McCallie to Name Football Field After Former Coach Pete Potter

"Pete has been gone 20 years now. That's hard to believe, but we are all pleased and humbled that McCallie would recognize him in this way. He was a great coach, a great mentor, a great husband and a great dad."

 -- Ralph Potter, McCallie football coach and son of Pete Potter

 

October 9 is a blue letter day for the McCallie football program as the school will officially name the football field at Spears Stadium, Pete Potter Field after the school's winningest football coach.

 The formal dedication on the Pete Potter Field will take place that night at 7:15 p.m. prior to the McCallie-Ensworth game.

The late coach Potter is the school's winningest football coach with a record of 155-67 in 21 seasons; 1973-1993. Prior to McCallie he was the head coach at Brainerd High School.

Potter led the Blue Tornado teams to five district titles (1982-83-85-86-87), two region titles (1974, 1983) and a state semifinal finish in 1974. The 1983 team was 12-1 and is tied with the 2001 squad (coached by Ralph Potter) for most wins in a season.

“Coach Potter helped make McCallie football into the outstanding program it is today," said McCallie headmaster Lee Burns ('87).

" He was a much-admired man who helped to develop McCallie boys into men of character. He helped build not just a successful and strong football program, but he helped build men. It is a great privilege to recognize the imprint Coach Potter left on this school by naming our football field in his honor.”

A special pre-game event from 5:30-7 p.m. will be held in the Spectator Gallary of the Sports and Activities Center. The cost is $15 per person for food and drinks.

All former players of coach Potter are invited to stand on the field during the dedication ceremony.

Former Players Comments

"Pete has been gone 20 years now. That's hard to believe, but we are all pleased and humbled that McCallie would recognize him in this way. He was a great coach, a great mentor, a great husband and a great dad. To this day I have people come up to me that played for him or had him in class. They all have their own stories to tell. My sister and I have children roughly the same age. They were all just babies when he died, and I'm glad they will get to meet many of those people."

-- Ralph Potter

"I have never known anyone who was more universally respected than Coach Potter. All his players feared him yet adored him.   I'm probably one of thousands who think of him as my second father."

--- Ward Nelson, '75

"Coach Potter was a man's man. He was a tough coach, but we loved him and would have done anything for him.

He made sure we were tough and we wanted to be tough for him. He was a hard-nosed coach who had a great heart. He had great principles and lived by the principles he believed in.'

 -- Ed Smith, '75

"Coach Potter was very much a father figure to me. My dad passed away in the middle of my senior year season. He knew he could never replace my dad but he was the closest thing to it."

-- Matt Brock, '83 

 

contact B.B. Branton at william.branton@comcast.net