Considering how much of his life Steve Lacy gave to Milligan College in Johnson City as student, athlete, coach, athletic director, dean, vice president, member of the board of trustees, chairman of the accreditation committee, and chairman of the board of trustees, it’s surprising that no one ever suggested changing the name to Lacy College! He arrived at Milligan in 1927 and stayed almost half a century until 1975. As a student, Lacy played football and basketball and was captain of the 1931 basketball team. His junior and senior years, Milligan won both football and basketball championships in the Smokey Mountain Athletic Conference. Lacy graduated cum laude in 1931. After two years as athletic director, coach, teacher, and principal at Mary Hughes High School, he returned to Milligan in the spring of 1933 as athletic director and coach of many sports. His teams won championships in girls’ basketball, boys’ football, baseball, and track. Lacy was the only coach in the history of the Smokey Mountain Athletic Conference to win championships in four sports. In 1941 he was elected dean and vice president, a position he held until 1949. Soon after, he became a member of the board of trustees and served as chairman from 1961 to 1974. During his tenure, the Milligan endowment nearly doubled, and the library added more than 30,000 volumes. It is hard to imagine one person having had more impact on one institution than Steve Lacy had on Milligan College. His great influence, fine records, and remarkable devotion are his legacies.
