CELEBRATING THE END OF AN ERA:
A SALUTE TO COACH DENNIS CLINE
Coach Dennis Cline has been coaching both men’s and women’s basketball for 36 years at the middle school, high school and college level. Amassing more than 500 career wins, Coach Cline has been a staple in Claiborne County sports community for almost four decades.
Coach Cline started his early coaching career at Powell Valley Elementary School and coached there from 1986-1991. At PVES, Coach Cline led the boy’s basketball team to the first ever County Championship in school history.
When he arrived at Powell Valley High School winning followed him. From 1990-2003, he led the PVHS boys basketball team to two District Championships, two Regional Championships, one sub-state win and an appearance in the 1995 State Semifinal game. In addition, Coach Cline was also named District Coach of the Year.
Following his time at PVHS, he joined the men’s basketball staff at LMU from 2003-2013, where he contributed to the programs first ever regular season championship in the NCAA DII era in 2011, a feat they repeated in 2013.
In 2013, Coach Cline decided to return to the high school ranks and took over the Cumberland Gap girls program and coached the Lady Panthers from 2013-2022, where he was named District Coach of the Year in 2017.
In addition to coaching, Dennis has also taught math in Claiborne Co. for the last 36 years. He has been at Cumberland Gap High School since it opened in 2003, and has also taught at Powell Valley High School as well as Powell Valley Elementary before that. Coach Cline graduated from Powell Valley HS, and went on to earn his bachelor degree in biology and Master’s degrees in administration from LMU. In his spare time, Coach Cline enjoys golfing and spending time with his family; parents Bill and Mandy, brother Delynn, wife Jean, children Caitlyn, Caleigh, Levi and Jedidiah, and grandkids Taylor, Teagan, Hunter, Sterling and Jake. When asked what he enjoyed most about working at Cumberland Gap High School, he remarked, “Without a doubt it’s the people.”
Principal David Hamilton added, “I want to thank Coach Dennis Cline for his years of coaching at Cumberland Gap High School, he is an outstanding coach and a very well respected person here in our school. Coach Cline has positively impacted many student athletes at our school and in our county over his career in coaching. He has been a tremendous asset to our school and our community and we are very fortunate to continue to have him in the classroom here at CGHS.”
Thank you to Coach Dennis Cline for your commitment to Cumberland Gap High School and to basketball in Claiborne County for the last 36 years. Everyone associated with Cumberland Gap High School is appreciative for all that you have given to the student athletes you have coached!
GO PANTHERS!
*Coach Cline will continue to serve as a math teacher at CGHS.
Respectfully,
Jeff Sziksai
Athletic Director
Cumberland Gap High School
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