SCHS GRIDIRON LEGEND RANKIN TO JOIN NATIONAL HALL OF FAME

Shea Haile

Courier Sports

Tennessee prep football’s all-time winningest coach and  Smith County High School graduate Gary Rankin will be enshrined among elite members in the high school sports landscape. The legendary coach has been selected to the Class of 2024 inductees to the National High School Sports Hall of Fame. 

The former Owls head football coach and star for the Black-and-Gold during his playing days will be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Hall of Fame on July 1. The induction ceremony will be held in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Rankin’s 486-85 record currently sits at fourth nationally among active coaches and is believed to be seventh all-time according to the National High School Sports Record Book. 

The 1971 SCHS graduate has captured 17 state titles along with seven state runner-up finishes. 

The TSSAA (Tennessee Secondary Schools Athletic Association) 2011 Hall of Fame inductee  has a career winning percentage of 85 percent and averages two losses per season over his 42 year coaching career. 

Players have also achieved individual success as Rankin’s teams have produced 19 Tennessee Mr. Football recipients — including Smith County High running back Scott Dirkson who captured the award in 1988.  

Rankin, who is currently leading Chattanooga’s Boyd Buchanan gridiron program, will be inducted alongside 10 other high school sports figures during the 41st induction ceremony. 

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