Randy Smith: Remembering Junior And Lonnie

  • Thursday, December 3, 2020
  • Randy Smith
Randy Smith
Randy Smith
Lonnie Sadler and Junior Atterton each passed away this week. I always remember them as fresh-faced high school athletes. though they were closer to my own age than I even realized. Lonnie was a couple of years behind me at Madison High School just outside of Nashville. He was an outstanding running back who was recently chosen as one of the top 50 prep football players in Nashville history. Lonnie would go on to sign a scholarship with Vanderbilt and eventually would be chosen as the first black team captain in Vandy history.

Lonnie played all four years at Vanderbilt and compiled 2,096 career rushing yards. He was as good as any running back I ever saw in high school and, while we were never teammates as I had quit football after my sophomore year, I always admired Lonnie's athleticism. Lonnie passed away this week from injuries he received in an auto accident about six weeks ago. 

Junior Atterton was a very good athlete at Whitwell High School and was 10 years younger than me. He was one of the funniest people I have ever been around, though most of those funny stories he told are inappropriate for print. He was much closer to my son Davey as they had coached together at Whitwell a few years ago. Junior was a member of the great Whitwell Tiger basketball team that lost in the Class A state semi-finals in his senior season in 1979. His coach then, my good friend Tommy Layne, and I talked about Junior earlier this week. He loved his family and his community, loved a good laugh and especially loved young people. He volunteered as a coach in Whitwell for many years and always did a wonderful job.

While Lonnie had been in a coma for several weeks, Junior died unexpectedly this week in his sleep. 

I have seen pictures of both men recently and they looked much older than I remembered. As I mentioned above, I think of them as fresh-faced teenagers, always with a big smile And this is how I will continue to remember them. I have lost so many friends and acquaintances this year, some to COVID and others to cancer and other issues. Because of the COVID protocol I have not been able to attend a single memorial service for any of them and that saddens me greatly. With the recent news about the forthcoming vaccines we should be receiving soon, it gives me encouragement about the future. Living in a period of uncertainty and, yes, even fear of this virus, is not good in any way. Hopefully in the next few months, the vaccines will prompt a return to what we all consider normal activities...full football stadiums and packed gyms and arenas...baseball games played with real fans in the stands and families eating out in their favorite places with no masks. I look forward to that as I know Lonnie Sadler and Junior Atterton would.

----

Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com
Sports
Mocs Houk Named SoCon Golfer Of The Week
  • 3/27/2024

Chattanooga Mocs senior John Houk claimed this week’s Southern Conference Golfer of the Week honor with an impressive runner-up performance at the General Hackler Championships. The Athens, Tenn., ... more

UTC Homecoming Set For October 26
  • 3/27/2024

The Chattanooga Mocs completed spring drills prior to Spring Break and are now deep into strength and conditioning work ahead of the summer in preparation for the fall season. One highlight to ... more

UTC's Long Named TSWA Pitcher Of The Week
  • 3/26/2024

One day after receiving the award for the Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week, sophomore Taylor Long was named the Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA) Pitcher of the Week. This ... more