Name the best coaches ever in TN HS FB history

[chs1984]

Mr. Barney, you may know the answer to something I’ve always wondered about. Why did so many high schools in and around Knoxville build football stadiums with bleachers on only one side? There is only one stadium like this in Georgia, at the Lovett School in Atlanta. They have a good excuse. If they had visitor’s bleachers, they would be sitting in the middle of the Chattahoochee River, which is right behind the visiting team’s sideline. 

[BarneySox2007]

17 minutes ago, chs1984 said:

Mr. Barney, you may know the answer to something I’ve always wondered about. Why did so many high schools in and around Knoxville build football stadiums with bleachers on only one side? There is only one stadium like this in Georgia, at the Lovett School in Atlanta. They have a good excuse. If they had visitor’s bleachers, they would be sitting in the middle of the Chattahoochee River, which is right behind the visiting team’s sideline. 

Never figured that one out either. The only benefit I can see from this is that most of those are so large that you should be able to get a great view of the field. Maryville and Alcoa are two sided and so are most smaller schools.

[WilleTheWildcat]

1 hour ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Willie Oak Ridge Football has a connection to Knoxville High School by means of Buist {Buzz) Warren who coached Oak Ridge from 48-51. Buist Warren led Tennessee to the 1941 Sugar Bowl game. After the death of Wilson Collins at Knoxville High Sam Jones took over the Head coaching job in 1941 and hired Buist Warren as his first assistant coach. When WWII broke out Warren went into the Navy and when he returned in 45 the Head coach at the time Bill Cox already had his assistant coach from the years before so Warren entered the NFL and quarterbacked the Pittsburg Steelers in 1945. In 1948 he was named Head coach at Oak Ridge staying until the 1951 season.. In 1941 at Knoxville High Jones and Warren coached the Trojans to a 12-1 record losing to Knox Central in the famous Thanksgiving Bowl at UT every year.

When did you get your PhD in East Tennessee High School Football? I had seen Warren's name on lists of former OR coaches and now I can add some historical details to his biography.

[SweetScience]

2 hours ago, BarneySox2007 said:

Willie Oak Ridge Football has a connection to Knoxville High School by means of Buist {Buzz) Warren who coached Oak Ridge from 48-51. Buist Warren led Tennessee to the 1941 Sugar Bowl game. After the death of Wilson Collins at Knoxville High Sam Jones took over the Head coaching job in 1941 and hired Buist Warren as his first assistant coach. When WWII broke out Warren went into the Navy and when he returned in 45 the Head coach at the time Bill Cox already had his assistant coach from the years before so Warren entered the NFL and quarterbacked the Pittsburg Steelers in 1945. In 1948 he was named Head coach at Oak Ridge staying until the 1951 season.. In 1941 at Knoxville High Jones and Warren coached the Trojans to a 12-1 record losing to Knox Central in the famous Thanksgiving Bowl at UT every year.

Yessir. I think we hired John Francis after Buist left, if I’m not mistaken. I knew about Buist, but didn’t know all that info about him. Good find, Barn.

Edited March 6, 2021 by SweetScience

[BarneySox2007]

14 hours ago, SweetScience said:

Yessir. I think we hired John Francis after Buist left, if I’m not mistaken. I knew about Buist, but didn’t know all that info about him. Good find, Barn.

John Francis was the captain of Knox Central's 1939 team that was crowned state champions that year after going 10-0 scoring 258 points and only allowing 13 that season. He then went on to UT as a tackle from 40 and 41 then came back after the war to play in the 46 and 47 season. Buist Warren hired Francis as his assistant the year he started coaching at Oak Ridge in 1948. About a month before the 52 season Warren took a job on the staff of Texas Tech and Francis was elevated to head coach. He hired Jack Armstrong as an assistant who was presently the head football coach at LaFollette High School who also played at UT in 46-47 and 48 who was from Lenior City originally. It's always nice to be able to know who the past coaches were and how everything came to be which got you down the path your on today. Picture below is Francis at Central in 1939.

Edited March 6, 2021 by BarneySox2007

[BarneySox2007]

One of the best pictures I've seen of Oak Ridge which may be from the late 40's or early 50's with the old school on top of the hill at Blankenship Field.

Edited March 6, 2021 by BarneySox2007

[drhhartman]

1 hour ago, BarneySox2007 said:

One of the best pictures I've seen of Oak Ridge which may be from the late 40's or early 50's with the old school on top of the hill at Blankenship Field.

Thanks for the color photo.  So many Friday nights enjoyed there.

[bounder]

Boy ran many a lap around that field after drawing the displeasure of a certain Coach Orlando. Still can't call him Nick! Too much respect there to do that. Just plain "Coach" worked just fine. Met his paddle a time or two, also. Made him one in woodworking shop in the shape of a straight razor, just made noise didn't burn and sting like the ones made out of a 1X3! haha

[bigdawgtn]

On 9/28/2012 at 3:42 PM, pepvol said:

 

Yes , and I don't think anyone else is even close to Coach Quarles ... I know some will say Rankin , but I've never seen Rankin beat a team that was much , much better athletically than his team . Coach Quarles has pulled so many miracles out of his hat against a team with Superior Athletes so many times , that everyone now takes it for granted . I've never watched Football on any level where you always have such a strong feeling that if everything else is close and it's going to come down to coaching ... that Quarles will always come out on top ... ALWAYS .

i would agree..much rather have Quarles over Rankin any day of the week

[WingT08]

Derek Rang. Final answer.

[FHS_Admiral]

All of the coaches that have been mentioned thus far in this thread have been really good or great high school coaches.    I just thought I would throw out a few names that coached at Farragut that perhaps deserve mention in this thread as well.    Three are long time current or former Tennessee High School coaches, and the other didn't coach high school long, but was truly great.

Eddie Courtney - Farragut 1996 - Current

Buddy Fisher - Morristown East, Knoxville Carter, and Farragut

Dan Bland - Tullahoma, Farragut, Jackson Central-Merry, Columbia Central, Milan, Humboldt

Ken Sparks - Morristown East, Farragut

[SweetScience]

5 hours ago, FHS_Admiral said:

All of the coaches that have been mentioned thus far in this thread have been really good or great high school coaches.    I just thought I would throw out a few names that coached at Farragut that perhaps deserve mention in this thread as well.    Three are long time current or former Tennessee High School coaches, and the other didn't coach high school long, but was truly great.

Eddie Courtney - Farragut 1996 - Current

Buddy Fisher - Morristown East, Knoxville Carter, and Farragut

Dan Bland - Tullahoma, Farragut, Jackson Central-Merry, Columbia Central, Milan, Humboldt

Ken Sparks - Morristown East, Farragut

Fisher coached under Emory Hale @ Oak Ridge for a bit too, believe it or not.