Longtime Farmersville coach Johnnie Pryor raises his left hand in the air to acknowledge the crowd during halftime of last Friday’s football game against Blue Ridge. Photo by Tina Lopez / C&S Media
By David Wolman
During halftime of last Friday’s football game between Farmersville and Blue Ridge, “Go, Johnny, go” – the famous chorus from the classic 1958 rock and roll song Johnny B. Goode — blasted from the speakers at Farmers Stadium.
The song was played at the end of a ceremony in which the field at Farmers Stadium was named Coach Johnnie Pryor Field.
Surrounded by family at midfield, Pryor raised his left hand in the air to salute the crowd after he was presented with a football by Farmersville ISD Superintendent Dr. Micheal French.
The ceremony capped off an evening of festivities in which the longtime coach, history teacher, athletic director and driver’s education instruction was honored.
A few hours earlier, the Farmersville High School band played the school song inside the school’s cafeteria.
Moments later French said “Johnnie Pryor Field” three separate times, telling the standing-room only crowd in attendance to repeat those words.
“Let’s say that again, Johnnie Pryor Field. One more time, Johnnie Pryor Field.”
“I almost put Mr. Johnnie Pryor (in French’s speech), but a coach, in my opinion, is a sacred word,” French said. “A man who’s influence reaches way beyond the playing fields and still backs the Farmer family to this day.”
After the invocation was given by Jarren McTee, Tra Williams, Jason McTee, Jason Brooks and Rusty Brackett stepped up to the microphone and gave personal tributes.
Williams came to Farmersville in 1982 after graduating college, and Coach Pryor was one of the first people that he met.
Williams coached the offensive line and defensive line for Farmersville High School’s football teams while also serving as the seventh-grade coach.
“The first practice, Johnnie and I walk out there, and I’ve got 23 faces staring at me,” he said. “We’ve got offense, defense and special teams to put in. Then, I realized I don’t know where to start. I was struggling. Coach Pryor saw that I was about to panic, and he stepped in.
“I learned a lot about X’s and O’s from Johnnie.”
The most important thing that Williams learned from Pryor was how well Pryor treated people.
“Those kids loved him and still do,” Williams said. “They played their hearts out for him.”
Born and raised in Farmersville, Pryor graduated in 1968 and returned to the community that he loved after college.
In 1973, he began a career in education that lasted 43 years. He coached sports at the high school and junior high, both boys’ and girls’ sports. He was named the athletic director for Farmersville ISD in 1995 and held that role until 2006.
After stepping down as athletic director, he drove a bus and taught history and government at the high school until 2014. He was also a driver’s education instructor for 34 years.
“It’s safe to say that if it was played at Farmersville, Johnnie coached it at some point in his career,” Williams said.
Jason McTee played for Pryor in the seventh and eighth grades and was also a student in Pryor’s eighth-grade history class.
“He expected something out of you,” McTee said. “He can get in all ways from you, whether it was teaching or coaching, or playing golf with him later in life.”
Brooks got his first formal introduction to Pryor in 1982.
Farmersville’s junior high school football team finished 17-1 during the two seasons that Brooks played for Pryor.
Dedicated, inspiring, impactful, devoted, patient, resilient, selfless, passionate, humble and endearing were some of the words that Brooks used to describe Pryor.
“He didn’t just coach, he shaped generations of families, built a community and dedicated his life to helping others,” Brooks said.
Pryor was Brackett’s first coach in organized sports.
Brackett, Class of 1989 Farmersville High School graduate, said Pryor was the kind of coach that he needed in his life when he entered the seventh grade.
Brackett said Pryor was a demanding coach but appreciated how well Pryor worked with kids.
“It’s honoring to see you have this football field named after you,” Brackett said. “They might as well name this town after you.”
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