Coaching icon Bayless to step down

By Tim Chambers

Not even Frank Sinatra could have sung or done it any better. Since the 1953-54 season, Charlie Bayless had done it his way at Happy Valley High School as head coach.

The legendary icon will be honored Friday, Feb. 10, in his final regular-season game against Sullivan East.

The 88-year-old Bayless has lived a life that is full while traveling a many highway. His curtain call will be in the District 1-A tournament, which begins on Feb. 11.

Roscoe to many was born on October 1, 1923, in Washington County.

He lettered four years in basketball, three in football and one in baseball while at Happy Valley. After graduating, he served as a traffic MP with the third army in England, Belgium and Germany. While in Germany, he was assigned to guard high German officers at Nurenburg Prison, where they stood trail for war crimes. He returned to the states in January of 1946 as a staff sergeant.

In 1946, he married Jane Sisk.

He attended Milligan College for one year before transferring to East Tennessee State College, playing two seasons for the Bucs. He was captain his junior season.

He graduated in 1950 and in June the same year became an assistant coach under Carl Gouge at Happy Valley.

In 1951-52, Bayless moved to Jonesboro as head coach before returning to Happy Valley the following year as an assistant.

In 1953, he took over as head coach and has been there ever since.

He is the only coach to ever win the Watauga Conference in all sports: baseball, basketball, football, track and golf.

He reorganized baseball in 1956, 14 years since the 1942 season.

His basketball teams have won 13 conference championships, 10 district titles, three regional championships and made it to the state tournament four times — winning the Class A state tournament in 1974.

Bayless has logged 964 victories, third overall in the state — and is first in games coached.

In 1961, the Happy Valley Gymnasium was named in his honor.

He was the assistant coach to the late Walter “Buck” VanHuss in the McDonald’s All-Star Game in 1989. In 1993, Bayless was inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame.

Two years later he was tabbed for the same honors at ETSU and at Happy Valley.

In addition to Jane, his four daughters — Sarae, Charlene, Kathy and Karen — have been his biggest supporters, rarely missing a game.

According to many, Bayless might hold the record for the most game coached in the state of Tennessee — but his wife has watched the most.

“My family — they mean everything to me,” said Bayless. “They’ve been great backers. Not one time have they ever told me who to play or what I should do. You couldn’t ask for any more support than that.”

Ironically, Jane might have put a bug in Charlie’s ear about retirement.

She said recently if he didn’t hurry up and get out he was going to lose more game than he had won.

But regardless of where they played, the family was always seated behind the bench to support dad and his players.

Bayless gave a simple answer when asked how one person could stay at the same place for so long.

“I’ve had good ball players, good fans, good principals and good superintendents,” he said. “We’ve had some bad years where they could have fired me, but I guess they felt sorry for me. But the fans here have been wonderful.”

Bayless said he wasn’t fired, nor did anyone drive him away from the bench.

“It’s time,” Bayless said. “I’m like an old car where the parts start to wear out. It’s gotten hard for me at 88 years old to climb on the bus with a bunch of teenagers.”

He said they are still several parts of the game he enjoys every day, but for the better of the program he feels like it’s time to step aside.

“I still enjoy coming to practice and I still love to coach, but Happy Valley is going through a cycle right now,” he said. “They’ve got some good kids, but we don’t have any big boys coming up. Right now some of the other schools have got some good athletes, but I think they’ll get back to winning.”

No successor will be named until after the season. A lot will depend on what teaching jobs are available.

“I think the new coach will need some experience,” added Bayless. “It’s a tough situation. I won’t interfere with who they hire, but if they need any advice I am always here for them.”

Steve Hyder, a key member of the 1963-64 and 1964-65 teams, was at practice Monday picking up his grandson. He has great memories of Coach and his wife Jane.

“I was 10 years old and lived in the same neighborhood,” Hyder said. “I graduated with his daughter Sarae. Mrs.. Bayless was a Sunday school teacher and a Bible School teacher at Hopwood. I would walk over the hill and ride to church with them. She was a fine woman. I got to know coach as a player. He told us one time the work ethic we develop in basketball would get us through life. It got me through high school and his basketball program, which was a lot tougher then than it is now. It also got me through Vietnam, back home and 35 years through Eastman. You might replace the X’s and O’s, but not the mentor or the daddy figure.”

Bayless said his only regret is maybe hurting some players or parents by not playing the kids enough.

“I’ve tried to be fair to all of them,” he said. “I’ve hurt some feelings, but I’ve always tried to be fair.”

As I started to leave, Bayless reminded me that he hasn’t retired — that he was only stepping aside.

“I might come back and coach elementary,” he said. “You never know.”

One thing is known: Bayless will always be a Happy Valley Warrior.