Joseph Timothy Sarver

Class of 1967 / Inducted 1975 / Football

Joseph “Tim” Sarver was a four-year letterwinner and captain of the 1967 Emory & Henry football squad. In 1966, he was named Player of the Year by the Knoxville News Sentinel. The following year he was named All-Area Small College Back of the Year and was placed on the All-Area Small College team. He was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 in recognition of his accomplishments as a collegiate athlete.

In addition to football, Sarver was also a member of Phi Gamma Phi social fraternity.

Sarver earned a master’s degree in 1975 and taught history throughout his 44-year career in education. He also coached football and track each of those years. As a football coach he was an Assistant Coach at Lord Botetourt High School, Daleville, Virginia, Head Coach at Bath County High School, Hot Springs, Virginia, Assistant Coach at Stonewall Jackson High School and Head Coach at Osbourn City High School, both in Manassas, Virginia before moving to Harrisonburg to take the helm of the Harrisonburg High School football program in 1985.

His Harrisonburg High School football teams won numerous District and Regional Championships and played in three AA State Championship games winning the title in 2001. Sarver has been voted District and Regional Coach of the Year numerous times and in 2004 – 05 was selected as State Coach of the Year and in that year, HHS was state runners up. Tim received the honor of being voted VirginiaPreps Region III Coach of the Decade for 2000 – 2010. Sarver retired in 2010 after 26 years at Harrisonburg High School. Tim served various roles  with the Virginia High School League and was inducted into the Virginia High School Coaches Association (VHSCA) Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Harrisonburg High School Hall of Fame in 2012. According to the VHSCA, Sarver currently ranks #7 in lifetime football coaching victories as a Head Coach at 278. In December of 2021 he was awarded the Coaches USA All Star Legacy Award.