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Name the best coaches ever in TN HS FB history


SweetScience
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Some of the good ones I remember:

  • Red Etter - Chattanooga Central and Baylor
  • Jack Armstrong, Emory Hale and Joe Gaddis - Oak Ridge
  • George Quarles, Ted Wilson - Maryville
  • Graham Clark - Kingsport DB
  • John Cropp - Tennessee High of Bristol
  • Craig Kisabeth - Jefferson County
  • Calvin Short - Gallatin
  • Gary Rankin - Riverdale, Alcoa
  • Benny Monroe - McMinn County, Cleveland, Ooltewah
  • Steve Brewer - Fulton, Sevier County
  • Buck Coatney - Fulton
  • Joel Helton - Knox Central
  • Louis Thompson - Lincoln County

 

 

More at other classes and in Middle and West Tennessee, the guy at Brentwood Academy for years, can't remember his name...

Buck Coatney is a good call.

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He played for Furman, i am pretty sure...Idk where he started out coaching, though...Played for Jeff County in HS in the 80's

 

He came my Sr. year from a little school in Georgia. Can't remember what their name was, but he started off as our QB coach under Hammontree & was brought in spefically to upgrade the passing game under then OC David Ellis (now the OL coach).

 

Funnier still, he was actually the ball boy growing up in Jeff County for Carson-Newman's team when Hammontree, Ellis, Pete Billingsley (my DB/WR coach @ Maryville), & Larry Kerr (Halls/Aderson County) were all playing for the Eagles back in the day... Small world.

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Maybe not a top name, but one that should be mentioned is Roger Perry. He has had a great career starting in Westmoreland, then moving to Portland, and now at Mt. Juliet. His Portland Teams were in the State Championship in 1994, 1999, and 2000, winning the Championship in 2000. Not sure of his overall record, but he has been one of the primier mid-state coaches since the early 1990's.

 

I don't know his overall record as HC, but when Portland was in 3A from 1993-2004, the Panthers were 123-33 including playoffs. During that time, he was 96-13 from 94-01, (13 losses in 8 seasons), during which he made the three State Championship appearances you mentioned. He is currently doing a successful job as Mt. Juliet's head coach, but I don't know his record while there.

Edited by PPride
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Chig certainly was a good one,another loudon county coach-Bill Satterfield 20 something yrs at GB,a few at Grace and now at seq is certainly one of the best around here.

Oak Ridge's legendary coach Jack Armstrong grew up in Lenoir City, and played for General Robert Neyland. I have heard from more then a few folks that Jack Armstrong wasn't very pleasant to play for mellow.png

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No one has mentioned Shirley Majors. He compiled a 108-24-2 record while coaching at Lynchburg, old Franklin County High School and Huntland High School. While at Huntland High School, he had 6 undefeated seasons. I believe his coaching record while at Huntland was 70-7, after losing 4 games in his first year. After leaving the high school sidelines, he went on to the University of the South where he coached for 21 years. While there, he had a record of 93-74-5 with 2 undefeated seasons.

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  • 8 years later...

Having played for John Cropp at Tennessee High in the early 70’s, I have to give him a nod. He was a math teacher and did analytics before computers could be lifted without a forklift. He was sharp at catching tendencies of opponents and his own team. We beat lots of teams with bigger players using the Houston Veer.

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I can't remember his name but the Coach at the old Murfreesboro High School before R'dale and Oakland opened during the late 1960's.

 

Best whisky maker when he was alive, "Popcorn Sutton".  I still have a 'taste' or two from his infamous Morale Run he made for Guard Members during Desert Storm 1.  Man made a 500 gallon run so Guard Members deploying would have at least a pint in that DRY country.

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25 minutes ago, Lost Old Dad said:

I can't remember his name but the Coach at the old Murfreesboro High School before R'dale and Oakland opened during the late 1960's.

 

Best whisky maker when he was alive, "Popcorn Sutton".  I still have a 'taste' or two from his infamous Morale Run he made for Guard Members during Desert Storm 1.  Man made a 500 gallon run so Guard Members deploying would have at least a pint in that DRY country.

We can debate coaches all year and most will agree on a few, but most top ten lists will vary. Whiskey maker isn't debatable. I have a picture with one of Popcorn's stills (while he was still with us) but none of the likker. My wife's cousin was married to Popcorn's neighbor at the time, and I placed an order for two quarts... before he could acquire them Popcorn rode off in the model t and didn't come back... BUMMER!!!

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