Another of the Tennessee good guys is gone.
Gary Wyant, defensive backfield coach (1971-75) and athletics administrator (1994-2007), died Sunday from complications of prostate cancer surgery. He was 81.
Gary Wyant
What Doug Dickey, Phillip Fulmer, Bill Battle and an assortment of old Vols said about Gary Wyant was a testament to his coaching skills and influence on those around him.
“He was like a second father to me,” said Eddie Brown. “He is the reason I made it in pro football.”
“Great man,” said Bobby Majors. “He helped us get our priorities right. He helped us mature as young men. He was also a very analytical coach. He was really smart on game plans.”
“Gary was a friend, an associate and the most dependable person I’ve ever known,” said Dickey, former coach and athletics director. “Whatever the project, you could count on Gary Wyant to get it done.
“He had a wonderful relationship with his former players. They had summer gatherings. They used to fish together.”
“Gary Wyant was a great football coach and was very beloved by his players and those who had the good fortune to get to know him well,” Fulmer said.
The former coach and athletics director said Wyant was a sounding board, his toughest critic and a loyal supporter.
“He played a very important part in the successes we all had during that era. Most of all, Gary was a great husband, father and grandfather, and he will be missed by all of us who loved him. May he rest in peace.”
“Gary was the most detailed coach I’ve ever known,” said Battle. “He wanted to know everything about every position. I am sorry to hear of his passing. He made a big difference in a lot of lives.”
Wyant grew up in Wichita. He was a high school quarterback, regional wrestling champ and best baseball hitter in Kansas. He played football at Wichita State, stayed on as an assistant coach, became defensive coordinator, moved up to Florida State, Georgia and Tennessee, then out to Texas Tech with former Vol Rex Dockery.
He gave up coaching for a dozen or more years and was a banker in Sparta with old Vol Bill Johnson. Fulmer brought him back to UT as director of football operations. Dickey drafted him to help run the athletics department. He stayed to assist Mike Hamilton. Wyant did everything except bask in the spotlight.
Vols who had Wyant as position coach remember “Run it again.”
This was Wyant at his best, keep doing it until you get it right, no almost right, no shortcuts. This technique paid off on Saturdays. It works in real life.
“He made me into a player,” said Brown. “He was a wonderful coach who worked you very hard but all the while, you knew he cared for you, on and off the field. He really was like a surrogate father. He wanted the best for us and we could all feel it.”
Ernie Ward was remembering how often the coach used to yell “ER-NIE!”
“When I think of Coach, I think of integrity, character and respect. He probably saved my life. He instilled the discipline and a work effort that I really needed, and still do at times.
“He gave me self-respect. He pushed me further than I thought I could go but somehow I make it.”
Ward said he had no problem saying out loud that he loved Gary Wyant.
“I’m grateful and blessed to have had him as my coach.”
Through it all, Wyant found a few minutes to fish. Former players knew of the weakness.
“He has fished the White River in Arkansas for 35 consecutive years,” said Brown.
Retirement sounded like the old coach might be ready for really serious fishing. Former defensive backs pooled their quarters and purchased a 22-foot flat-bottom riverboat with four captain’s chairs and a motor mounted high to avoid rocks.
Then, they went fishing with him. They cooked out and traded tall tales and told Gary Wyant how much he had meant to their lives. Obituary information here.
Marvin West welcomes comments or questions from readers. His address is marvinwest75@gmail.com