2023 TnFCA HALL OF FAME STORY
The Tennessee Football Coaches Association (TnFCA) proudly present and will induct their ninth annual Hall of Fame coaching class, Saturday afternoon at Ensworth High School.
The TnFCA first presented their inaugural Hall of Fame class back in 2014 and will induct one member of the 2021 Class in current Oakland head coach Kevin Creasy, along with a four-member Class of 2022 which includes longtime Metro Nashville coach Maurice Fitzgerald, former Kingston coach Vic King, current McCallie head coach Ralph Potter and longtime Knoxville area coach Bill Young.
“The 2022 class of Hall of Fame class is an excellent representation of men who have dedicated decades to shape the lives of student athletes in the state of Tennessee. We are proud to induct them into our Hall of Fame,” TnFCA President Matthew Bates said.
“This year we are honoring nine head coaches of the year in their respective classifications. These men have led their teams on the field and in the community with a high level of integrity.”
“We have 9 assistant coaches of the year, one for each classification. These men have worked hard to develop student athletes on their respective teams. They are also the state of Tennessee’s semifinalists for the High School Broyles award, that is part of the college Broyles award for the nation’s top assistant.”
The five Hall of Fame coaches have combined to win 13 state titles and 970 wins.
With these five great Hall of Fame coaches, the TnFCA has inducted 78 total coaches since 2014.
Here is an individual look at each Hall of Fame inductee.
Class of 2021
*Kevin Creasy- Creasy was one of four coaches that was to be inducted into the 2021 Hall of Fame Class, but Coach Creasy was leading his school Oakland to three straight Class 6A state titles in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
He started his head coaching career at Trousdale County in 2008. He led the Yellow Jackets to three state titles (2008, 2009 and 2013) and a 79-12 record in his seven years in Hartsville.
Since 2015, Creasy has made Oakland a force on the 6A level as the Patriots have won four state titles (2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022) and a current 110-7 record and his overall coaching record is 189-19 (.908 winning percentage).
Kevin quote
Here’s a closer look at the 2022 Hall of Fame Class
*Maurice Fitzgerald- “Coach Fitz” as he is called by his players made his coaching career in Metro Nashville as coached at three Metro schools in Hillsboro (2017-2020), Stratford (2015-16), Pearl Cohn (1989-2014).
He had success at each stop leading the schools to 16 total playoff appearances and his overall head coaching record is 149-113 with a winning percentage of .569.
His biggest success came at Pearl Cohn, where he led the Firebirds to back-to-back Class 4A state titles in 1996 and 1997 and 10 playoff appearances in 16 seasons at Pearl Cohn.
“It’s a great honor to be inducted into a great organization and with some great coaches in this class, but it’s all about the former players, coaches and administrations that have made a great impact on me and allowed me to coach,” Fitzgerald said.
*Vic King- Vic King is Kingston football as he patrolled the Yellow Jacket sidelines for 25 seasons (1986-2011).
Coach King led Kingston to 20 playoff appearances and had a coaching record of 198-99 for a .667 winning percentage.
“I’m honored to be a part of a great class,” King said.
*Ralph Potter- The current McCallie coach in his second stint at his alma mater has been the head coach at three private schools including two separate stints at McCallie (1997-2006 and 2012-current), Brentwood Academy (2007-11) and Baylor (1994-96).
Potter has led the Blue Tornado to four state titles (2001, 2019, 2020 and 2021) and has an overall coaching record of 235-105 which is a winning percentage of .691.
“The Hall of Fame honor is much appreciated. I am humbled to join other accomplished coaches for whom I have much respect. Many thanks to assistant coaches, players, and my family who been with me through all the highs and lows,” Potter said.
*Bill Young- Coach Young spent his entire head coaching career in East Tennessee as he led five different schools in Knoxville South (1974-75), Knoxville West (1976), Bearden (1977-80 and 1988-2001), Oak Ridge (1981-87) and Christian School of Knoxville (2002-06).
The five schools made a total of 17 trips to the playoffs under Young and he retired with a 199-156 overall coaching record (.561 winning percentage).
"It is very humbling to be inducted into a Hall of Fame with a group of men for whom I have the utmost respect. It has been an honor to be on the field competing against many prior inductees. I want to thank the TnFCA for this honor," Young said.
“To be a coach you need to have family support. My wife, Janet, and my daughters, Eileen, and Anne, have been great. Football became a big part of their lives and still is. You need an outstanding coaching staff. I had dedicated and knowledgeable coaches. I never felt like I was the best coach on any staff I was on. Obviously, coaches need good and dedicated players. We were blessed with that. The relationships with all these people are what makes coaching a great profession. I am thankful to God for calling me to the coaching profession and leading my steps (when I let Him). I accept this award on behalf of all these people.”
Also on Saturday, TnFCA would like to recognize the nine coaches of the year and the nine assistant coaches of the year (voted on by TnFCA members) that headline our All-state football teams that were released last month.
The Coaches of the year are as follows:
Class 1A- Bruce Lamb, Clay County
Class 2A- Scott Chandler, Tyner
Class 3A- Dallas Kuykendall, Chuckey Doak
Class 4A- Tony Brunetti, Pearl Cohn
Class 5A- Lamar Brown, Knoxville West
Class 6A- Lance Tucker, Bartlett
Division II-A- Jeff Brothers, Nashville Christian
Division II-AA- David Meske, Knoxville Webb
Division II-AAA- Marty Euverard, MBA
The Assistant coaches of the year are as follows:
Class 1A- Chris Cagle, Fayetteville
Class 2A- Andrew Holcomb, Mt. Pleasant
Class 3A- Chris Simpson, East Nashville
Class 4A- Tony Lambert, Anderson County
Class 5A- Curtis Grah, Mt. Juliet
Class 6A- Geoff Courtney, Farragut
Division II-A- Bryce King, USJ
Division II-AA- Kevin Julian, Knoxville Webb
Division II-AAA- Ron Crawford, Christian Brothers
