Former Coalfield football coach Garry Kreis loses cancer battle

Former Coalfield football coach Garry Kreis passed away Monday after losing his battle with brain cancer that spread from an original diagnosis of esophageal cancer.

"His loss is tremendous to our community," said assistant basketball coach Brad Jones, who played for Kreis when he was an assistant in 1984. "Coach Garry Kreis was Coalfield football, but he wasn't just a coach — he was also a great friend to everyone. He treated everyone the same, whether you played football for him or not. He was fair to everyone. Never have I heard a bad word spoken of Coach Garry Kreis. He will be remembered as one of the best."

Kreis played high school football at Oliver Springs and was a wide receiver at Tennessee from 1967-69, helping the Vols win a pair of SEC championships in 1967 and 1969. He joined the Coalfield coaching staff in 1979, serving as an assistant for eight years before being named head coach in 1987. In his 21 years at the helm, the Yellow Jackets went 165-79, making him the winningest coach in school history.

A memorial fund at Citizens National Bank in Oliver Springs has been set up to build a statue of Kreis at Coalfield. A donation can be made at any of the bank's five locations. Jones has also begun working with local senators and representatives to get a stretch of Highway 62 named after Kreis.