ETSU mourned the death of former head football coach Jack Carlisle, who passed away July 28 at 91 years old. Carlisle coached for over 60 years with a career spanning various high schools and colleges across the South. His memory lives on today through his family and the numerous players he coached over the years.
Mark Hutsell, a former quarterback under Carlisle, reminisced about the coach and his time at ETSU. “When he (Carlisle) came in, he was going to find out who was going to stick around, who really wanted to play football.”
Carlisle coached the Bucs football team from 1978 to 1982. In the 1979 season, after nine years without a winning season, the Bucs secured a record of 7-4. That year, they beat national champion Eastern Kentucky University and Southern Conference champion University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Carlisle also brought the Buccaneers to the Southern Conference where they went on to place third in 1981.
Hutsell fondly recalled Carlisle’s first winter at ETSU in 1978, when he put the Bucs through a rigorous workout plan that proved to be an extremely challenging but rewarding experience.
“I had a good career on the field, but I’m most proud off the field getting through the winter of 1978,” Hutsell commented.
Coach Carlisle was often described as “tough as nails” with his demanding coaching style, but he was also a good father and friend off of the field.
“He was so nice and so sweet and so caring,” Hutsell said, remembering how surprised he had been at Carlisle’s personality outside of coaching. “He loved to hear how some of the other players were doing… he only wanted the best for us.”
Carlisle was a football player himself before losing his leg in a motorcycle accident as a teenager. According to Hutsell, Carlisle decided that if he could not play football, he would coach it. He was well-known in Mississippi, where he graduated Mississippi State University and proceeded to coach several high schools and later colleges in the state, according to the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Mississippi College concluded his coaching career in 2003. Carlisle also claimed eight Hall of Fame memberships.
Carlisle kept in touch with several former players over the years, including Mark Hutsell and had a lasting impact on their lives.
“I’m 63 years old, so we’ve all been through a lot of heartaches and headaches, but we can always draw back on that time because he challenged us mentally, physically, and spiritually, and that’s the biggest thing I gained from him,” said Hutsell, adding that many of Carlisle’s former players thought the same way.
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