Border Bash II: Buck Coatney, Fulton's Head Coach

The 2008 season marks Buck Coatney's 17th season as head coach of the Fulton Falcons. Entering this season Coatney's record stands at 125-76, with three state titles (2003, 2004, 2006) to his credit. The Falcons have played in the 3A state title game five times in the past six seasons.

Buck Coatney

Coatney is the only coach in Tennessee to win three consecutive KFL/PrepXtra Coach of the Year honors (2002-2004). For his work in 2004, Coatney was named state coach of the year by the Tennessee Sportswriters Association, as well as the Tennessee Titans. He earned his fourth PrepXtra Bob Polston Coach of the Year award, and his third TSWA state Coach of the Year honor following Fulton's 2006 state championship. Coatney also served as defensive coordinator on the 2005 Tennessee High School All-Star team.

But things weren't always so sweet for Coatney and the Falcons. When he took over the head coach position at Fulton in 1992, the school was on the verge of extinction. The Knox County School Board had voted to close Fulton, but strong protests by alumni and supporters helped reverse the decision. One of those alumni was Buck Coatney himself. The 1992 Falcons fell to 1-9 in Coatney's debut but the one victory was a satisfying victory in overtime against archrival West High.

Coatney's roots are colored maroon and white, as his father, John, captained Fulton's 1959 squad. Buck was known as a hardnosed linebacker and tight end on the Falcon teams of the late 1970s. He was named to the all-state team and was voted Defensive Player of the Year by the Knoxville Journal. He helped lead the Falcons to a region championship in 1979. Current Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson recruited Coatney to Furman University where he earned honorable mention All-America honors.

Coatney 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 the school's 11th head coach in 1992.

After the dismal 1-9 campaign of 1992 things began to gradually improve for the Falcons. They made the first of their 15 consecutive playoff appearances in 1993. By 2000 Coatney and his Falcons had re-established Fulton 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 with a loss in the BlueCross Bowl (the 3A state title game). The Falcons returned to the title game in 2003 and won the school's first state championship in any sport.

In 2004 Coatney became the first-ever coach in Knoxville to lead his team to back-to-back state football championships. After a disappointing 2005 campaign Coatney and the Falcons returned to the pinnacle of Class 3A football in 2006, led by UT-signee Dennis Rogan, and completed a 14-1 season with a victory in the BlueCross Bowl.

In 2007 the Falcons (12-3) returned once again to the title game, losing this time in a rematch with the David Lipscomb Mustangs.