Page 228 - lake-city-florida-a-sesquicentennial-tribute-(h-morris-williams-kevin-mccarthy)-2009

Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy

My first meeting with Coach Quinn came when I was a ninth
grader and went out for the junior varsity team. I was big for my age
and had always played in the line, but - on the very first day of practice
- Coach Quinn told me he was going to make me his quarterback.
The quarterback! In my world of 1965, I wouldn’t have traded those
magical words for all the money in the world. From that day in 1965
until I graduated in 1969, Coach Quinn and I developed an increasingly
close relationship. I knew I was one of Coach Quinn’s players, the
ultimate honor, and I knew he always had my best interests at heart.
We all worked so hard for Coach Quinn and we won an incredible
number of games. We even won a state championship!

I knew it was important to win games for the team and the
school, and of course we enjoyed the recognition we got by playing
and winning. But the bottom line was that I, and all my teammates,
wanted to win for Coach Quinn. Thanks to Coach Quinn I got a
football scholarship to FSU. Coach Quinn later left Lake City and
moved to Lakeland, then Bartow. He had meant so much to me so I
tried to stay in touch with him wherever he went.

Coach Quinn (seated on the far right - see arrow)
at a football/cheerleader banquet in 1968

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