Clarkrange

Lamar Rogers Gets Win 1218, Now Winningest Coach In TN History

Lamar Rogers said that he told his wife when he started coaching that he planned to only coach for five years or so. That was bask in 1977.

“I remember the first game I coached I lost to Cumberland County,” Rogers said. “I remember I got up the next morning and was ready to hang it up.”

Cooler heads prevailed and over the next 42 years Rogers amassed 1218 career victories, eight State Championships, one of which was a 39-0 season, 24 trips to the State Tournament in Mufreesboro, two Miss Basketballs, six Most Valuable Players of the State Tournament, and over 50 girls sign some level of college scholarship.

Rogers said some of his most memorable match ups, outside of his state eight championship seasons, were against Rickman High School before they merged with Livingston Academy.

“In 1983 before they consolidated with Livingston, Rickman used to be a high school,” Rogers said.  “They were Single A in our district. They beat us in three overtimes up here. We beat them on a shot at the buzzer down at Rickman. In the district championship they beat us in five overtimes. In the region championship game we beat them in two overtimes. That was like a blood and guts series. Then we went on to win the state championship. Everybody was talking about it.”

Rogers never set out to be the winningest girls basketball coach in the state of Tennessee when he started. However, he does demand the absolute best for each and every one of his players every single time they step onto the court.

“You want to do the best you can do every time,” Rogers said. “If we can only win 10 games lets win 10 games, but you just want to do the best you can do every time.”

The best they could do started back in 1983 with his first state championship. The Lady Buffaloes went on to win the state championship in 1984 and in 1985. That’s what we call in sports a three-peat.

Clarkrange won back to back state championships in 1990 and 1991. They won gold ball number six during the 1995 season. Clarkrange would go on a nine  seasons drought before they found their way back to the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro.

In 2004 Clarkrange had a Miss Basketball Finalist on their roster, Michelle Snow. The Lady Buffaloes capped off a 29-8 season with a 49-37 victory over Peabody in the 2004 state championship game.

“My time at Clarkrange is definitely among the best basketball memories that I have,” Snow said. “Coach Rogers had the gift of pulling out every single ounce of potential a player had. He had a way of making sure that every player on the team had a job to do or a role on the team.”

Snow’s point guard on the 2004 championship team was Miranda Cravens, the current head coach at Station Camp High School. Cravens memories of Coach Rogers go all the way back to elementary school.

“My dad would take me to all the home games when I was little,” Cravens said. “Winning the state championship there was like a dream come true. You grow up this little girl admiring this team and this coach and you actually get to be apart of it. You get a taste of the success you watched from the sidelines and get to experience it on the court.”

Another standout point guard for Rogers, during the 2009 State Championship season, was Kelly Reed. Reed helped engineer the Lady Buffaloes to a perfect 39-0 season. Reed is now the head coach at Springfield High school.

“A lot of times, especially coaching now, I think what would he have said or what would he have done,” Reed said. “No one will ever be able to do what he’s done but you want to try ad be as close as you can. I try and mold myself and my coaching career off of everything Coach Rogers taught me.

When Rogers was younger he used to let the losses beat him up but that’s not the case as much anymore.

“I try to keep stuff in perspective and try not to take it home much,” Rogers said. “I’ve been trying to smell the roses and appreciate everything over the last 10 years or so.”

The Lady Buffaloes are off to a 7-1 start on the season and in Roger’s eyes, have a chance to do something special this year.

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