Dobyns-Bennett High School
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CLASS OF 1960 Tom Coughenour's family moved to Kingsport when he was seven, where his father went to work for Foremost Dairies. His family, parents Tom and Catherine Coughenour, and his siblings Ralph, Larry, Cathy, Jeanne, were members of St. Dominic’s Catholic Church. He attended St. Dominic's Elementary School, then John Sevier Junior High where he met the girl he would later marry in August 1962, Barbara Williams.
He and Barbara have three children, Chris Coughenour Taraschke, the home-schooling mother of his four grandchildren, Adam, Hannah, Jacob and Grace; Tad Coughenour, an actor who lives in LA/ATL and John, a beat box musician and website designer/social media guru, and daughter-in-law Nikita.
After Tom died, Barbara and his family found this notebook, and these words he had written:
I've been encouraged to write a book by my son John, who thinks I know enough to put a lot of words on a lot of pages.
I’ve been a jock all my life. I started out playing baseball in my backyard at Cherokee Village when my family moved here from Charlotte, NC when I was seven.
I was a true “Jock of all Trades, Master of None”, but I loved to play whatever sport was in season. I actually played and lettered in five sports in high school. I was a member of the 1959 Dobyns-Bennett TSSAA State Championship Football team.
My last three years in college at East Tennessee State University, I coached DBHS Junior Varsity football.
After graduation in 1964 from East Tennessee State University, I became football, basketball, and track coach at Robinson Junior High. The next year, I started the first cross country team in East Tennessee. (In the early 70s, Tom began running to benefit his health. He ran a total of 7 marathons. While at RNR, he began the Summer Fun Runs, where he invited the public to meets at the DBHS track. They ran events, depending on who was there and what they wanted to run.) I coached at Robinson Junior High for nine years before being called up to Dobyns-Bennett High School in 1973 to coach defensive backs and become assistant coach in track.
The next eight years, I became the defensive coordinator in football and continued to coach track.
In 1979 I doubled up as defensive coordinator in football and head cross country coach. The next spring, I became head track coach.
I combined cross country and football for three years until I realized the schedules were too difficult, and I asked to be just head track and cross country boys and girls coach.
In over 44 years of coaching and teaching, he has coached many good runners, jumpers and throwers. Among them are:
One of Coach Coughenour’s former athletes stated:
“Through all of his accomplishments, he remained a very humble person. He took his greatest pride in the wide ranges of lives he has influenced. While some coaches are most interested in the short-term goals of victories and or state titles, Coach Coughenour worked hardest towards the long-term goals of helping his runners grow into successful and productive adults.”
CLASS OF 1941 Denver was born in Kingsport and was one of eight children and his younger brother Darrell 2016 Hall of Fame inductee describes their sandlot football and said that Denver improvised to get the brothers a football. “The family killed a hog, Denver cut out the bladder, blew it up and tied it at one end.”
After graduation from Dobyns-Bennett High School, Denver played the position of tackle at the University of Tennessee. He lettered at Tennessee in 1942, 1946 and 1947 where he was elected Team Captain as a senior. In the 1947 Vanderbilt game Denny flattened three Vanderbilt Commodores with a devastating block, springing Hal Littleford for a 65-yard punt return touchdown. While serving in the military in World War II, he played service football for the 1944 Maxwell Field Marauders and the 1945 AAFTC Skymasters. He played in the 1944, 1945 and 1947 Blue-Gray Games, All-Star game in 1945 and was a member of the 1948 College All-Stars. After three years in the Army Air Corps, Denver returned to UT. He was captain of the 1947 UT football team. After graduation he played one year of professional football with the New York Yankees in the American Football League.
While at UT he played in the 1943 Sugar Bowl and the 1947 Orange Bowl. He was second-team ALL SEC. When he played in the 1943 Sugar Bowl he blocked an end-zone punt by the great Glenn Dobbs which resulted in a safety and then a UT touchdown that allowed UT to beat Tulsa 14 to 7. He appears in several Big Orange Country football history books and was known for a type of block called the “Tennessee Pinch.”
