Lanny Trammell, only Fort Worth Southwest coach to win 2 bi-district titles, dies at 67
Playoff wins in football are hard to come by for schools in Fort Worth ISD, but Lanny Trammell won two playoff games during his time with Fort Worth Southwest.
Trammell, who spent more than 40 years in education and coaching, died Monday morning. He was 67.
Dean Pritchett, assistant director of athletics for FWISD, addressed his passing during a meeting on Tuesday.
“Working with him on a professional level and talking to him, he was just a good person that loved kids so much,” Pritchett said. “It was just a blessing for Fort Worth to have coach Trammell be apart of Fort Worth ISD athletics.”
Trammell, who taught English, began coaching with Midlothian. He started at the junior high before going to the high school, where he coached football, track and golf. He would stay at Midlothian High from 1978-1996.
He then got to FWISD, where he would serve for 20 years. He was the only coach at Southwest to lead the Raiders to two bi-district championships.
Trammell guided the Raiders to a 26-9 record from 2010-12.
In 2010, Southwest finished third in district and beat Springtown, 38-37, in the bi-district round. The Raiders went 9-2 in 2011 and captured an undefeated district championship.
Southwest finished 9-3 in 2012 and second in district, only losing to Aledo, 24-8. However, the Raiders picked up their second playoff win in three seasons, 7-0 against Everman.
Trammell’s final season came in 2015. He retired from the district, but it wasn’t long until he returned to coaching in Fort Worth. He spent two seasons coaching defense at Country Day.
In his first season of 2016, the Falcons won the Southwest Preparatory Conference state championship.
Trammell is survived by wife Christine, three children, two step-children and eight grandchildren.
Said Christine, “He was an excellent English teacher and had a passion for talking about the Kennedy assassination and his favorite book Lonesome Dove. Some of his favorite times teaching were in the ACT classes. It combined both his love for literature and history. One of our favorite songs was ‘Love in the Library’ by Jimmy Buffet. Lanny always said his love of books is what led him to the library and that’s where he found me. He fed, taught and took care of many students well beyond the field and classroom. He coached with dignity and integrity and that was his greatest asset.”
This story was originally published February 18, 2020 at 11:57 AM.
