GENE REYNOLDS WAS A LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STAR. AT ALCOA HIGH SCHOOL, GENE WAS EITHER RUNNING TOUCHDOWNS FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM OR SHOOTING JUMP SHOTS FOR THE BASKETBALL TEAM. DURING THE SUMMER, HE PLAYED IN THE RECREATIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE. HE HAD FULL INTENTIONS OF PLAYING THE THREE SPORTS HE LOVED IN COLLEGE, BUT COLLEGE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT. OUR COUNTRY WAS INVOLVED IN THE GREAT WORLD WAR AND GENE WAS DRAFTED IN THE ARMY. GENE SERVED HIS COMMISSION ON A MEDICAL SHIP THAT SAILED THROUGHOUT THE EUROPEAN THEATER. AFTER HIS STINT IN THE ARMY, HE RETURNED HOME AND ENROLLED IN MARYVILLE COLLEGE IN JANUARY, 1947. THE VARSITY BASKETBALL TEAM HAD ALREADY BEGUN THEIR SEASON SO GENE STAYED ACTIVE BY PLAYING WITH THE EIGHT BALLS, AN INTRAMURAL BASKETBALL TEAM. HE QUICKLY ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS A PREMIER ATHLETE ON CAMPUS BY SCORING SEVENTY TWO POINTS IN A THIRTY-TWO MINUTE GAME. DURING THE SPRING OF 1947, GENE BEGAN HIS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL CAREER BY PLAYING FIRST BASE FOR THE VARSITY TEAM. HE WAS A YOUNG FRESHMAN PLAYING ON A TEAM OF OLDER, SEASONED VETERANS RETURNING FROM THE WAR, BUT HE BEGAN TO SHOW SIGNS OF HIS SKILLS AND ABILITIES AS AN ATHLETE. IN THE FALL OF 1948, GENE CONTINUED HIS FOOTBALL CAREER AND PLAYED FOR COACH LOMBE HONAKER. HE WAS A 5’11, 165 LB. RESERVE QUARTERBACK AND BLOCKING BACK. GENE WOULD PLAY AND LETTER THE NEXT YEAR IN FOOTBALL, BUT WOULD GIVE IT UP TO CONCENTRATE ON BASKETBALL AND BASEBALL.
AFTER THE FOOTBALL SEASON, COACH LOMBE HONAKER WAS NOT GOING TO LET GENE PLAY BASKETBALL FOR THE EIGHT BALLS AGAIN. THE DECEMBER 6TH, 1947 ISSUE OF “THE HIGHLANDER ECHO”, DESCRIBES GENE REYNOLDS AS . . . . “ A DARK HORSE IN THE SCOTTIE FIVE WHO WILL LIKELY START AT THE FORWARD POSITION.” HE DID START AND HE NEVER SAW THE BENCH AGAIN. OFTEN TIMES OVER THE NEXT 3 SEASONS, HE WOULD BE ONE OF THE LEADING SCORERS IN THE GAME. HE SCORED 10 POINTS VS. EAST TENNESSEE STATE, HE HAD 16 AGAINST TUSCULUM, 19 AGAINST SWEETWATER, 17 POINTS VERSUS THE GULF REFINERS (A SEMI-PRO TEAM). FOR ITS DAY, THIS WAS A LOT OF POINTS.
THE TEAM’S TOTAL POINT PRODUCTION WOULD USUALLY NOT EXCEED 40 OR 50 POINTS.
GENE WAS A MARKSMAN, A PURE SHOOTER WITH DEAD EYE ACCURACY FROM LONG RANGE. AS SPRING APPROACHED, GENE WOULD PREPARE FOR HIS NEXT SPORT, BASEBALL. HE HAD ONE SEASON UNDER HIS BELT. KEN STINNETT, A GREAT CATCHER, HAD GRADUATED AND GENE WOULD MOVE BEHIND THE PLATE AND ASSUME THE ROLE AS STARTING CATCHER. AS IN BASKETBALL, GENE BEGAN THE SEASON AS A STARTER AND NEVER SAW THE BENCH AGAIN OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. GENE WAS ONE OF THE FOUR PLAYERS ON THE 1948 SQUAD THAT ACCORDING TO BROOKLYN DODGER SCOUT BO BROWN, HAD MAJOR LEAGUE TALENT. ALONG WITH HIS THREE TALENTED TEAMMATES- LEON BERRONG, BOB BORING, AND HUGH HAMIL, GENE HELPED LEAD HIS TEAM TO A 11-8-1 RECORD. THE GREATEST WIN WAS THE LAST GAME OF THE YEAR AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE. THE SCORE WAS TIED AT SEVEN IN THE LAST INNING. TEAMMATE HAMIL LED OFF WITH A SINGLE. GENE BELTED A SHOT THAT ROLLED TO COURT STREET SCORING HAMIL AND WINNING THE GAME 8-7. OVER THE NEXT TWO SEASONS IN BASEBALL, GENE WOULD CONTINUE TO PLAY WELL.
AN ARTICLE IN THE 1950 HIGHLANDER ECHO SUMMARIZES HIS VALUABLE PLAY, “GENE REYNOLDS KNOWN FOR HIS HITTING AND MITTWORK BATTED A .383 AVERAGE AND LED THE TEAM IN TRIPLES. REYNOLDS’ WORK BEHIND THE PLATE WAS TOPS FOR ANYBODY, ANYWHERE. THE 1949-50 TEAM FINISHED AT 13-4-1. UPON GRADUATION, GENE PLAYED FOR THE 1951 KINGSPORT CHEROKEES, A PROFESSIONAL TEAM IN THE APPLACHIAN LEAGUE. THE N.Y. GIANTS BOUGHT HIM FOR $500.00 OF WHICH GENE RECEIVED ONE/HALF AND SENT HIM TO PLAY WITH THE KNOXVILLE SMOKIES. AFTER 2 SEASONS OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL, GENE DECIDED TO GO TO WORK FOR NEW HOLLAND MACHINE CO. AFTER 12 YEARS, HE RETURNED TO ALCOA WITH HIS WIFE CHARLEEN AND HIS TWO CHILDREN KEN AND SANDY AND OPENED UP A REAL ESTATE OFFICE. IN 1998, HE RETIRED FROM THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS AFTER 32 YEARS. A THREE SPORT ATHLETE, 9 LETTERS, A MARYVILLE COLLEGE ATHLETE THAT WAS DRAFTED AND PLAYED PROFESSIONALLY, GENE REYNOLDS WILL BE REMEMBERED AS TRULY A GREAT ATHLETE WHO COULD PLAY ANYTHING. HE WAS A FIERCE COMPETITIOR WHO ALWAYS GAVE IT HIS ALL. GENE REYNOLDS WAS TRULY A FIGHTING SCOT. THANK YOU, GENE FOR YOUR NUMEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO MC ATHLETICS.
