KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Bob Black, an ever-present figure at Fulton High School who served as a teacher, coach, and administrator over fifty years, has died. He was 80 years old.

“Many know he had suffered with Alzheimer’s the past few years,” his daughter Kelley Black Seymour wrote on Facebook. “He recently had a rapid decline in his condition.”

“The Fulton High School Football Family mourns the loss of Coach Bob Black. Coach Black was a legendary figure in the history of FHS as a player, assistant coach, head coach, and athletic director. Coach Black had a profound impact on everyone he met and will never be forgotten.”

Fulton High School Football

He graduated from Fulton in 1960 and went on to play football at Carson-Newman University. He returned to to the school in 1965 as a teacher and football coach.

Black served as head coach from 1969-1970 and remained on the coaching staff for many years. He coached his son Rob and coached alongside him for the Falcons.

The field at Falcon Stadium was renamed Bob Black Field in 1986 in his honor. He was inducted into the TSSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame
2012. He is also a member of the Carson-Newman College Sports Hall of Fame.

Black served as Fulton Athletic Director for nearly 40 years. He was named 2000-2001 TSSAA Athletic Director of the Year.

His son coached at the school for more than 30 years, including more than a decade as Fulton head coach. Rob Black now serves as the Fulton athletic director.

Kelley Black said funeral arrangements will be announced at a later date.