As their car zipped north along Interstate 75, the conversation covered as many twists and turns as the road trip from Chattanooga to Knoxville. Discussing everything from game philosophy to the daily difficulties the kids on their basketball teams faced, Henry Bowles and Robert High – two legendary Chattanooga prep coaches carpooling to a meeting of athletic administrators in the early 1990s – shared their thoughts on the responsibilities that came with their jobs.
“People that didn’t know us only saw us competing against each other for years, but we developed a really good relationship and swapped ideas whenever we got together,” High said, recalling his relationship with Bowles, who died in 2017 after a lengthy illness. “We both knew how important it was for us to make an impact on kids’ lives, and that’s what we talked about a lot.”
On the court, their personalities had many striking differences.
Aside from the occasional head shake after an official’s call went against his Brainerd team or grabbing the towel that normally rested across his shoulder and slamming it onto the floor in frustration when his players didn’t execute, High was more reserved when the Panthers played.
Bowles, meanwhile, was animated to the point of sometimes resembling the Tasmanian Devil cartoon character as he stalked the Howard sideline. At any moment he might wave his arms frantically after a perceived missed call by a referee, rip his burgundy jacket off his shoulders and toss it toward an empty chair, or even spin on his heels to face the stands and yell toward fans who critiqued his coaching of the Hustlin’ Tigers.