In 1949 he began his coaching career as a line coach. He started his coaching career at Washington and Lee. In 1950 he coached at University of Maryland for two years and they beat Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. He moved on to Mississippi State in 1952. He coached at the University of Minnesota 1954 – 1971. He was the assistant head coach, line coach, an associate professor and hosted an after-game radio show. Minnesota won three Big Ten titles, played in two Rose Bowls and won a National Championship in 1960.
He spent one year as a scout for talent for the Dallas Cowboys profession football team in 1973.
Denver returned to Kingsport ending his college playing and coaching careers but continued his coaching at Sullivan Central for twenty years.
The Man with the Golden Arm - GeorgiaTrend.com
CLASS OF 1948 Darrell Crawford is a Kingsport native born on May 25, 1929. He grew up the youngest of eight children including five brothers; one of whom, Denver Crawford, is also inducted into the Dobyns-Bennett Hall of Fame for 2016.
Darrell began playing football in Roller’s field behind the family home while attending the local Westview Elementary School. He later attended Dobyns-Bennett High School as did several of his older siblings.
At D-B, he lettered in baseball, basketball and football as well as being elected class president. His senior year, the football team won the state championship and was undefeated and un-scored on during the regular season. That team played the Georgia state champion, Marist High School, in a postseason game called the Teen Bowl in Kingsport. Marist did score, but D-B prevailed 20-6. Six of Darrell’s teammates and three of his opponents from that game went to Georgia Tech to play football. Ironically, his son Chris Crawford later attended Marist and played football there.
Bobby Dodd, also a D-B alumnus and Hall of Fame member, was the head football coach at Georgia Tech and was able to sway Darrell away from other suitors such as the University of Maryland and Kentucky. Darrell started his first game as a sophomore quarterback for GT against the University of Tennessee, which was a natural rival for both my father, whose brother Denver had played there, and Coach Dodd, who had also played at UT under General Bob Neyland. My father engineered Tech to a 30-13 victory that day and started his illustrious college career. His senior year, he lead the Jackets to an undefeated season capped off with an Orange Bowl victory over Baylor and game MVP award. That season, he was also named All SEC and a college All Star, earning him a chance to play against the NFL champion Los Angeles Rams.
Darrell was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals and played part of one season before getting inducted into the US Army and serving two years during the Korean War. After a brief stint as an assistant coach at the University of Richmond, my father shifted his career into industrial sales and began raising a family. He moved back to the Atlanta area in 1958 and has been there ever since. He and his wife Jonnie, who passed away in 2010, raised five children, including daughters Renee and Robyn who is also in attendance with son Chris who is Darrell’s presenter. Darrell is now retired and very involved in his church, Eastside Baptist in Marietta, GA.
CLASS OF 1962 Dr. William W. Locke grew up in Kingsport and attended Dobyns-Bennett where he was a standout basketball player. He graduated from ETSU. He is also a graduate of the National Defense University’s National Security Management Course and the United States Army Command and General Staff College.
Dr. Locke was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, Medical Service Corps in 1966 and entered active duty in 1968 after completing a master’s degree program. Four days after completing a tour of duty in Vietnam, he became Tennessee’s first male public school kindergarten teacher and began teaching in the Kingsport City Schools.
During his second year of teaching, he accepted a position as regional supervisor of early childhood education for the Tennessee State Department of Education and later was appointed as State Director of Elementary and Early Childhood Education. During his tenure, the state kindergarten program was fully implemented.
He was Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Walters State Community College; and was an instructor at four institutions of higher education.
In August of 1996, Dr. William W. Locke was chosen from a field of 69 candidates to be the fourth President of Northeast State Technical Community College. One of the fastest growing colleges in the state, Northeast State is located in the geographic center of the Tri-Cities of Bristol, Kingsport, and Johnson City. In 2000 the College posted an 18 percent enrollment growth from 1995-2000, making it the fastest growing community college or university in the state. The footprint for the College’s expansion into the City of Kingsport with the downtown opening of the Regional Center for Applied Technology on Sept. 9, 2002. In spring 2006, construction was started on a new $15 million Humanities Complex on the Blountville campus. Building plans included the expansion of classrooms and offices for the Humanities and Behavioral/Social Sciences divisions, as well as a 500-seat theater for the performing arts. The complex was finished and occupied in 2007. The building was named the William W. Locke Humanities Complex. In 2008 as the decade neared its close, the City of Kingsport and Northeast State realized a collaborative vision for higher education and workforce development in downtown Kingsport. Known as the Kingsport Academic Village, the effort produced the construction of three new buildings: the Regional Center for Health Professions, the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing, and the Kingsport Center for Higher Education.
