Legendary Tennessee high school football head coach Gary Rankin is leaving Alcoa High School after 13 state titles in his 16 years with the Tornadoes.
Rankin’s resignation comes about two months after he led Alcoa to its seventh straight state title. The 3A champs finished No. 68 in the High School Football America 100 national rankings, powered by NFL Play Football. The Tornadoes finished No. 3 in our Small Schools Top 25.
Before taking-over at Alcoa in 2006, Rankin, Tennessee’s all-time winningest head coach with 467 wins, led Riverdale to four state titles. His first head coaching job was at Smith County in 1980.
Rankin is currently eighth on America’s all-time high school coaching wins list.
Rankin is a member of the TSSAA Hall of Fame, Blount County Hall of Fame and Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame. He was named the National High School Coaches Association’s National Football Coach of the Year in 2006 after winning his first title at Alcoa.
School officials have already decided to elevate defensive coordinator Brian Nix to head coach. Nix has been the head of the Tornadoes’ defense since 2004.
