TCS Assistant Head of School Inducted into
Coweta County Sports Hall of Fame
By Samantha DePriest
Mr. Blake Bass at the 21st Coweta Sports Hall of Fame
Congratulations to our very own Mr. Bass on a lifetime of service to the community. We are so very grateful for him for all he does for Trinity Christian School and are blessed to celebrate his most recent achievement. The Coweta Sports Hall of Fame hosted its 21st Annual Banquet this past Saturday, April 13th at the Coweta County Fairgrounds and Conference Center. The 2024 Coweta Sports Hall of Fame Class included Blake Bass, Michael Cheever, Walter Drake and Lisa Skelton.
“The Coweta Sports Hall of Fame was born as an idea in the late 1990s by former Newnan Times Herald sports writer Johnny Brown. It came to fruition in 2001 and the inaugural class was inducted in February 2003. The mission for the Hall of Fame is to recognize amateur and professional, athletes, coaches, sports writers, referees, and other sports figures who have brought distinction and credit to themselves and Coweta county.”
Mr. Bass accepting his honor in front of a room of family, friends, past players and employees.
Upon receiving the honor, Coach Bass thanked his wife, Mrs. Lila Bass of 45 years, his Mom for his determination and drive and his Dad who was his first coach and taught him everything he knows about sports. Mr. Bass went on to share, “This award means so much to me because it’s very special. This is where it all began. If not for football and Max Bass, more than likely I would have had a different life. I wouldn’t have gone to Villa Rica and brought home my wife Lila. I wouldn’t have built relationships over the years that were helpful for me in my career as an administrator. I am grateful to everyone for their support.”
Coach Blake Bass sharing words of encouragement with his football team.
Mr. Bass doesn’t just talk the talk when it comes to serving his community, he walks the walk and has for more than 45 years. As taken from the Coweta County Sports Hall of Fame Induction program: Blake Bass is a native of Newnan, Georgia and in 1971 he graduated from Newnan High School where he played several sports however, football was always his favorite. As a result of the consolidation of schools in Coweta County, Blake was a member of the last class of the Newnan High Tigers and the first class of the Newnan Cougars.
His senior year Bass received several athletic awards including being named captain of the NHS football team. As early as high school Blake was a student of the game. This caught the eye of his high school coach, Max Bass. During his senior year Coach Bass had a discussion with Blake about his future. He encouraged him to go to college, get a degree and come back to Newnan to coach.
Coach Blake Bass (pictured right) during a Newnan High School football game.
Blake followed his advice, graduating from West Georgia College in 1976 and then connected with Coach Bass about a job. Max assured he would get him a job but wanted him to go somewhere else to coach for two years before returning home. The reasoning was to see how good we have it here in Newnan.
Two years later Blake returned to Newnan to teach and coach. Coach Bass was an instrumental factor in Blake’s career as a coach and administrator. In total, as a player and coach, Blake was with Max 16 years, longer than anyone else during the 29 years Max was the head coach at Newnan. Blake had opportunities to go to other schools to further his career in coaching but never had the desire to leave Newnan and Coweta County. During his coaching career, countless players left Newnan High to play at the collegiate and professional level. In 1979, Blake became defensive coordinator for the Cougars and held that position until he left coaching in 1990. In 1981, Newnan played for the Class AAAA State Championship at Drake Stadium.
Blake had a 35-year career in education. After teaching for 14 years, he begun his tenure as an administrator. He served as Assistant Principal at East Coweta High School from 1990-1994; Principal at Central Middle School from 1994-1997 and then as Director of Human Resources for the Coweta County School System. In 2004, Blake was named Superintendent of the School System. As a system administrator who also coached, Blake knew the importance athletics play in the development of student successes. From 1997 until he retired in 2011, he was a part of every decision affecting the athletic programs in Coweta County School System including coaching hired, Title IX issues, coaching pay schedules, and facility upgrades.
2024 Inductees (picture l to r) Blake Bass, Michael Cheever, Walter Drake, and Lisa Skelton.
A significant building program was also accomplished during his tenure as Superintendent, including the construction of ninth-grade campuses at the county’s three high schools. In addition, two new elementary schools, a new middle school, and establishment of a new system central office on Wert Industrial Boulevard were built.
Over the years Blake served his community through civic work. He is a longtime member of the First Baptist Church of Newnan. He was named the 2011 Citizen of the Year by the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce. For his support of the Arts in Coweta County, “The Patrons of the Nixon Centre for the Performing and Visual Arts” recognized Blake with its highest honor, The Richard Brooks Visionary Award of Distinction. In 2021, the Coweta County School System honored Bass by naming its seventh and newest middle school, “Blake Bass Middle School.”
Following his retirement, Mr. Bass worked as a program director for the University of West Georgia before joining us at Trinity Christian School as the Assistant Head of School in 2022. What a life well lived! We are honored to celebrate Mr. Bass and the work he has done and continues to do in education. May God continue to bless his efforts and desire to make a positive impact within our student body and school community.