During Dr. Locke's tenure several important buildings were added to the campus. The modern Baster Library houses the media center, research materials and learning center. The W. W. Locke Humanities Building accommodates students studying in the liberal arts. The Wellmont Performing Arts auditorium is recognized as a high functioning center within the TBR system. Many cultural events have been brought to this area for students and the general public.
The capstone of Dr.Locke's tenure was the development and fulfillment of the 'Academic Village' in downtown Kingsport. This project required cooperation and financial support of the Mayor and Aldermen and the state government. The Academic Village consists of the Kingsport Center for Higher Education. Dr. Locke was instrumental in securing the University of Tennessee, Carson Newman University, Lincoln Memorial University, King University and Northeast State to offer higher educational classes in this center. The 'Academic Village' also includes the Regional Center for Health Professions. The center houses all of Northeast State Community College's health related and nursing programs. Programs are offered in Cardiovascular Technology, EMT Technology, Medical Laboratory Technology, and Surgical Technology. He was instrumental in the approval of the college's registered nursing program. The third center is the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing. It provides classroom and lab space for local business and industries to conduct training for current employees.
Under Dr. Locke's leadership the enrollment at NESCC increased from three thousand to six thousand students. The Northeast State Foundation funds doubled during his administration. The college has become an important institution for East Tennessee. Students are presented opportunities to grow intellectually and change their destiny.
CLASS OF 1955Dr. Tom Milhorn has devoted the past 52 years to teaching, research, writing, and service. He was born and raised in Kingsport, Tennessee. He attended Dobyns-Bennett from 1951 to 1955 where he played football and ran the mile and half mile in track.
After graduation he attended Lincoln Memorial University. At the end of his first year he received an award for having the highest academic average in the freshman class. He played intramural basketball and softball and was twice elected to the intramural all star basketball team. He graduated magna cum laude with a double major in mathematics and physics and a minor in chemistry. At graduation in 1960 he received an award for having the highest academic average in scientific subjects.
After receiving acceptance into the PhD physics programs at MIT, University of California at Berkeley, Georgia Tech, and the University of Tennessee, Tom decided to work on a PhD in physiology and biophysics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, Mississippi. He was awarded an NIH predoctoral fellowship for this, and he obtained a Ph.D. in 1964. Afterward, he did a postdoctoral fellowship in biomathematics at North Carolina State University in Raleigh.
With the beginning rank of assistant professor, Dr. Milhorn joined the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at UMMC. During this time he was the director of the Mississippi Biomedical Engineering Program, a joint program among the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the University of Mississippi School of Engineering, and the Mississippi State University College of Engineering.
At age 29 he published his first book, a biomedical engineering textbook by W. B. Saunders Company. The book was translated into Japanese for use by universities in that country.
In 1975, he received his M.D. from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and subsequently completed a family medicine residency. He continues to be board certified in that specialty.
In 1987, he was certified in addiction medicine by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He published two books in that specialty, one for physicians and another one for parents, teachers, and counselors.
In 1992, Dr. Milhorn retired from the faculty of the University of Mississippi Medical Center with the ranks of Professor of Family Medicine, Professor of Physiology and Biophysics, and Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. After that he practiced general medicine and addiction medicine in Meridian, Mississippi for nine years. During that time he wrote his first and only novel “Caduceus Awry.” The novel was followed by a successful book on writing fiction.
In 2001, he entered a period of semi-retirement. During that time he taught two computer courses for the city of Meridian and taught Human Anatomy and Physiology at Meridian Community College. He also published books on electrocardiography, crime, cybercrime, the history of physics, and the history astrophysics.
He has participated in academic programs in Spain, England, Sweden, the Soviet Union, and in many universities and medical schools throughout the United States. He is the author of 10 books, 12 chapters in books, and over 100 research and medical education papers. He is currently working on his 11th book.
