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September 10, 2007
From: Jody Wright,
Athletic Director, Fulton High
We are pleased to
announce that Buck Coatney has been selected as the
2006-07 State of Tennessee Football Coach of the Year by
the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA).
His name has been submitted to the National Federation
of High School Associations and he will be receiving a
certificate recognizing this distinguished honor. We are
very proud of Coach Coatney and his staff for all their
accomplishments and this much deserved honor.
About Coach Buck Coatney:
Fulton High School�s 26-7 2006 season-opening win over
Austin-East was a milestone victory for Head Football
Coach Buck Coatney. The Falcons gave Coatney his 100th
coaching victory as FHS head coach. This is an amazing
feat, considering that when Coatney was hired in 1992,
Fulton was slated to be closed. Coatney�s job looked to
be a temporary one. Interest in football was slipping at
the school, as many players moved to other schools due
to the proposed closing. The 1992 team suffered through
a 1-9 season, but the lone win was an overtime victory
over archrival West. The Fulton program improved
throughout the early 90s. The Falcons made their first
of 14 consecutive playoff appearances under Coatney in
1993. By the year 2000, Fulton had re-established itself
as a football power in the Knoxville area. In 2002,
Coatney led the Falcons to their first undefeated
regular season since 1974, ending the season at the
BlueCross Bowl. Coatney became the first-ever coach in
Knoxville to lead his team to back-to-back state
football championships in 2003 and 2004. Fulton returned
to the pinnacle of Class 3A football in 2006, as the
Falcons ended the season with a 14-1 record and the
school�s third state championship. Currently, Coatney
has a 114-74 record as Fulton�s head coach.
Coatney�s roots are colored maroon and white, as his
father John captained Fulton�s 1959 team. Coatney was
known as a hard-nosed linebacker and tight end on the
Falcon teams of the late 70s. He was named to the
all-state team and the Knoxville Journal
defensive player of the year, as he led Fulton to a
region championship in 1979. Current Vanderbilt coach
Bobby Johnson recruited Coatney to Furman University
where he earned Honorable-Mention All-American honors.
He began his coaching career at Furman as a graduate
assistant. After leaving Furman, Coatney spent two years
as an assistant coach at Middlesburg High School in
Florida. He returned to Fulton in 1987, where he served
as Defensive Coordinator. He was named Fulton�s 11th
head coach in 1992. Coatney is the only football coach
to win three consecutive KFL/PrepXtra Coach of the year
honors (2002-2004). For his work in 2004, the Tennessee
Sportswriters Association, and the Tennessee Titans
named Coatney state coach of the year.
Coatney served
as the defensive coordinator of the 2005 Tennessee High
School All-Star team. He earned his fourth PrepXtra Bob
Polston Coach of the Year award, and his third TSWA
state Coach of the Year honor following the 2006 season.
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