George Watts announced his retirement as East Tennessee State’s director of track and field and cross country on June 18 after a career that included 26 years coaching at Tennessee and four competing for the Vols in the late 1970s.
Watts spent the last 14 years at ETSU and will continue working there in a part-time role as a distance coach.
“You can’t have a program without surrounding yourself with talented, hard-working coaches. I feel very lucky to have had some great staff who came ready to work every day,” Watts said in a school release. “I’m most proud of the student-athletes for the effort they put in every day. You don’t always know when the next great one is going to come along, but quite often it’s just as exciting to see that person who scores for the first time in their career, or unexpectedly wins an event on their last throw. Those are the moments that make coaching so enjoyable.”
Watts was a runner at Tennessee before becoming a coach, winning four SEC championships and earning all-American honors for cross country in 1977 and for the indoor three-mile run in 1978.
He started his coaching career in 1985 as an assistant for men’s cross country and track. He was promoted in 1992 to head coach of men’s cross country and assistant head coach of men’s track. In 2009, he added associate head coach for women’s track to his responsibilities.
Watts oversaw NCAA outdoor titles for the men’s track in 1991 and 2001 as well as the program’s only NCAA indoor national championship in 2002. His teams won 11 SEC titles during his tenure, racking up 42 All-American honors.
At ETSU, Watts coached one men’s track all-American and one women’s indoor all-American.
“George has had an impact on so many young people’s lives as a coach, especially when it comes to records and athletic achievements, but more importantly, he has had an incredible personal impact on the people within his program and our department,” ETSU athletic director Richard Sander said.
Emmett Siegel covers Tennessee baseball for Knox News. Email: emmett.siegel@knoxnews.com; X: @EmmettSiegel_
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Former Tennessee cross country, track coach George Watts retires from ETSU
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