Science Hill High School

Snake Evans

Bob "Snake" Evans 1947

Bob "Snake" Evans played football his senior season for Plowboy Farmer in 1946, beginning arguably the biggest bridge of 'Toppers football eras. Evans went on to play at ETSU before graduating from Peabody College in Nashville in 1953.

He started coaching at Science Hill in 1953 under Mule Brown. He left in 1957 to be an assistant football and track coach at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette).

He returned to Science Hill in 1961 to assist Kermit Tipton and also coach track. Evans was head football coach from 1967-76. His teams went 67-30-2 and 48-22-1 in conference. He won two Big Nine and Upper East Tennessee titles. Evans Had 11- and 8-game win streaks and a 19-game stretch without a loss.

Evans was 6-4 against D-B and one of those victories came with the Indians ranked No. 1 in 1974. He was the two-time Bristol Herald Courier Upper East Tennessee coach of the year.

"Snake really had Kingsport's number," said former assistant Bob May. "He was a very good fundamentals coach, stressed all phases including the kicking game. His teams didn't make mistakes and he was very sound on game night."

Evans concluded his coaching career at Science Hill by coaching track and cross country from 1977-88, racking up enough accolades to inspire the Snake Evans Relays.

“I knew Snake since he was in the eighth or ninth grade," said Sid Smallwood, who later hired him as a coach. "I coached him in track. Really and truly, I was fond of him, and that went outside of our business association.”

"He was a disciplinarian," said Keith Lyle, an assistant under Evans. "I remember him often telling players ‘Your feelings aren’t worth 15 yards."

But former player Joe Bradley indicated the tough love worked because it did indeed contain an element of love.