Chuck Jabaley

A Fannin County native, Chuck Jabaley attended elementary school locally and West Fannin High School as a freshman in 1966-67. His parents, John and Elizabeth Jabaley, were big fans of the Baylor College Preparatory School for Boys in Chattanooga and enrolled Chuck there at the beginning of his sophomore year in the fall of 1967. Chuck’s two older brothers, Michael and Fred, and his cousin Ron had attended Baylor and the Jabaley families were pleased with the quality of the education received by their sons there. Chuck’s father died unexpectedly in November, 1967, only two months after he began his time at Baylor. Chuck wanted to return home but his mother’s tough love prevailed and he remained at Baylor to finish the job that he had started. At Baylor, Chuck was a brilliant student, an active and respected student and military leader and outstanding athlete. A knee injury ended his football career early in his senior season. The old proverb that ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ came into play, however, because the football injury gave Chuck more time to work on his golf game. After graduation from Baylor, Chuck attended undergraduate school at North Carolina and later graduated at the top of his law school class at the University of Georgia in 1976. He then practiced law in Atlanta where he met Becky, his wife of 38 years. In 1987 he accepted the position of corporate attorney for Life Care Centers of America and moved his family of four to Cleveland, Tennessee. Chuck’s accomplishments were many and he soon received the nickname ‘The King’ from his friends and associates. His golf game improved steadily and, by the mid-1980s, he was one of the best amateur players in the South, perhaps the entire nation. Although possessing the skills to have a go at professional golf, Chuck chose to retain his amateur status throughout his career. His first victory in a sanctioned, competitive golf event came in the Tennessee Golf Association two-man scramble golf tournament in 1989. His biggest personal thrill in golf came in 1992 when he won the Atlanta Athletic Club’s club championship and had his name etched on the championship trophy alongside the name of his idol, Bobby Jones. Chuck was one of an elite group of amateurs to win the TGA Tennessee Open tournament championship. He won that event in 1994 over a field of the best amateur and professional golfers in the state. Previous winners include professionals Gibby Gilbert, Mason Rudolph and Loren Roberts. He was the runner-up in the Tennessee Amateur in 1995 and had four other top 5 finishes in that event. He finished second in the 2006 Tennessee Senior Match Play tournament. Championships won include the Chattanooga Open in 1994, Lake Tanzi Pro-Am in Crossville in 1995, six Cleveland Tennessee club championships, club championships at The Honors Course in Ooltewah TN in 1995 and 1996 and senior club championships at The Honors Course in 2007 and 2008. The rigors of travel to play in golf events were eased somewhat in 1996 when he earned his pilot’s license and flew himself and friends to golf destinations around the country. He was inducted into the Chattanooga Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. Chuck faced his biggest challenge in 2008 when he was stricken with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He waged a ten-year battle with the disease before passing away at his home in Cleveland on May 2, 2018. Chuck’s legacies are his son, Austin, his daughter Allison and two grandchildren, Luke Jabaley and Charlotte Murry. In addition to his wife Becky, he is survived by his brother Dr. Michael Jabaley of Jackson, Mississippi and sister Theresa of Chicago. Chuck Jabaley represented all that is good in athletics and the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame is honored to add his name to the roster of great Fannin County athletes.