program.

Was Joe Bates (Father Ryan) not selected as a High School All-American?

BJ Coleman (McCallie & University of Tennessee) would probably be the top choice.

Was Hendersonville & MtJuliet in the old NIL? I only remember the teams from Davidson County being in the league.

In today's world why would a football game be postponed until Saturday evening? With all of the college games on TV now it's probably not going to help the gate to postpone the game.

It dosen't matter who the head coach is if you don't have a good staff you will not win. All programs that want to turn the ship around in a short period of time will allow the new head coach to bring the following positions with him: DC, DL, OL, OC, along with a strength & conditioning coach. The general rule of thumb is that most successful large school football programs have at a minium of one coach for every eight players in the program.

Keith Davis was from Overton but if my memory serves me correctly he graduated with the 1981 state championship team & the NIL folded around 1979.

What are the qualifications of the new Smyrna coach? Did he win a high school state championship when he competed or was he a D1 All-American in college? I heard from someone else that he is the former coach at Smyrna Middle School but I know nothing about their program. What conference do they compete in and did the Smyrna team win multiple team or individual championships? Good luck to Smyrna in the future, it appears that they must work hard to get the program back on top.

No more D1 or D2! Place all teams in one division with 4 classifications and use the Merit System for the football playoffs. Teams that have 6 wins and do not qualify for the playoffs may attend a bowl game.

If the TSSAA would do away with D1 & D2 and go to 4 classifications while using the "MERIT SYSTEM" you could eliminate 99% of all the problems. The reason that schools will not look at the merit system for football is because it is human nature to fear the unknown.

IMO, the following players were the best ever in the old NIL: Defense: E.J. Junior (Mapelwood) & Greg Gaines (DuPont) both of these guys had long careers in the NFL Offense: Bill Wade (MBA), Mike Wright (Father Ryan), and Ingle Martin (MBA) all played professional football or professional baseball. MVP: "Jefferson Street" Joe Gilliam (Pearl, Tennessee State & Pittsburgh Steelers) Better than Terry Bradshaw and proved it but the NFL was not ready for a minority to play QB on a Super Bowl championship team.

Why not keep everyone together and use the merit system?

E.J. Junior (Mapelwood & University of Alabama) was All-Pro in the NFL Lester McClain (Antioch & University of Tennessee) "Jefferson Street" Joe Gillam (Pearl, Tennessee State, Pittsburgh Steelers) Mike Wright (Father Ryan) was probably the best QB from Middle Tennessee until Ingle Martin (MBA) started to play. Is it true that one of Wright's daughters is married to Martin?

That is my top ten in order. Which one of those teams do you not agree with and who would you want to play? I gave a reason for each team so maybe you should give us your reason as to why it is 50% incorrect.

Those other 160 teams could play a bowl game (like they once did) if they have a winning record. The TSSAA receoves 50% of all gate receipts for bowl games just like the playoff games. The concessions, parking, program sales, etc... goes to the home school.

Maryville (no doubt they are the best team in Tennessee) McCallie (with Coleman @ QB they can beat anyone) Riverdale (very good defense but do they have a passing attack and 2 min offense) Brentwood Academy (very good team that seems to be getting better) Alcoa (up and down team but when they are good they are very good) Gallatin (who have they played that is really good?) ECS (they can throw the football very well and that is trouble for most high school teams in Tennessee) Dobyns Bennett (show me you can beat the best from Middle and West Tennessee) Goodpasture (they have size and talent but the QB does not have a good arm, look and their RAC average) Ooltewah (a good Chattanooga area team that needs to show they can beat the best in Middle & West Tennessee)

Let's understand one thing first and that is everyone that has been inducted and is being inducted this time around is deserving. Drennan was a wrestling coach at some capacity for probably fifteen or twenty seasons. Some of those years he served as an assistant coach or coached the freshmen team. Tommy Bateman, Bobby Garmon, former Springfield coach Randy Thomas (you should have Randy introduce Carter so everyone could watch a fight) or Pat Simpson would probably have a good idea. Don't forget that Drennan still had his hand in wrestling when he had the automobile accident (talk about special circumstances) that later took his life. Not placing Joe Drennan in the Hall of Fame is like not placing Vince Lombardi in the NFL Hall of Fame because he didn't coach enough years. Is it the number of years that you coach or what you have done when you coached?

What makes you say that? Are you not being a little tough on McPhail considering that he has only been on the staff for one season?

How is former Father Ryan coach Joe Drennan (Godfather of Nashville Wrestling) not in the Hall of Fame? Drennan is responsible for not only building a wrestling power at Father Ryan but he helped launch wrestling in Middle Tennessee. How soon some people forget.

Does Father Ryan or BGA have their games broadcast over the radio?

Are any of these wrestlers going to sign during the early period?

Congratulations on becoming an official. I sure hope that you work hard at becoming a good official because Tennessee needs several good ones.

Has the TSSAA board of control given the merit system full consideration? Would they consider the merit system or would they use the excuse that no school has presented the idea to them? IMO the merit system would work best by also including the following: TSSAA would have 4 classifications for football. No regular season game to be played before the Friday before Labor Day. The 1st official football practice would be the 2nd Monday of August. With some school systems having "year around" school schedules no school would be allowed to have 2-a-day football practices anymore to make it fair for the players already in school. The top 16 teams in each division would go to the state playoffs. All schools would play a 10 game schedule and teams that fail to qualify for the playoffs but have won 6 or more games may attend 1 bowl game at the end of the regular season if they are invited. The TSSAA should recive 1/3 of the gross gate receipts with each participating school receiving 1/3 of the gross gate receipts for the playoffs and bowl games. The home team would be responsible for payment of the game officials and the chain gang.