[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 26, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        RECOGNIZING THE 84TH BIRTHDAY OF COACH GUY EDWARD PHIPPS

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                          HON. JOHN S. TANNER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 26, 2006

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a man whom I 
consider to be one of the greatest influences of my early years--a man 
whose guidance helped change the lives of several generations of young 
people. I rise today to honor my high school basketball coach, a 
talented, caring educator and my dear friend, Coach Guy Edward Phipps, 
who earlier this month celebrated his 84th birthday.
  Coach Phipps was born in Hickman, Kentucky, and, after graduating 
from Hickman High School, served 3 years in the United States Army. 
Following his honorable discharge, he attended nearby Murray State 
University while also raising a family; his daughter, now Janice Phipps 
Jones, was only three years old when Coach Phipps began his college 
education.
  After earning both a Bachelors Degree and a Masters Degree at Murray 
State University, he began his career as a teacher and basketball coach 
in Fulton, Kentucky. Four years later, he moved just across the state 
line to South Fulton, Tennessee, for a new coaching job. Three seasons 
later, Coach Phipps and his team set school history with an 
unprecedented 28-0 record in the regular season.
  That same year, however, Coach Phipps and the Red Devils were beat in 
the district tournament by Union City High School in my hometown of 
Union City, Tennessee. Shortly thereafter, in 1956, Coach Phipps made 
the professional move 14 miles away to Union City High School to take 
over the coaching duties with the Union City Golden Tornadoes. Coach 
Phipps helped lead the team to five consecutive district and regional 
tournament wins and brought the school to its first-ever state 
tournament appearance.
  In 1959, I joined the Union City High School basketball team as a 
sophomore and was honored to train under Coach Phipps for three years. 
His leadership helped teach my teammates and me sportsmanship, teamwork 
and maturity that have been important to me throughout my life, and I 
feel confident that my former teammates are as grateful as I am to have 
had the opportunity in our formative years to work with such an 
exceptionally talented leader.
  Coach Phipps also taught courses in industrial arts and engineering 
drawing while at Union City High School. He was known in our school 
district for a special goal he set--to choose a different student every 
day or every week whom he felt needed a friend and someone to believe 
in him or her. This approach touched the lives of many students over 
Coach Phipps' career and is still a tradition among many of the 
educators in northwest Tennessee.
  After a brief time working at a local doctor's clinic, Coach Phipps 
chose to return to Union City High School, but this time as principal, 
where he continued to serve for 4 years. Later he served as head 
basketball coach at David Lipscomb College in Nashville and as dean of 
students at Nashville Tech.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope you and our colleagues will join me in honoring 
the 84th birthday of a man who has been a hero in Tennessee and 
Kentucky for generations. The true measure of a successful educator is 
how many young people's lives he has touched. As one of Coach Phipps' 
former players and a good friend of his today, I know he meets that 
test of being a truly successful teacher and coach.

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