‘One of a kind’ Courtney inducted into TSSAA Hall of Fame
He racked up 204 career wins, led the Admirals to a 2016 Class 5A state championship and beat cancer not once, but twice.
Monday, April 13, Courtney added yet another accolade when he was inducted in the TSSAA Hall of Fame as part of the 2026 class.
It is the latest honor in a list that includes a
PrepXtra Coach of the Year nod in 2016; a Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame Pat Summitt Ignite Award in 2017; an induction into the Tennessee Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame Class of 2020; and, earlier this year, an induction into the Farragut High School Sports Hall of Fame as a part of the 2026 class.
“Tremendous honor to be honored by the TSSAA,” Courtney said. “When you look at the all the coaches who have been inducted before, it’s really humbling, given all the people who have been recognized. I tried to do it the right way and run a program that had a lot of respect, tradition and pride.”
Courtney credited his family members for their roles in his success, noting he spent a lot of time away from home to run the Admiral program.
Over time, though, the Farragut football stadium, which now bears Courtney’s name, became like a second home.
After joining the FHS program in 1977, Courtney took the helm in 1996. His tenure produced more than 200 college signees, 47 All-State players, six Mr. Football finalists and six NFL players before his retirement in March 2024.
In the TSSAA ceremony, he was honored alongside seven other inductees — including fellow Fulton High School alumnus Rob Black — in the Student Union building at Middle Tennessee State
University on Monday afternoon.
“It really was special,” Courtney said. “I played for (Black’s) dad, and he grew up in Fulton like my son Geoff did at Farragut. He did a great job over there and knew everything about it. It was a very special thing; I owe a lot to the Fulton family, getting my roots in football there.”
Notably, Courtney is just the second Farragut coach to be inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame. The first was current FHS athletic director Donald Dodgen, who was inducted this time a year ago.
Dodgen was in attendance Monday for Courtney’s induction, as were Courtney’s wife, Anita, and his daughter, Megan. Geoff, the current FHS head football coach, was unable to make it due to football obligations but reiterated the most important lesson he took from his father’s career: staying true to yourself.
“You try to model yourself after those who’ve had an impact on you,” Geoff Courtney said, “and he’s certainly had the biggest on me in my career.”
“It meant a lot to me to be there because it’s such a great honor,” Dodgen added from his perspective. “Not everyone gets inducted into that, and (Courtney) was deserving for years. I thought he might
go before I went in. He is a gentleman, an outstanding teacher and a great football coach who represented
Farragut well. He’s one of a kind.”
