After battling cancer for the past year Garry has decided to enter Hospice. Please play for him in his final days. I have attached an article written by Murphy Fair from a couple of years ago describing his impact on the community where he coached. Certainly a VFL we can all be proud of.
I had dinner a couple of weeks ago with an extremely wealthy man. And from what I observed throughout the rest of that late August evening in East Tennessee, I’m guessing he may very well be the richest man I’ve ever known.
Keep in mind that as a journalist I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of well-to-do people over the years. But the wealth accumulated by these individuals, pales in comparison to what retired Coalfield teacher and football coach Gary Kreis has accumulated during his decades of service to this small school in rural Morgan County.
In the late 1960s, Kreis was a starting receiver at Tennessee. A three-year letterman for the Vols, Kreis caught passes for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns during his college career.
His 21-yard TD catch from quarterback Bubba Wyche as time expired in the 1968 season opener against Georgia led to Tennessee tying the Bulldogs 17-17 in the first game ever played on artificial turf in Neyland Stadium.
After graduation, he served as a middle school coach, then as an assistant coach at Coalfield for several years, before becoming the head coach of the Yellow Jackets in 1987. He served in that capacity through the 2007-2008 school year.
Kreis left the sport he loves so dearly, some say prematurely, when his father was stricken with cancer. His dad’s death in 2005 was followed by the loss of his mother just two short years later in 2007. Then in 2010, more heartache came his way when his 37-year old special needs son died.
Despite the loss of the three people he cared for the most, Kreis battled on. Now retired from teaching and coaching altogether, his love of Coalfield and the young people who have passed through the school system there continues to impact residents of this tiny community. Nowhere was that more evident than at the football game we attended after dinner.
And although the game didn’t exactly go as planned (the home-standing Yellow Jackets lost to a very good 4A Knoxville Catholic team, 48-7), what I witnessed as Gary and I stood on the sidelines near the endzone was priceless.
In the 45 minutes or so that it took to complete the first two quarters of play, no less than 50 individuals came up to the former coach to say hello. They ranged in age from 8 to 38, both male and female.
Every one of them had incredibly fond memories of the time with their mentor at Coalfield School. Every one of them told the coach they loved him. And every one of them was told once again how much he or she was loved by the coach.
That evening may have just been another ordinary day for Gary Kreis. But from my perspective, it was the reflection of a man who truly has made a positive impact on his community and the people whose lives he has touched.
Well done, coach! Your wealth is immeasurable.
Murphy Fair has published Tennessee High School Footballfor more than 25 years. His statewide syndicated radio show (Murphy’s Matchups) can be heard locally on Monday evenings on WGNS in Murfreesboro.
I had dinner a couple of weeks ago with an extremely wealthy man. And from what I observed throughout the rest of that late August evening in East Tennessee, I’m guessing he may very well be the richest man I’ve ever known.
Keep in mind that as a journalist I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of well-to-do people over the years. But the wealth accumulated by these individuals, pales in comparison to what retired Coalfield teacher and football coach Gary Kreis has accumulated during his decades of service to this small school in rural Morgan County.
In the late 1960s, Kreis was a starting receiver at Tennessee. A three-year letterman for the Vols, Kreis caught passes for more than 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns during his college career.
His 21-yard TD catch from quarterback Bubba Wyche as time expired in the 1968 season opener against Georgia led to Tennessee tying the Bulldogs 17-17 in the first game ever played on artificial turf in Neyland Stadium.
After graduation, he served as a middle school coach, then as an assistant coach at Coalfield for several years, before becoming the head coach of the Yellow Jackets in 1987. He served in that capacity through the 2007-2008 school year.
Kreis left the sport he loves so dearly, some say prematurely, when his father was stricken with cancer. His dad’s death in 2005 was followed by the loss of his mother just two short years later in 2007. Then in 2010, more heartache came his way when his 37-year old special needs son died.
Despite the loss of the three people he cared for the most, Kreis battled on. Now retired from teaching and coaching altogether, his love of Coalfield and the young people who have passed through the school system there continues to impact residents of this tiny community. Nowhere was that more evident than at the football game we attended after dinner.
And although the game didn’t exactly go as planned (the home-standing Yellow Jackets lost to a very good 4A Knoxville Catholic team, 48-7), what I witnessed as Gary and I stood on the sidelines near the endzone was priceless.
In the 45 minutes or so that it took to complete the first two quarters of play, no less than 50 individuals came up to the former coach to say hello. They ranged in age from 8 to 38, both male and female.
Every one of them had incredibly fond memories of the time with their mentor at Coalfield School. Every one of them told the coach they loved him. And every one of them was told once again how much he or she was loved by the coach.
That evening may have just been another ordinary day for Gary Kreis. But from my perspective, it was the reflection of a man who truly has made a positive impact on his community and the people whose lives he has touched.
Well done, coach! Your wealth is immeasurable.
Murphy Fair has published Tennessee High School Footballfor more than 25 years. His statewide syndicated radio show (Murphy’s Matchups) can be heard locally on Monday evenings on WGNS in Murfreesboro.
