Vicky Price Baliles

Vicky Price Baliles was a starting forward for the West Fannin High School girls basketball team from her freshman year in 1962-63 through her senior season in 1965-66. Vicky was small so, in the era of 6-girl basketball, most of her points came on long set shots from far outside the basket. The three guards in the 6-player format were set before the offense captured possession of the ball so fast break baskets were virtually non-existent. Plus, Helen Mercier, Vicky’s teammate since her elementary school days at Blue Ridge, had good size and handled most of the inside scoring. Vicky scored more than 900 points during her career at West Fannin. She played prior to the adoption of the three-point shot so her point total would have been far more than one thousand in today’s game. The teams for whom Vicky competed at West Fannin posted records of 8-8 in 1962-63, 13-11 in 1963-64, 13-7 in 1964-65 and 15-9 in 1965-66. The 1965-66 team advanced to the region 3AA tournament semi-final round before losing. Vicky’s high water mark in tournament play came following her freshman year when she scored 26 points against Rockmart. Vicky was named to the region 3AA all-tournament team in 1965-66. She was elected as a co-captain of the 1964-65 team and captain of the 1965-66 Yellow Jacket squad. She was awarded the team Sportsmanship Award as a junior and Most Valuable Player Award following her senior season. She also earned the team Scholastic Award after her senior year. Vicky Price was very active in campus life at West Fannin. She was elected as president of her sophomore class, vice-president of her junior class and secretary of the senior class of 1966. She was a member of the Beta Club and was elected as the Homecoming Queen in the fall of 1965. Her classmates elected her as the Best All-Around girl in the graduating class of 1966. Following her graduation from West Fannin, Vicky attended Young Harris Junior College and then earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health and Physical Education from the University of Georgia in 1970. In 1977 she earned a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from North Georgia College. Vicky coached girls basketball at East Fannin High School for one season and then at Mineral Bluff Elementary School for seven years. She taught at Fannin County schools for a total of eleven years. Following her teaching career in Fannin County, she taught for 13 years in Polk County, Tennessee at Ducktown Elementary, Benton Elementary and Copper Basin Elementary. At Copper Basin Elementary, she taught science for eight years. Vicky has been married to Bill Baliles for 42 years. It is a mixed marriage since Bill is a graduate of Copper Basin High School. They make their home in Ducktown. They have lived in the same house since their marriage.