Longtime Fulton assistant football coach, teacher Bob Black dies at 80

Bob Black, a legendary figure at Fulton High School, died Monday after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's, his daughter Kelley Black Seymour shared on Facebook.  He was 80.

"My dad, our hero, 'Coach Bob Black,' entered into the Gates of Heaven this afternoon," Black Seymour wrote in the post. "Many know he had suffered with Alzheimer's the past few years. He recently had a rapid decline in his condition. Today he has been made brand new in his Heavenly Home. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts and prayers.”

Black graduated from Fulton in 1960 and returned as an assistant football coach in 1965. He was the head coach in 1969 and 1970, and was an administrator and teacher for more than 50 years. 

“The Fulton High School Football Family mourns the loss of Coach Bob Black,” Fulton football’s account posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Coach Black was a legendary figure in the history of FHS as a player, assistant coach, head coach, and athletic director. Coach Black had a profound impact on everyone he met and will never be forgotten.”

He was inducted into the TSSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Fulton's football field was named the "Bob Black Field" in 1986. 

Black’s son, Rob Black, is an co-athletic director at Fulton and a former Fulton football player and coach. As a coach, he contributed to the Falcons’ six state championships — three as the head coach before stepping down in 2022. He was coached by his dad and also with him.

Jody Wright, Fulton's boys basketball coach and also co-athletic director, shared his feelings on Bob Black's death.

“Coach Black was my mentor, my first scorebook keeper, the Bob in JoBob, a sidekick in so many skits, my role model, my confidant, and my hero,” Wright posted on X. “He was so many things to so many people. How lucky were we to call him our friend.”

Toyloy Brown III is a Knox News sports reporter. Email tbrown@usatoday.com. Twitter @TJ3rd_.