Raymond Montgomery Biography – 2013 FCSHOF Inductee

Raymond Montgomery is a native of the one time mining town of Ducktown, Tennessee. He was a popular student at Ducktown High School where he played basketball and was a starting guard on the 1943 and 1944 football teams. He was captain of the 1944 Ducktown football team.

After graduation from high school, Montgomery served in the navy and then attended Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee. He played center for the 1949 and 1950 Tusculum football teams.

Shortly after college, Montgomery returned to his hometown where he served as head coach of the 1952-1955 Ducktown High School football teams. He also coached the school basketball teams. Ducktown was a small school, seldom having as many as 20 able-bodied players on its football teams. Despite the numbers, however, Montgomery led Ducktown to an unprecedented level of success during his 4-year tenure at the football helm. His 4 teams had an overall record of 25 victories, 11 losses and 6 ties. His 1954 team had a dazzling 9-1-1 record. Ducktown achieved perhaps the two most significant victories in the history of any football team in the area when they defeated Red Bank High School of Chattanooga 6-2 in 1954 and 13-7 in 1955.

When Ducktown and Copperhill high schools were consolidated into the new Copper Basin High School in 1956, Montgomery was selected to head the football program there as well as serving as the head coach of the girls basketball team. He remained at Copper Basin for two years before accepting a coaching position at West Fannin High School across the border in Georgia. He was an assistant football coach and basketball coach at West Fannin before his promotion to head coach of the football team in the fall of 1960. He remained in that position through the 1966 season before serving in various administrative positions in Fannin County school system.

Montgomery’s 7 year coaching career at West Fannin represented the longest tenure of any coach in the history of the school. The best season record in the history of the school, achieved 5 different times, was 6-3-1. Three of Montgomery’s teams found success at that level, 1960, 1963 and 1965 competing against the likes of perennial state powerhouses such as Dalton and Rossville.

Raymond Montgomery was needed to fill coaching vacancies two more times during his career, 1968 at East Fannin High and 1979 at Fannin County High School, and he was there to serve on both occasions. His life has been one of exemplary service to his community in the areas of education and athletics.

Raymond and his wife Mozelle currently live in McCaysville GA. They have four children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Raymond Montgomery article in The News Observer Blue Ridge GA