Special to the WJH
Fred Willocks represents a rare kind of coach — one whose greatest priority was not wins and losses, but the development of young people.
Throughout his career, coach Willocks dedicated himself to helping students grow not only as athletes, but as responsible and caring adults.
A graduate of Porter High School, coach Willocks attended Maryville College earning a degree in Physical Education with a minor in Science in 1964. He later completed a Master of Science degree in Physical Education, Research and Strength Training from the University of Tennessee in 1967.
While in school, Willocks was active in athletics, serving as a three-year starter on his high school football team, where he was named team captain and earned Honorable Mention all-East Tennessee recognition. He also competed in wrestling, winning the only two matches his team recorded as a heavyweight.
At Maryville College, Willocks played football for four years, lettering twice, and became the intramural heavyweight wrestling champion in 1962. He also competed in the Southern Collegiate Wrestling tournament at Auburn in 1963.
Coach Willocks began his coaching career at Everett High School in Blount County, Tenn., where he coached ninthgrade football and served as head wrestling coach of an undefeated team whose entire roster advanced to the state tournament.
He later coached at Quincy High School in Florida, where he assisted former Ware County principal Tony Adams in leading the team to a Gulf Coast Conference football championship. From there he became head football coach at Chattahoochee High School, where he guided the team to a Panhandle Conference championship, and was named Coach of the Year after producing the best record in school history at that time.
Willocks later returned to Quincy High School as head coach and athletic director for a short stint.
His next stop was Coffee County, where he coached football alongside John Stephens and helped establish Coffee County’s first wrestling team. He then moved to Newman High School, where he served as defensive coordinator and head wrestling coach, leading the wrestling program to its first region wrestling championship. Willocks’ career eventually brought him to Ware County, where he spent the next 21 years shaping athletic programs and impacting the lives of countless students. During his time with the Gators, he served as defensive coordinator for four seasons and was instrumental in improving the strength and conditioning program for athletes. He also started the first wrestling program at Ware County, laying the groundwork for what would become a successful and respected program in the years that followed.
Coach Willocks also served as the junior varsity football coach, helping develop future varsity players by teaching fundamentals and discipline. He later helped establish the middle school football program when the schools merged, and was named middle school athletic director.
During one four-year stretch, the eighth-grade football team compiled an impressive 22–1–1 record, including a season in which the defense was never scored upon.
Beyond coaching, coach Willocks helped launch the P.E. Aide program in elementary schools, allowing students interested in coaching or teaching to assist physical education instructors and gain valuable experience working with younger students.
Willocks is married to Barbara Willocks. They are the proud parents of daughters Stephanie Willocks and Christie Noe, wife of Andrew Noe. They also have two granddaughters, Abbigail and Hannah.
