Boyce ‘Buddy’ Padgett

Boyce ‘Buddy’ Padgett was the first football coach in Fannin County history. He organized and coached the West Fannin football team in the autumn of 1955. He remained at West Fannin two years and moved to Blue Ridge Elementary as Principal and coach of the first football team in Blue Ridge school history. After 5 years in Fannin, he moved on to Florida as an education administrator. In recognition of his work in the administrative side of athletics, Coach Padgett was elected as a member of the Florida High School Athletics Hall of Fame. He touched many young lives during his time in Fannin County, and his former players and students kept in close contact with him for the rest of his life. Buddy Padgett was inducted into the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame on August 21, 2021. Coach Padgett passed away on April 10, 2023, in Palm Bay, Florida, at the age of 92. He is remembered as the man who brought football to Fannin County.