RICHARD PICKELL-1959

He was starting guard in basketball on the 1958 team and played a major role in winning the State Championship, being named to the honorable mention All State team. He returned as Captain the following year and again led Lenoir City to the State Tournament, losing in the second round to the eventual state champion. He was honored as one of the area players listed as possible All American High School and was selected to the third team All State. He also was a 3 year member of the baseball team, playing third base.  He played basketball at Tennessee Tech and then transferred to Tennessee Wesleyan where he was Captain his last year. He began coaching basketball at Olive Springs and later at Harriman where his teams won the District 5 times, was runner-up 7 times, won the Region 5 times, was runner-up 1 time, making 6 Sub State appearances, 3 State appearances and won the State 1 time. He becomes one of the few to have won the State Championship as a player and later as a coach. He won a total of 562 games, was District Coach of the Year 3 times, East Tennessee Coach of the Year and Tennessee Coach of the Year in 1995. He was honored in 1988 by having the school gym dedicated as the Richard D. Pickell Gymnasium. During this time he recorded 37 years as a teacher and he seems as proud of this statistic as any other acclaim. In 2008 he was elected and inducted into the TSSAA Hall of Fame. He was elected to the LCHS Hall of Fame in 2004.