After retiring in 2022, one of the Texas Panhandle’s most successful coaches in recent memory was recognized for his remarkable career over the summer.
It wasn’t just Tankersley’s many state titles across multiple sports that made the Amarillo native’s journey so impressive, though. At three-years-old, Tankersley was diagnosed as deaf, a discovery that would have forced many to shy away from sports for the rest of their lives.
Not Tankersley, though. Instead, the future coach went on to play football and baseball at Caprock High School, serving as a two-year starter for the Longhorns.
Following his graduation from CHS, the former linebacker began what would become a historic coaching career in his hometown. This marked the start of a journey that would land Tankersley in the Texas Panhandle Hall of Fame as a member of the organization’s 67th annual class of inductees.
The beginning of a legendary career
Tankersley’s journey to becoming a coach wasn’t always easy.
While in middle school, a teacher at Austin Junior High (now known as Stephen F. Austin Middle School) was skeptical of Tankersley’s career choice when he noted in a class assignment that he wanted to be an athletic coach.
Tankersley also met some opposition while searching for coaching opportunities, but with “extra convincing” and “faith from administrators”, the newly inducted Hall-of-Famer was hired at West Texas Christian. During Tankersley’s time at the school, WTC merged with San Jacinto Christian, which became the school’s moniker.
“ (People) think that deaf people can’t do anything,” Tankersley said. “It’s always no. I was taught to overcome the no’s and overcome obstacles. I had to be tenacious. ‘You just have to pull through. You can do it.’ That’s my inner challenge. That’s just what my parents taught me. If you want to do something, you have to go and do it.”
From 1989-1997, the former Patriots’ coach was at the helm of SJCA’s basketball and baseball teams. Tankersley led San Jacinto Christian to state titles in boys and girls basketball, as well as baseball.
After proving that his hearing disability wouldn’t prevent the CHS product from being a winning coach, Tankersley was hired by his alma mater, where he found even more success in a completely new sport.
Leaving his mark
When Tankersley returned to Caprock, this time as a coach, he was tasked with something he hadn’t tried in years.
Tankserley’s move from San Jacinto Christian to CHS saw the former basketball and baseball coach take over the Lady Longhorns’ wrestling program. Tankersley had wrestled briefly in the Maverick Boys & Girls Club of Amarillo prior to high school, but had little experience around the sport since until arriving at Caprock.
The former Longhorns’ athlete turned coach found success despite being new to wrestling, leading his team to seven state championships from 1998-2009, including six consecutive UIL titles. Under Tankersley’s tutelage, CHS won three dual state championships, held a 144-2 dual record and saw 21 athletes win individual UIL titles.
“I used my example. What I’ve done, what I’ve overcome,” Tankserley said. “The motivation. The intensity. Teach them, and they see, ‘He can do that.’ That carries over to them, that as an athlete, they can do it too. It influences them. It’s really contagious.”
Following his remarkable stint at Caprock, Tankersley moved to Bushland in 2009, where he spent the remainder of his career. With the Falcons, the veteran head coach helped with six different sports, including softball and wrestling.
BHS’ wrestling teams won five district championships with Tankersley at the helm, while the Lady Falcons’ softball team went 62-15 in the Hall-of-Famer’s final two seasons of coaching.
After a successful coaching career that featured plenty of wins on the field of play and served as an inspiration to many, Tankersley was inducted into the Texas Panhandle Hall of Fame on June 7 as the organization’s No. 208 inductee.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Former AISD athlete, longtime coach inducted into Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame
Reporting by Randall Sweet, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
