Lynn E Sexton

Lynn Early Sexton of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on January 18, 2025 at the Lyons View Health and Rehabilitation Center. He was recovering from a fall and contracted Covid. He was 91 years-old.

Lynn was born to Benton and Lucille Sexton on August 30, 1933 in the Quaker town of Friendsville, Tennessee. He grew up with an older brother, Ray, and younger sisters, Bette and Benda.

From an early age Lynn loved sports, making his own basketball hoop out of a wicker basket, and a golf course out of tin cans. At Friendsville Academy, where his mother taught, he played basketball and baseball, lettering in both, and was named All-Blount County in basketball.

He attended Maryville College in 1952 on a partial sports scholarship and played baseball, basketball, and football (for two seasons), earning seven letters. He was a captain on the basketball and baseball teams. He also met his future bride at Maryville, Patricia Halstead, who hailed from New Jersey.

Lynn and Pat both graduated from Maryville and a few years later were married in 1957. They were together for 67 years and had four children, 12 grandkids, and 15 great grandchildren.

After two years in the Army and time in education roles at Maryville College and in Georgia, Lynn landed at Knoxville’s Farragut High School where he coached and taught for 30 years, from 1961 to 1991. He was head basketball coach the entire time, he also coached baseball for seven years. The year before he started at Farragut the basketball team had not won a single game. In 1961 Lynn’s first team went 1-26. “A 100 percent improvement over the previous year,” he said.

Through hard work and perseverance Lynn gradually built Farragut basketball into a powerhouse. The high water mark came from 1976-77 to 1982-83 when the teams earned 205 wins against only 30 losses. The 1982-83 team won 36 straight games before falling to Nashville East by two points in the state tournament. In that era he also completed a Masters degree from the University of Tennessee.

His basketball record at Farragut was 544 wins and 353 loses. During that time Coach Sexton’s teams won 12 District Regular Season Championships, 3 Regional Tournament Championships, with 6 substate appearances and 3 state tournament appearances.

Lynn was district coach of the year seven times. He was inducted into five sports halls of fame, including the Greater Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Coaches Hall of Fame. In 2002, Farragut High School renamed its gymnasium after Coach Lynn Sexton.

Despite all the accolades he always wanted others to get the credit. He once told a reporter, “In all honesty, my players won all those games,” he said, “not me.” Later when Lynn retired, he said, “I have to be thankful for good assistants, good kids, great players, and a wife who has been an absolute princess.”

Lynn was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Sexton and his sister, Benada Sexton. He is survived by his son, Jim (Gretchen) Sexton of Birmingham, Ala.; daughters, Beth (Mark) Williamson of Knoxville, Judy (Kevin) Lett of Powell, Tenn. and Jill (Bob) Racine of upstate New York. He was the proud grandfather of Mackenzie and Maggie Sexton, Ben, Tyler, and Carolyn Williamson, Will and Jenna Lett, Shua, Netzer, Zahar, Seveyah, and Daraq Racine. He was a great-grandfather to fifteen youngsters.

A memorial service to celebrate Lynn’s life will be held on February 1, 2025, noon ET, at Erin Presbyterian Church, 200 Lockett Rd., Knoxville, Tenn. 37919, with the Rev. Anne McKee officiating. A reception and receiving of friends will follow at the church. The committal will take place at Berry Highland Memorial Cemetery at 3:00pm.

The memorial service will be live streamed at ErinPresbyterian.org.

Flowers can be sent to Erin Presbyterian Church. Donations in his name may be made to Erin Presbyterian Church or the Alzheimer’s Association.