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Football coach T. McFerrin passes away at 83, leaving a 341-game legacy
Coach T. McFerrin, a high school football icon who won everywhere he went, has passed at 83 after a legendary run that changed Georgia football forever.
T. McFerrin, one of the most respected names in Georgia high school football, passed away earlier this month following a long illness. He was 83. Across his 38 years of coaching, he didn’t just guide wins—he built powerhouses.
McFerrin finished with 341 wins, 12 region titles, and took four different schools to the state finals. But those who knew him rarely began by listing his achievements; instead, they spoke first about the lives he influenced.
Turnaround artist, title-winner, trailblazer
Also known as “Coach T,” Thomas Sumner McFerrin IV’s coaching journey started in 1968 at Lithonia High. The team went from 1-9 to 8-1-1 in his first year. This kind of turnaround would become his signature. He led seven schools to regional championships and remains the only coach in Georgia history to take four different teams to a state title game.
He won it all in 1995 with Elbert County, then again in 2012 with Jefferson, which was his final season. Both became first-time champions with his lead; McFerrin didn’t just build programs, he resurrected them.
More than a coach
Before he was on the sidelines, McFerrin played defensive back in Tennessee and earned degrees from Middle Tennessee and Florida State. He also coached tennis, wrestling, volleyball, and assisted in basketball and baseball. His impact stretched far beyond football.
“Coach McFerrin was a legend,” Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp stated. The governor added that while McFerrin’s record speaks for itself, his real legacy lives in the “generations of athletes who stepped off his field as better men because of his influence.”
Jefferson High’s Jefferson Dragons Football team also shared in the loss, stating, “Georgia’s greatest high school football coach was about far more than just winning games. The life lessons he taught will live on…”
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