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Longtime Oak Ridge High football coach inducted into TSSAA Hall of Fame

Earl Nall
·4 min read

EDITOR'S NOTE: Joe Benanti Gaddis, Oak Ridge High School athletic director, educator and former football coach, was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame Monday, April 8, at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. He joins fellow Oak Ridgers Ben Martin (2010), Jill Prudden (2016) and Earl Nall (2006). Nall wrote the following information about Gaddis in nominating him for the honor.

Joe Gaddis, center, Oak Ridge High School athletic director and longtime football coach, now retired, was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame at Middle Tennessee State University on Monday, April 8, 2024. Gaddis received his Hall of Fame plaque from Mike Reed, left, TSSAA Board of Control chairman. Oak Ridger Earl Nall, right, a TSSAA Hall of Fame 2006 inductee, presented the TSSAA Hall of Fame medallion at the ceremony.

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  • 36 of 39 - Unbelievable Achievement : Coach Joe Gaddis was a head coach for 39 years at seven schools. His teams missed postseason play only three times. Two of the three times his teams missed the postseason were in his first rebuilding  year at Henry County, Tennessee and Pascagoula, Mississippi.

  • Highly Honored: Some of Gaddis awards:TSSAA AF Bridges TSSAA District 2 Male Coach of the Year, East Tennessee Coach of the Year (two times), West Tennessee Coach of the Year, Middle Tennessee Coach of the Year, Tennessee Football Coaches Hall of Fame, Oak Ridge Sports Hall of Fame, district or regional coach of the year 23 times.

  • Significance of 296 wins in Tennessee: His Tennessee record of 296-105 is a 74% winning percentage. His 296 wins is the eighth most in Tennessee high school football coaching history. Five of the seven coaches ahead of him in wins are in the TSSAA Hall of Fame (Gary Rankin, Ken Netherland, E.B. Etter, John Wade Tucker, and Glenn McAdams). Of the 56 coaches in Tennessee with more than 200 wins, Gaddis has the 18th highest winning percentage (74%).

  • Coach of Year Award never achieved  by any coach of any sport:  Gaddis achieved a coaching milestone that has probably never been achieved in the coaching  history of any sports team in Tennessee. He was named coach of the year in East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee, and West Tennessee in three different decades with three different teams.

  • Rebuilding Teams: With all the success Gaddis has had on the field - his ability to rebuild teams is legendary.  He took Henry County, who was everybody’s homecoming game, to No. 1 in the state in three years. In the one year Gaddis coached at Trenton Peabody he immediately rebuilt a team that was mired in mediocrity the previous five years, compiling a 25-31 record. In his only year at Peabody, his team went 9-4 and advanced to the state playoffs and won their first regional title in 21 years.

  • Passion and Ethics:  From letters of recommendation: “Implausible dedication as head coach, his work ethic is unmatched. He spends countless hours at all athletic events." “He has a tremendous energy level and uses his energy to promote excellence and serve others."

  • A Teacher: “He taught me you had to teach the game as much as you coached it. He also taught me that you need to become the leader of your group of kids by developing trust and confidence with them. He allowed me to coach. He showed me that being funny and having fun matters.” “Mr. Gaddis possessed a natural ability to get individuals to believe in themselves and to perform at their highest levels. This included his assistant coaches, as well as his players. Contributing to his success was an eternal optimism and belief that success can be achieved with proper preparation and executing.” _ Recommendation letters from Chad Hodge and Rick Kriesky

  • Leadership: “An Oak Ridge High School student committed suicide. The team, students, staff, and community were in shock and hurting. Coach Gaddis had the wisdom to organize an outside gathering that was open to students, staff, and community leaders. The event was perfect. The compassion and care that Coach Gaddis showed for our community was amazing. Due to the concern and love that Coach Gaddis demonstrated for this community, I have never looked at Coach Gaddis the same.” _ Recommendation letters from Bruce Lay, Oak Ridge Schools' executive director of school leadership.

  • Post Coaching Life: Gaddis retired from football coaching in 2021 and is now continuing serving high school athletics as athletic director at Oak Ridge High School. In 2024 Gaddis was elected to the TSSAA Legislative Council, representing the Western East Tennessee region.

  • Personal Tidbits: Coach Gaddis is a history buff and his classrooms were full of energy, enthusiasm, and knowledge. Gaddis was as good of a history teacher as he was coaching football. He has read hundreds of books on the Kennedy assassination among other histories happenings.

Joe Gaddis
Joe Gaddis

This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Longtime Oak Ridge football coach inducted into TSSAA Hall of Fame