Jeter G. Barker, Jr.

Jeter G. Barker, a charter member of the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame was a versatile and outstanding athlete. He played football and basketball, but it was his excellence in track & field that earned him Hall of Fame induction.

Barker earned 12 total letters from 1935-39 in football, basketball, and track & field. During his senior year, Barker captained the track team.

After graduating, Barker served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. When he returned home, he continued his education at George Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee where he received a master’s degree in 1950.

Barker’s love for sports continued after college through teaching and coaching. He taught and coached at several high schools in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, as well as Tennessee Military Institute and Washington and Lee University.

Barker later moved to Florida, where he continued his involvement in high school athletics. He served as athletic director and head football coach at Lake Worth High School from 1954-65. He served as chairman of athletic directors for the Suncoast Conference for the 1955-56 term. As athletic director, Barker founded the Lake Worth athletic boosters program, known as the Trojan 20, which is believed to be the oldest high school athletic booster group in South Florida.

During his tenure as head football coach at Lake Worth High School, Barker’s 53-35-2 record made him one of the most successful coaches in Palm Beach County. He was awarded Coach of the Year in football for the Suncoast Conference in 1962 and was appointed All-Stars coach for the state of Florida in 1963.

Jeter G. Barker passed away on December 23, 1990 at the age of 74.