Science Hill High School

Bob C. Evans

Bob Evans 1954

After growing up hard in the old Columbus Powell area he calls the Third Ward, Bob Evans parlayed athletics into a college education and a career in the Johnson City school system.

He coached at South Junior High four years in the mid-60s and became the line coach at Science Hill during Snake Evans' first three seasons as head football coach (1967-69). He was Science Hill's principal in the early 1980s.

But former prep teammates remember Evans as an excellent athlete, one which Evans seems to have forgotten ("I was just an old plugger," he says).

Evans competed in football, baseball, basketball and track at Science Hill. Bob Taylor remembers throwing two touchdown passes to Evans their senior season in a win against Virginia High in Bristol.

“Bob Evans was probably the best all-around athlete at that time,” teammate Bob May said.

One of Evans' most memorable events was a one-point loss to Memphis Treadwell in the 1954 state basketball tournament. It brought the season to a shocking halt with the Hilltoppers (26-1) first loss of the season.

"I thought the world was coming to an end that night," Evans said, "but it didn't."

Evans signed to play football for Virginia Tech. He didn’t like the military atmosphere and transferred to ETSU. He played for the Bucs and graduated in 1958.

"Bob was captain of the football and basketball teams at Science Hill," Taylor said. "He was the third leading scorer on that 26-1 basketball team behind Ferrell Bowman and Jerry Wolf. And I mean he was a captain. When he stared us down, we listened to Bob Evans."

Ferrell Bowman remembers Evans inspiring him, if not scaring him, at halftime of that fateful state tournament loss.

"Little Bob was so spirited -- he just didn't believe in losing," Bowman said. "We'd won 26 in a row and we were down maybe two points at halftime. He grabbed me by the jersey and gave me a look and said 'Don't you pass it.' I started shooting more."

Evans remembers the glory days now more as means to an end, which, in his case, is a relaxing retirement in Limestone.

"We didn't have anything coming up; the playground was about the only place we had," Evans said. "Athletics ended up providing me all kinds of opportunities. I'm just so thankful for all that Science Hill and the Johnson City school system has given me."