Science Hill High School

Sid Smallwood

Sidney Smallwood

Sidney Smallwood began in the Johnson City schools coaching Junior High in 1944. He started coaching basketball in 1947 and took two teams to the state tournament before he was done coaching basketball in '57.

Smallwood and Plowboy Farmer are considered the two primary pioneers in Science Hill athletics. Smallwood was athletic director during integration, and was on board during the hiring of excellent coaches such as Elvin Little, Kermit Tipton and Snake Evans.

He's best known for bringing Steve Spurrier's family to Johnson City from Newport when a preaching position opened in 1957 for Graham Spurrier. Smallwood said he'd gotten to know Spurrier, who would visit with him when he brought a Veteran up periodically from Newport to receive medical treatment at Mountain Home. Seeing Graham, Jr., and Steve play ball at a camp in Montreat, N.C., didn't hurt matters either.

Smallwood grew up in Jonesboro. He never went far, he says, because his mother was in a fragile state of mind after his father died when he was five and his brother died during childhood.

But Smallwood has fond memories. There were the two-week football camps in August on the Nolichucky River leading up to the Jonesboro Tigers' season opener (he was a senior in '35). He said a tobacco barn was their dorm those weeks, and swims in the river their salvation.

Smallwood will turn 91 on March 11. He'll tell you he "can't hear thunder" but he can recall details of the 1930s for hours with detail. He was quarterback in high school and the formations' names included Notre Dame Box, Pop Warner Double-Wing and the Slaughter Formation.

Basketball ended up being his specialty in coaching. The 'Toppers were ranked No. 1 with a 26-0 record when they were upset by a point in the state tournament in 1954.

"He was a fine basketball coach and a good athletic director," Tipton said. "He could get serious when he had to, but he let his coaches coach."

Added Little: "You couldn't have a better man to work for than Sid. He is such a big part of Science Hill's history. In fact, I'd probably have to say that Sidney Smallwood is 'Mr. Science Hill.'"