Boyd Buchanan Coach Gary Rankin Provides Some Insight on His Successful Coaching Journey

Chattanooga-(WDEF-TV) Gary Rankin’s coaching resume is so phenomenal, you almost think it’s a misprint. The second year Boyd Buchanan coach has won 17 state titles.

That’s more than all other Hamilton county teams have won combined since the playoff format started in 1969. Rankin sat down with us and gave us a little sample of his successful coaching journey.

Hard to believe the winningest coach in Tennessee high school football history, didn’t win a single game in his first year as a head coach at Smith County. 0-10.
Said Rankin:”I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. I wouldn’t go back and do that by any means, but it’s probably the thing that has kept me hungry year in and year out. I tell everybody when we start next year, I’m coming off that 0-10 year.”
The road to the top hasn’t been glamorous either, especially before technology came along.
Said Rankin:”I can remember leaving Smith Co after games on Friday night. Driving to Nashville to WSMV-

TV. There was a guy there that did high school films on Friday nights. I would sleep out in his front yard in the car. Sleep out in the car. He would run those films off, and I wasn’t the only one. He did films in Middle Tennessee, and then I would take them back on Saturday morning. It was grueling.”
Rankin has 17 state titles, and he’s inching closer to 500 career wins. So what’s the secret?
Said Rankin:”I’ve had some great assistant coaches. I think it’s a lot different than baseball and basketball. Maybe one good guy can do that, but in football, I don’t care if you are Nick Saban or somebody, you can’t coach the whole team. Both sides of the ball and kick teams and individual stuff.”
Rankin was an institution at Alcoa in Knoxville, but leaving for Chattanooga and Boyd was a family decision.
Said Rankin:”You don’t walk away from Alcoa football. I mean it’s like walking away from Alabama or something. You just don’t do that in the state of Tennessee right now. Once the grandchild was born, we knew we were coming this way. My wife was coming this way. I figured it was probably in my best interest to come on too.”
Reporter:”I guess people ask you. Gary, how much longer are you going to do this?”
Said Rankin:”Well as long as I’m having fun. I told somebody the other day when somebody says when are you going to retire, I just ask them when are you going to quit having fun? Because I’m having fun.”