Success seemed to follow Tom Fann wherever he went. Whether as an athlete, teacher, coach, or administrator, his great deeds and accomplishments were many. As a student at McMinnville High School in Middle Tennessee, Fann served as captain of both the basketball and football teams and was a three-year letterman in football. At Tennessee Polytechnical Institute, he was once again a three-year letterman on the football team and captain of the 1952 squad which made a trip to the Tangerine Bowl. That same year, he was named an All-Ohio Valley Conference player and a Little All-American at guard. A stellar college career behind him, Fann went on to earn his master’s degree from George Peabody College and became a teacher and assistant football coach at Columbia High School from 1954 to 1957. In 1957 he accepted an assistant coach and teacher position at Jackson High School and was promoted to head coach in 1962. During Fann’s tenure, his Golden Bears compiled a mighty 49-5 record. From 1963 to 1965, his teams lost only twice and were state champions all three seasons. Fann finally left coaching in 1967 to become principal at Jackson High, a title he held for the next twenty years. In 1975 he was inducted into his alma mater’s hall of fame. No longer with us, Tom Fann left a legacy of excellence in and beyond the world of sports that will last forever.
