RIP Harry K. Fry

Thats one of the coolest things I have ever read. Thats a quote. Thats what it is.
Respect to Coach Fry.

[imported_broady]

Coach Harry Fry, 80, Gate City, Va. Return to top

GATE CITY, Va. - Harry Keener Fry, 80, Gate City, Va., entered into rest Saturday (May 20, 2006) at Indian Path Medical Center.

Born in Lee County, Va. on August 19, 1925, he was the son of the late Cameron Blair and Mabel Louise Davis Fry.

He was a member of Gate City United Methodist Church.

Mr. Fry was a native of Pennington Gap, Va. After graduating from Milligan College in 1949, he received his master's degree from George Peabody College.

He began teaching and coaching in St. Charles, Va., later in Saltville, Va., and in 1953 began a long and successful career at Gate City High School.

He coached football, baseball and track in addition to serving as athletic director and teaching Geometry.

His more noted accomplishments include beginning a little league football program, which lead to many successful football teams at Gate City High School. His teams won numerous district and region titles and won state championships in 1970 and 1974.

His success as a coach cannot be measured in wins and loses, but in the positive impact he had on the many lives he touched.

He was inducted into the Virginia High School Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the Milligan College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.

He retired from teaching and coaching in Scott County in 1983.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lois Neeley Fry; his sisters, Helen Setzler, Louise Lunsford, Alta Whitesell and Becky Hunicutt; and brother, Ted Fry.

Fry
He is survived by his daughter, Lou Britt and husband, Ed, Gate City, Va.; son, Keener Fry and wife, Lisa, Huntington, W.V.; grandchildren, Lt. Ed Britt and wife, Alissa, Destin, Fla., Lt. jg Jon Britt, Norfolk, Va., Joseph Fry and Cameron Fry, both of Huntington, W.V.; and several nieces and nephews.

The family will receive friends from 4 to 8 p.m. on Monday at the Gate City Funeral Home and other times at the residence.

Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. on Tuesday in the Gene Falin Memorial Chapel of the funeral home with the Rev. Steve Brown officiating.

His son, Keener Fry, will give a eulogy.

Jim Belt Baker, Carolyn McPherson and Patsy Hensley will provide music.

Burial will follow the service at Holston View Cemetery in Weber City, Va.

Tim Blankenbeckler, Chuck Willis, Stanley Rogers, Rick Begley, Johnny Miller, Doug Humphreys, Bucky Clabaugh and Gilbert Smith will serve as pallbearers.

All former Gate City High School coaches and players will serve as honorary pallbearers.

The family wishes to convey a special thank you to his caregivers, Jerri Alley, Sue Burton, Patsy Hensley, Jo Kincer and Rocio McDavid and to the nurses and staff on the fourth floor of Indian Path Medical Center for the care and concern shown during his hospital stay.

Contributions may be made to the Harry and Lois Fry Memorial Scholarship Fund in care of Mitzi Barger Wilson, Bank of America, 141 East Jackson Street, Gate City, Va. 24251.

Online condolences may be made to the family of Coach Harry Fry at [email protected].

Gate City Funeral Home, Inc. is serving the family of Harry K. Fry.

[imported_VHSLhelper]

SEVEN undefeated seasons : 1958* (1 tie), 65, 67, 70, 71, 74 & 75.
Two state championships : 1970, 1974

228-71-7 : Gate City : 1953-58, 60-82
0 - 9 : St. Charles : 1949
24 - 6 : Saltville : 50-52
7 - 2 - 1 : Saltville : 1959
---------
259-88-8 : career

[tobys_girl75]

To lose a loved one is a terrible and tragic thing. Toby had alot of respect for Coach Fry. When he spoke to me about him, he spoke with pride and honor to have been in his presence. I am sure that Toby was there at the pearly gates waiting for him. We have lost alot of great people this year. The only comfort that can be found is with the Lord. My thoughts and prayers are with Coach Fry's family tonight. May they find the peace they need to make it through this difficult time. God Bless You.

[scott co fireman]

I guess God has recieved a coach for all his Guardian Angels.I will never forget Coach Frey having met him at legion field.Coach Frey loved all his fans,there will never be anyone who will be able to fill those shoes he has left behind.May God be with his family in this time of grief,my thoughts and prayers are with you all.

[imported_Reese]

GATE CITY - They will bury the man Tuesday but not the legend.

Harry Fry, the "Father of Gate City High School Athletics,'' died late Saturday night at Indian Path Medical Center. He had been in failing health for about two years.

Fry, 80, figuratively put Gate City on the map with the success of his football teams. His Blue Devils won Group AA state championships in 1970 and 1974.

Both teams consistently breezed past opponents. Gate City defeated James Monroe 40-8 for the first title, then manhandled Southampton 28-7 for the other.

His 229-71-6 win-loss record did not reflect his true value to the community. Known as a strong disciplinarian and top-notch motivator, he shaped the lives of thousands of students and athletes.

