As the nation celebrates Black History Month, the Times Free Press is proud to recognize some of Chattanooga’s most influential sports figures from the Black community.
Here are 10 of the notable athletes and coaches who have made an impact in the city and beyond.
Henry Bowles: After coaching every sport Howard’s junior high school athletic program offered, Bowles took over the varsity boys’ basketball program in 1969 and for the next 29 years compiled a 616-260 record, guiding the Hustlin’ Tigers to the state tournament an astounding 16 times with runner-up finishes in 1972 and 1984. The ’72 team lost just five games, all to Chattanooga’s Riverside, including in the state final. At the time of his resignation in 1998, he had the second-most wins in Tennessee history.
Richard Fuqua: A high school star at Riverside, Fuqua became an All-American in basketball in 1972 after ranking second nationally by averaging 35.9 points per game for Oral Roberts University. He scored more than 3,000 points in his college career and was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 69th overall pick of the 1973 NBA draft.
Robert High: In 37 seasons as Brainerd’s boys’ basketball coach, he won 1,001 games and three Class AAA championships; no other area school has more than one title in the state’s largest classification. High is one of only 13 coaches in the nation with more than 1,000 wins, and his total is tied for second in state history. His teams won at least 20 games 31 times, and he had eight 30-plus win seasons. He also won a state cross country title and worked as the school’s athletic director for 15 years.