Nomination year:  2021

Nominated by:  Rob Edwards

Nomination Category:  Athletes and Coaches

Sport:  Basketball

Years Participated:  1987-Present

Career Summary:

Sharon (Walker) Kimes has spent over 30 years as a dedicated coach and educator in the Clay County School system.  She has performed many different roles over those years, but she is mostly known as a PE teacher and the head coach of many different basketball teams throughout the county. 

After graduating from Smith County High School, where she played basketball, Kimes received her degree from Tennessee Tech then, in 1987, began a teaching and coaching career in Clay County, which is still active today. 

During a five year stint (1987-1991) of leading the pee wee and junior high girls at Hermitage Springs, Kimes found major success, most notably by winning the Cumberland Rim Conference in 1990.  Two years later in 1992, Kimes made the move to Celina K-8 , where she initially had a year off from coaching before returning to action, where she would build a dominant resume.

While coaching both elementary girls teams, and even the junior high boys one season, Kimes captured Cumberland Rim Conference titles in 1997, ‘98, ‘99, ‘01, ‘02, and ‘03, before adding state invitational championships in 2007 and 2021.

Kimes enjoyed a dominant stretch of three  years without losing a home game during the 1997-1999 seasons.  She also led the Lady Dawgs at Clay County High School for two seasons (2009-2010), where her teams had a 39-20 record.    

Perhaps the most impressive and overlooked part of Kimes’ legacy is the sound basketball foundation she laid for a host of players and squads which went on to find tremendous individual and team success at the high school level.  She helped mold future Clay County Sports Hall of Fame members Holly (Wright) Robbins, Deanna (Donaldson) Pouliot, and Britany (Walker) Huckeby, along with coaching the 2012 Girls Class A State Championship team during their time in junior high. 

Nominator comment:

“Sharon Kimes has been a staple of basketball in Clay County during the entirety of my career and is deserving of consideration for induction into the Clay County Sports Hall of Fame.

“She is passionate about the game, and has done a tremendous job of having success with her teams and preparing them for the next step of their careers and lives.”