In 2005, he was inducted into the Lincoln Memorial University Alumni Hall of Fame. He currently teaches in the EC-Healthnet Family Medicine Residency Program in Meridian, Mississippi.
He is married to Kay, his wife of 48 years, and has a son, Toby and a stepson, Steve Pope.
CLASS OF 1973Tom Rogers was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, 1955, and was raised in Kingsport, since 1960. He is the son of Dr. Emory and Doris Rogers. Tom has three brothers: Malcolm (class of 71), a retired architect residing in Knoxville; Bill (class of 76), a practicing lawyer/judge in Kingsport; and Bob (class of 79) practicing surgeon also here in Kingsport.
Tom attended Johnson Elementary, Sevier Jr. High, and Dobyns-Bennett HS graduating in 1973. His high school accomplishments include: being on the Student Council for 3 years; serving as captain of the tennis team with a win-loss record of 56-5; winning the District Singles Tennis Championship 1973 ;and achieving the Eagle Scout award.
After high school, Tom was at the University of Tennessee while pursuing a pre-med degree. He graduated in 1977 with a BS in Biology and continued his education at East Tennessee State University, graduating with a Masters in Business Administration in 1980.
After achieving his MBA, Rogers went on to pursue his MD at the Quillen College of Medicine in Johnson City, graduating in 1984. He went to Spartanburg, SC for Residency Training in Family Practice Medicine. He established a practice in Oak Ridge,Tn.
Oak RIdge is where Tom began serving as a TEAM doctor while raising his family. After 15 years, Rogers moved his family to Kingsport in 2002 to be closer to his aging parents. In Kingsport, he worked for HMG before establishing his own preventative medical practice, PERFORMANCE MEDICINE in 2007. This company has grown into several practices across East Tennessee. His three children all graduated from Dobyns-Bennett each with State Tennis titles. Ben Rogers (class of 04), Kelli (class of 05), and Andy (class of 07).
Rogers love for sports has driven him to serve Dobyns Bennett for 12 years as a TEAM DOCTOR. His professional accomplishments include:
The honor of being inducted into Dobyns Bennett Hall of Fame is humbling. “There are so many people who deserve this recognition more than me”, says Rogers.
CLASS OF 1957John was born in Richlands, Virginia on November 1, 1938 to John (Don) and Mary Whited. He was raised in Kingsport and no matter where his travels took him, he was always happy to come back home. John spent most of his life around or on a baseball field.
Highlights from Dobyns Bennett High School
John felt that he had one of the greatest high school experiences a person could ever have. He cherished his alma mater.
Post High School Highlights
Education
Professional Highlights
John coached the D-B Indians for 15 years. He was quoted as saying “When I was coaching at D-B, I couldn’t believe that I was getting paid to do something that I loved so much.”
Professional Highlights – Post Dobyns Bennett
John was employed at the University of Tennessee Medical Center (Knoxville) where he worked in different positions including Human Resource, Sports Medicine, and Administration.
John taught players to compete with everything they could give to the final pitch of the game. He felt there were at least 3 basic concepts essential to any winning team or organization: (1) Each player must play with pride, determination, discipline, perseverance, and integrity; (2) Each team member must possess these qualities on and off the field; and (3) Each team member must recognize the importance of personal values.
John had a reputation of producing winners and young men of maturity and high character. All he ever asked of his players was 100% effort and to approach every day with a positive attitude about what they were doing. He felt strongly that in order to help his players: They must have fun, they must get to play, and they must understand that character, eternal life, and high morals did not come as a result of a game or athletic ability.
Other Awards and Honors
John was an avid competitor in baseball and golf. He enjoyed keeping up with his Kingsport friends and always looked forward to playing in the Annual Ridgefield Golf Tournament.
His hobbies included woodworking, painting, feeding/watching his bluebirds and hummingbirds.
John passed away at UT Hospital in Knoxville, TN on March 12, 2013. His wife - Pat, daughter - Donna, son - John, grandson - John Michael, stepchildren - David, Rebekah, Sarah, step grandson - Harrison and their families all live in the Knoxville area. John was an active member of Cokesbury United Methodist Church.
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