As a coach, the Dover native established winning traditions at Wittenberg University and the University of Tennessee. He took over Wittenberg’s struggling program in 1956 and immediately turned the Springfield school into a small college powerhouse. In six seasons his teams had a 121-23 record. They won four straight Ohio Conference titles and the 1962 NCAA college division crown. He coached such Wittenberg stars as Bert Price, George Fisher, Al Thrasher and Terry Deems. In 15 years, his Tennessee teams had a 278-112 record, won three Southeastern Conference crowns and had a 15-15 mark against arch-rival Kentucky. His UT players included Ron Widby, Tom Boerwinkle, Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld. Mears died in June, 2007.

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