Murphy – If you played sports at Murphy High School in the last five decades, chances are pretty good that you were coached by a Watson.
Tom and Ruby Kate Watson had two children – a son, Wayne, and a daughter, Karen. Ruby Kate was a teacher, while Tom worked at the N.C. Department of Transportation. Tom had other interests as his children grew older, as he loved to teach sports as well as academics.
Tom coached baseball in his leisure hours, especially as Wayne gained interest in the game. Karen recalled that her dad would coach her and Wayne as a father, but when you got in the car after the game there was no hashing over the mistakes or anything like that.
There was always a car full of people, too, because back in those days there were no activity buses. The parents had to get the kids to away games, much the same way youth teams do today.
What Tom Watson didn’t know is that he would be the root of a coaching tree that would span more the five decades of coaching at Murphy High and continues today.
Wayne graduated from Murphy High in 1965 and went on to Western Carolina University, where he received his teaching degree. He returned to Cherokee County Schools and began his coaching career in 1969 in basketball at Hiwassee Dam High School.
After a two-year stint at Hiwassee Dam, Wayne returned to Murphy High in fall 1971 to coach girls basketball and junior varsity football.
Wayne said it was the first year that the girls’ game went full court, and his Lady Bulldogs played Cherokee for the Smoky Mountain Conference Championship. He had a special player on that team; his sister, Karen, who was in her senior year. Wayne jokingly said he taught her everything she knows.
He coached JV football for two years, then moved up to the varsity team in 1974 as defensive backs and wide receiver coach. Wayne said back in those days there wasn’t any film study, and he spent a lot of his time on Friday nights watching Murphy’s next opponent. He and his wife, Joy, would travel to scout the team Murphy was playing the next week; Joy tragically passed away a couple of years ago.
Wayne coached on the staffs of Terry Postell, Mitch Myers and David Gentry. He said the most memorable moment for him was in 1996, when he got to coach his son, Joseph, during Joseph’s senior year. Today, Joseph is head football coach and athletic director at Murphy High.
Karen graduated from Murphy High in 1972 and, after she got all that great coaching from Wayne, attended Western Carolina University, where she got her degree in physical education. In all seriousness, Karen credits both her dad and her brother for her success.
Karen would take on her big brother and anyone else hanging out at the Rock Gym during the summer. She coached in the recreation league when she returned to Murphy, and her team went undefeated, so she took over the varsity girls team at Murphy in fall 1977.
She coached basketball for 13 years and volleyball for 21 years. Karen said her father supported them and encouraged them to play sports, and when she was growing up all she knew was playing ball.
Karen has had many memorable moments during her coaching career, including getting home from Rosman at 3 a.m. after defeating them in a volleyball game that went to five games.
“We were down five points in the fifth game and came back and beat them,” she said. “They needed one more point to win the game and I called time out and told the girls that I have done all I can do for you. Y’all are just going to have to do it.”
One of her most memorable moments was the time she spent coaching her daughter, Nikol, who today is head volleyball coach at Murphy High.
“I had to learn how to be a spectator,” Karen said. “I sometimes have a hard time keeping my mouth shut. I get nervous for her and Joseph when they go into a game. Back when I was coaching, I didn’t have time to be nervous.”
Karen made another contribution to the coaching staff at Murphy High when she married a guy she met at Western Carolina by the name of Flip Watson. Flip coached baseball at Murphy for several years. He first came to Cherokee County in 1978 and taught at Andrews Junior High School as a social studies and physical education teacher. While there, he coach varsity baseball and JV football at Andrews High School.
Flip came to Murphy in fall 1983. He started the Gifted Program at Murphy for grades 3-12 and was an assistant baseball coach under then-head coach Matt Rogers. Flip became head baseball coach in fall 1984, when he assumed head coaching duties for the JV football team as well.
He had several good teams through the 22 years, but Flip’s biggest accomplishments was getting the baseball field built at Konehete Veterans Park. He and a bunch of friends, as Flip described it, did the labor after Flip did a lot of legwork to get the funds to build the field.
The baseball program really did not have any way of raising funds, and Flip started the practice of selling signs that hangs on the outfield fence to raise money for Murphy baseball. Flip Watson Field still carries his name.
Tyler Edwards, Nicole’s husband, is the head baseball coach at Murphy High. They have two preschool sons, Jakob and Joyner. And Joseph had two middle school twin boys, John Parker and Brady, so there is no telling how long this trend may continue.
On a funny note: Aunt Nikol is their PE teacher and, from the conversations overheard at the school, she is not cutting them any slack.