The inscription on a shrine outside Legion Field simply says: "Honoring Harry Fry, VHSL Hall of Fame Coach, 1953-1983, Thirty Years of Coaching.''

This tells only part of the story. Fry was more than a football coach. He was the school's first basketball coach. He also headed the baseball and track programs.

In the classroom, he could make geometry and trigonometry sound simple.

Fry had told friends in the late 1970s he "might die on the field of a heart attack one of these nights.''

He continued to coach but finally decided it was time to step down while in good health.

Fry told his son Keener in 1983: "I'm tired and feel like it's time for someone younger to take over the program. These August practices are getting tougher for me.''

Nick Colobro left Tazewell to become Fry's successor and has remained the head coach.

Fry was big on fundamentals and his motivational tactics made the Blue Devils seem invincible at times.

Rick Begley, team captain in 1974, was designated to make the pregame coin-toss call at midfield at the opening of Virginia High's new stadium. Virginia High had beaten the Blue Devils 19-12 the previous year and the game apparently stuck in Fry's craw.

"What about these guys?'' Fry said to Begley about his players. "They don't seem fired up. You're going to have to do something.

Begley met Virginia High star Carl Hackley for the coin toss and returned to inform teammates of an "incident'' that had occurred.

"Fellas, I extended my hand for a handshake and he spat on this Gate City uniform,'' Begley told the players.

Gate City ran up a 48-6 halftime score and won handily.

Fry's magnetic personality was an intangible recruiting tool in persuading students to give sports a try.

"Hey, good buddy!'' was a familiar greeting when he'd meet an acquaintance.

The Campus Drive-In, located near the school, is a gathering place for a group of Gate City loyalists who call themselves the "Sawmill Gang.'' Fry ate breakfast there almost every morning and served as "chairman of the board.''

Several former players gathered at the Fry home Sunday night to share memories.

"Under Coach Fry, you did things over and over until you got them right,'' said Rick Shoemaker.

"He was ahead of his time,'' said Terry Frazier. "What he taught was simple but you had to do everything just right. He wanted input and certainly didn't mind other opinions. But come Monday morning, everybody had to be in harmony.''

He had a knack for putting players in the proper positions and was a genius at making adjustments during games.

Fry wanted his players to project a clean image. They were always neatly dressed and he insisted on sportsmanship.

Keener Fry quarterbacked the 1973 and 1974 Blue Devils. Having been at every one of his father's practices since he was 9 years old, he knew the plays as well as the coaching staff.

The elder Fry left Gate City for Saltville after his 1958 team went 9-0-1, the only blemish on the record being a scoreless tie against Clintwood.

Gate City boosters approached him about returning when the school won just two games in 1959. He agreed with the stipulation that a little-league feeder program be organized. At least nine members of the state-championship team in 1974 came off the same squad - the West End Colts. They had been together since fourth grade.

Fry had a nice touch with youngsters and was an inspiration to them.

When he came to Gate City from St. Charles in 1953, he accepted the city recreation director's position at Grogan Park. His pay was a mere $25 a week. But he knew he would be around kids.

He lined off the baseball field, umpired games and made sure everyone had something to do even if it were playing badminton or table tennis. Fry was was an entire summer recreation program unto himself.

Asked during his career if it was gratifying to see players go on to become doctors and lawyers, he replied: "I just want them to grow up and be real good people.''

Bobby Clark, one of his players in 1958, said: "He was a daddy to all of us.''

The street in front of the high school bears his name: Harry Fry Drive. It is near Gate City Funeral Home, where the family will receive friends from 4-8 tonight. His funeral will be in the Gene Falin Memorial Chapel there at 11 a.m. Tuesday, with burial following at Holston View Cemetery in Weber City later in the day.

Keener Fry, formerly the athletic director at East Tennessee State University and now principal of a K-12 Christian school at Huntington, W.Va., will deliver a eulogy.

Fry's ability to coach had no bounds. His 1959 Gate City baseball team, still in its infancy, upset Dobyns-Bennett 12-2 two years after the long-established Indians had won a state championship.

He was the coach in all sports at St. Charles - with no assistants. Fry convinced the principal he should attend a clinic where Oklahoma football coach Bud Wilkinson was speaking. Wilkinson spoke on "How to Get Along With Your Coaching Staff.''

After his retirement, Fry sold new cars at Kingsport Motors.

"Dad didn't know a Pontiac from a Chevrolet, but he could sell,'' said Keener. "He would approach a prospective customer on the lot and ask, "?If I could save you some money and make a little myself, how would that be, pardner? Let's go over and look at that red one.''

Fry's legacy includes more than his contributions to sports. His wife Lois, who died two years ago, taught at the high school. Lou Britt, his daughter, was a majorette in the marching band.

"I was told that Dad would stand outside the dressing room at halftime and watch the band perform,'' said Lou, a Gate City Middle School teacher who will retire next week after 33 years.