Jack Myers

One of the most popular features of Reader's Digest magazine was a series titled "The Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met." Had anyone involved in athletics in Fannin County from the mid-1960s through the 1980s been invited to contribute to the series, a popular subject would have been Coach Jack Myers. Myers was a legendary figure with a larger-than-life persona matched by his six-foot, seven-inch physical presence. He filled any room with both his personality and his physical stature. Everyone who worked with or played for Myers had stories to tell about him. Myers was born in the sleepy village of Townsend, Tennessee. Inhabited by a population of 550 in 2020, Townsend, along with Gatlinburg and Cherokee, North Carolina, is one of three entry points to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While Gatlinburg and Cherokee have become tourist havens for the millions of visitors to the Smokies each year, Townsend proudly touts its unofficial title as "the peaceful side of the Smokies." Jack Myers was born in Townsend in 1923. He was a sports-minded young man and finished high school just in time to join the Navy at the onset of World War II. He competed for several service basketball, softball and baseball teams during his military stay. After the war, Jack enrolled at the University of Maryland, where he was a member of the Terrapin basketball team for two years. Freshmen were ineligible for varsity play at that time, but as a sophomore backup center Jack saw action in 11 games during the 1948-49 season. Injuries curtailed his career as a participant, and Jack moved on to East Tennessee State University, where he graduated with a degree in physical education. In 1951 Jack landed a job teaching and coaching baseball and boys basketball at Dan River High School in Danville, Virginia. He stayed at Dan River until the spring of 1962. He then coached baseball and basketball and served as athletic director at Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, Tennessee, from 1962 through the spring of 1965. At the age of 42, Jack Myers came to East Fannin High School in the autumn of 1965 as head boys basketball coach and assistant football coach. He led the 1965-66 boys basketball team to a region runner-up finish, earning a trip to the state Class B tournament in Macon. This was the only boys team in East Fannin history to advance to the state basketball tournament. Jack went on to serve as a teacher and coach in Fannin County until his retirement in 1989. His career was highlighted when his Epworth Elementary School boys basketball teams won three consecutive county championships from 1967 through 1970. Following the school consolidation of 1976, he coached various sports at West Fannin Middle School from 1976 through 1989. Overall, he taught and coached at various schools for 37 years, 23 of them in Fannin County. Those who played for and coached with Jack Myers remember him as a fun-loving, gregarious man in his personal life but all business on the field or court. He was a furious competitor who demanded the very best from his players. Please welcome Jack Myers to the Fannin County Sports Hall of Fame.