Coach Joe Black Hayes' funeral on 13 December 2013

[delaWarr]

Coach Joe Black Hayes passed away on Monday, 9 December 2013.  He was 98.  He was a wrestling pioneer in Middle Tennessee.  He iniated a program in the late 1940s at Middle Tennessee State.  His program was discontinued by the school in 1954, but he was host to the conference tournament for his last season, and his team finished 2nd to Auburn.  He continued his ties with wrestling through officiating during the next two decades and was assigning offical in Murfreesboro in closing out his career in the sport.

 

Coach Hayes played football at the University of Tennessee for General Neyland during the late 1930s.  He won a heavyweight championship in wrestling for UT while competing there.  He was inducted into the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2009.

 

He received many accolades throughout his career in coaching, as well as in his many civic activities in service to the community.

 

The Daily News Journal of Murfreesboro, Wednesday 11 December 2013 has his obituary and has a story in the sports section.

Edited December 12, 2013 by delaWarr

[Sommers]

Wat back to the 40's! Thanks for sharing. I'm fairly confident he called some of your boys matches back in the day!

 

Coach West, give us an idea of how many medalists middle Tennessee has produced over the years. Even though Baylor, McCallie, Red Bank, Hixson, East Ridge, Chatt. Central, Tyner, Ooltewah, Soddy, Bradley, Cleveland, and Walker Valley (HIR to mention Ga teams right to the south) has produced 100's of medalists,,, you may be able to give us a comparison adding Montgomery Co. Schools, Tullahoma, and Cookeville!?!?

[THEANIMAL]

I TRIED TO POST COACH HAYES OBITUARY, IT WOULD NOT LET ME FOR SOME REASON. THERE WAS ALSO A GOOD ARTICLE IN TODAY'S KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL.

 

THE ANIMAL

Edited December 13, 2013 by THEANIMAL