Photo - Cadiz - Trigg County, Kentucky Bicentennial Facebook page
The man who led Trigg County to back-to-back Class A state football championships passed away over the weekend. Family members confirmed Monday morning that Joe Kelly Jaggers died late Sunday.
Joe Jaggers coached Trigg County football from 1971-76, amassing a record of 46 wins and 25 losses. His .648 winning percentage remains the second-highest in TCHS history.
Jaggers skippered the Wildcats to a 13-1 record in 1971 and the school’s first state football championship with a win over Class 1A power Lynch in the title game. The Wildcats followed that up in 1972 with another 13-1 record and a dominating win over Pikeville in the state championship game.
The 1972 Wildcats averaged a school-record 34.2 points a game – a mark that stood for 28 years. The defense also allowed just 6.6 points a game, bettered only by the Wildcat teams of 1940 and 1984.
After leaving Trigg County in 1976, Jaggers went on to win state football titles at Fort Knox and retired as the state’s all time winningest coach at the time with 292 victories.
Jaggers was inducted into the Trigg County Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.
His son Marty spoke at that induction ceremony:
6 Responses
Rest In Peace Coach you are the greatest for many of us.
We celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1st State Championship this past fall. Although Coach Joe Jaggers was unable to attend, it gave several of his players the opportunity to reconnect. Personally, I was able to visit Coach at his home, and spent over 2 hours just reminiscing and catching up.
That is time that will always be precious to me.
Coach Jaggers positively influenced young men for many years and I’m sure the folks he coached at other schools can attest to that as well, and I certainly count myself amongst them.
I was blessed to have been able to play for him and call him “friend” as well.
My prayers are with his bride, and his children and grands…that was the main focus of our conversation when I was able to visit.
Though we didn’t talk often, I will miss him.
I love you man! Lessons learned from you and Johnny and Coach Perry are with me still.
May you Rest In Peace Coach. I’ll see ya again.
❤️❤️❤️ He was the best for me too. I miss his strength, care and guidance.
I know you do Ellisha
High School Football lost a good man!! You will be missed Coach!
Yes we lost a great man he will be missed rest in peace to Mr Jaggers he always will you remember always and forever for all time so I do ask for the jaggers family the rest of the jaggers family so may God watch over the jaggers RIP my God bless his wife and family friends community all-in-one amen