A Legacy of Faith, Perseverance & Coaching

Larry Dale Watson was born April 5, 1944. He graduated from Porter High School in Maryville, where he was named to the All-Blount County Football Team his senior year in 1963.

Larry joined the Carson-Newman College (now University) football team the next year and eventually became the starting fullback for Coach Dal Shealy. In 1992, Coach Shealy became the President and CEO of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Larry graduated with a degree in Physical Education and Health and a Biology minor in 1967.

Larry and Sue Garrett married in August 1967 in her hometown of Jonesville, Virginia. Larry began working with the Virginia State Health Department, and they became members and youth ministry workers at Trinity Baptist Church in Christiansburg.

In 1968, in the middle of the Vietnam War, Larry enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was stationed with the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), the military headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Belgium, and home of Allied Command Europe. Although he was honorably discharged from the Army and left SHAPE in 1971, he continued his military service as a Drill Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Following his active military service, Larry returned to work for the State Health Department. He held that role until his resignation in 1984 to attend Columbia Bible College (now Columbia Biblical Seminary of Columbia International University) in response to God’s call to full-time Christian ministry. He earned the Master of Christian Education with an emphasis in Foreign Missions in 1986.

Upon their return to Christiansburg, Trinity Baptist Church called Larry as the Youth Pastor. He and Sue served the church until 1997. At that time, they moved to Maryville to assist his mother following his father’s death. In Maryville, they joined Mt. Lebanon Baptist Church and became active in the youth ministry there.

Larry’s move back to Maryville coincided with the vacancy of the head football coaching position at The King’s Academy in fall 1997. Larry interviewed and was readily hired to fill the role. He held that position from 1997 until 2010 and served as an assistant coach one year following that. He subsequently coached the running backs at Maryville College before stepping into full retirement.

Throughout his coaching career at TKA, Coach Watson held the struggling football program together with courage and tenacity, forging close, mutually respectful relationships with his players. In the 2003–2004 school year, Coach Watson successfully persuaded the coaches at several area high schools to play an 8-man schedule to keep the program alive.

Coach Watson integrated numerous international players on his teams and somehow managed to deal with the language barriers on the field, not to mention the fact that most of the international players had never touched a football before arriving at TKA. In 2001, 14 of the 22 players on the team were from nine foreign countries. That attracted the attention of an NFL sports magazine called “Under the Helmet.” NFL Films came to campus to shoot a feature on the team that was broadcast on FOX TV. The “Under the Helmet” segment captured the steep learning curve, cultural adjustments, and ultimate camaraderie of international student-athletes learning to play traditional American football.

In 2007, Coach Watson led his team to the Mid-South Conference Championship.

During their tenure at TKA, Larry and Sue Watson were whatever it takes servant-hearted leaders. In addition to Larry’s coaching and teaching positions, they served in Resident Life, Retreat Services, Maintenance, and Admissions.

Larry and Sue now reside in Dallas, Georgia. They have two daughters: Laurie (Jeff) McCarter of Dallas, Georgia, and Holly (Landon) Harris of Maryville. They have five grandchildren ages 21 to 30 and one great-granddaughter, age 2.