Lenette Ellis Calvin

Tom and Lenette were married for 70 years when he passed away in January of 2020. They were a powerhouse couple through their careers as teachers and coaches.

Visitation for Mrs. Calvin will be on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at McConnell Funeral Home in Athens. The funeral service will follow at McConnell Memorial Chapel. She will be buried next to Tom in Roselawn Cemetery in Athens.

Mrs. Calvin is survived by loyal friends, Michelle Dent and Chatan Robinson, who were with her to the end. She’s also survived by a nephew and two nieces.

Lenette Ellis was born in Madera, California, on August 4, 1928. Her family moved to Birmingham, Alabama, when she was in the seventh grade. She excelled as a student and cheerleader at Woodlawn High School.

Away from school, Lenette was a champion diver who earned an invitation to the Olympic Trials in 1948. Unfortunately, an injury cost her an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Trials and possibly the Olympics in London.

She continued her cheerleading career at the University of Alabama. That’s where she met Tom, who was a star running back for the Crimson Tide. They were married on December 17, 1949. The notoriety of the wedding earned the couple a photo on the front page of the next day’s Birmingham News sports section.

After Tom played four seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the couple moved to Sylacauga in 1956 where he was the head football coach and she coached the cheerleaders.

It was through coaching cheerleaders that Mrs. Calvin learned about gymnastics in Europe. She studied the sport and soon had a team at Sylacauga. Mainly through her efforts, gymnastics was recognized as a sport in 1969 by the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

In 1978, the Calvins moved to Decatur when he became the head football coach at Austin. She was the gymnastics coach at both Austin and Decatur High. The teams practiced together at Austin. She also started a gymnastics training center at Calhoun Community College.

After retiring in 1989, Mrs. Calvin continued her training center and traveled around the country and the world supporting gymnastics. Her training center continued to operate until it closed due to Covid in 2020. It was the end of a teaching and coaching career that lasted over six decades and shaped the lives of thousands, including All-Americans and national champions.

Lenette and Tom Calvin were both members of the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame. In 2018, Mrs. Calvin received the high honor of receiving an official State Proclamation at the opening of the Alabama State Games to honor her career.

Mrs. Calvin believed that if God was not the center of all things, then life will never be successful.

In lieu of flowers, Mrs. Calvin has requested donations to either Hospice of the Valley, 240 Johnston Street SE, Decatur, AL 35601 or Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, 1 Billy Graham Parkway, Charlotte, NC 28201-0001 or Big Oak Ranch, 6000 Shelley Drive, Springville, AL 35146 or Samaritan’s Purse, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.