Stephen Barnes Lacy (October 24, 1908 – February 3, 2000) was an American college sports coach, educator, and political adviser. He served as the head football coach at Milligan College—now known as Milligan University—in Milligan College, Tennessee from 1933 to 1942. A native of

Sullivan County, Tennessee Sullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee on its northeast border. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,163. Its county seat is Blountville. Sullivan County is part of the Kingsport– Johnson City&ndash ...

, Lacy entered Milligan College in 1927. Even though he had never seen football played before coming to Milligan, he made the varsity Milligan Buffaloes football team in 1928 and was team captain as a senior in 1930. In basketball, Lacy twice earned all-

Smoky Mountain Conference The Smoky Mountain Conference – officially the Smoky Mountain Athletic Conference – was an intercollegiate athletic conference that existed from December 1926 to October 1966. Most teams in the league were located in Tennessee, and there were a ...

honors as a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

, in 1929 and 1930. He graduated from Milligan in 1931 with cum laude honors. Lacy began his coaching and teaching career at Mary Hughes High School in

Piney Flats, Tennessee Piney Flats is an unincorporated community in Sullivan County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsp ...

, where he was

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

, coach, teacher, and principal for two years. In 1933, he was hired as athletic director and head coach of football and baseball at his alma, mater, Milligan. Lacy, known as "Mr. Democrat", was an influential member of the

Tennessee Democratic Party The Tennessee Democratic Party (TNDP) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in Tennessee. The party was founded in 1826 and is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The Tennessee Democratic Party began alongside President Andrew Jack ...

, serving as an adviser to

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...

, United States Senator and

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest officer in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The vice ...

Ned McWherter Ned Ray McWherter (October 15, 1930April 4, 2011) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 46th Governor of Tennessee, from 1987 to 1995. Prior to that, he served as Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 19 ...

Governor of Tennessee The governor of Tennessee is the head of government of the U.S. state of Tennessee. The governor is the only official in Tennessee state government who is directly elected by the voters of the entire state. The current governor is Bill Lee, a ...

, and

Jim Sasser James Ralph Sasser (born September 30, 1936) is an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. A Democrat, Sasser served three terms as a United States senator from Tennessee from 1977 to 1995, and was Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. ...

, United States Senator. He died on February 3, 2000, at

Johnson City Medical Center Johnson City Medical Center is a hospital in Johnson City, Tennessee. It is a Level I Trauma Center and one of three major tertiary referral hubs of regional provider Ballad Health. It has 445 beds, plus 86 in the attached Niswonger Children's Ho ...

, in

Johnson City, Tennessee Johnson City is a city in Washington, Carter, and Sullivan counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, mostly in Washington County. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 71,046, making it the eighth largest city in Tennessee. John ...

Head coaching record

College football

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Steve 1908 births 2000 deaths Guards (basketball) Milligan Buffaloes athletic directors Milligan Buffaloes football coaches Milligan Buffaloes football players Milligan Buffaloes men's basketball players High school football coaches in Tennessee High school basketball coaches in Tennessee Schoolteachers from Tennessee Tennessee Democrats People from Sullivan County, Tennessee Coaches of American football from Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee Baseball coaches from Tennessee Basketball coaches from Tennessee Basketball players from Tennessee