Long-time North Greene High School coach and educator Jerome Woolsey received one of the highest honors that a coach can receive Friday night: the high school gymnasium was given his name and will now forever be called the "Jerome Woolsey Gymnasium."

A ceremony was held Friday night during the school's big district basketball games with Cloudland. Many of his former players and students from his teaching and coaching career that spanned 32 years were on hand for the festivities, which began with a reception in the school cafeteria.

Woolsey spent his entire career in education at North Greene High School. He also graduated from there, where he excelled in sports and earned a baseball scholarship to Carson-Newman College. He taught and coached at North Greene from 1969 to 2001.

Although he coached a variety of sports during his career, his boys' basketball teams were his claim to fame. He coached them for 24 years, compiling a record of 385-362, impressive when playing a number of schools every year that had much larger enrollments.

His Huskies made two state tournament appearances, five sub-state appearances, won four regional championships and four district titles.

Woolsey was joined on the floor by members of his immediate family for the ceremony, and a host of former players lined one end of the gym who came down from the stands to aid in the celebration. A large sign on the back wall of the gym now proclaims the Husky Den as Jerome Woolsey Gymnasium. He was also presented a plaque for his years of service by school principal David McLain, who also was a former player under Woolsey.

Woolsey introduced and thanked members of his family that were present, and he also expressed his gratitude to those family members who are now deceased: his mother and father, his brother "and my best friend Gary," and Uncle John Woolsey, who became known as "Uncle John" to everybody in the North Greene community.

He also gave credit to three coaches who had a bearing on his career; Jack Kilday, his coach while Woolsey was a player at North Greene; the late Bert Starnes; and Ken Bailey, the former Bulls Gap and North Greene coach. Kilday and Bailey were both present. Bailey has also been honored at North Greene as he is a member of the TSSAA Hall of Fame.

He also introduced Phyllis Tunnell, a long-time teacher and physical education teacher at North Greene, who he described as a "special friend and the best phys ed teacher I've ever known."

Woolsey said he worked under three principals during his long career, and credited each of them -- Claude Justice, John Waddle and Richard Morrison -- with supporting athletics at the school.

Morrison was present, and when called upon to speak, said, "I've know Coach Woolsey for 49 years. He was a good athlete, a great coach and teacher, but his greatest attribute is his moral character."

Former assistant coaches Bobby Greenlee and Roger Jones were also present and introduced.

Woolsey said that like his former coach at Carson-Newman, Frosty Holt, "I'll never forget my players. I'll remember each and every one of you," he said as he looked at the long procession of former students who lined the gym floor.

Woolsey closed the ceremony by telling the huge crowd present the traits of a Siberian Husky, which is the school mascot. He told the North Greene students to remember what their mascot stands for: "The Husky has no fear, and they work best as a team."