Coach Greg Vincent is home!

Legendary LMS, CCHS Track & Field coach returns to LaFollette after six months of recovery 

By Clayton Carroll 

LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF) – Coach Greg Vincent made his return home after a six-month stint of being hospitalized due to a tragic tree stand accident in January. His homecoming on Wednesday was the exact sixth-month anniversary of the horrific fall. 

WLAF’s Charlie Hutson shares his photo gallery HERE.

The LaFollette Police Department met the Vincent family at Weir Woods and escorted him all the way to his home church, First Baptist LaFollette.

Several friends, family members, and former runners lined the streets of West Central Avenue to welcome Coach Vincent home

“We still have a lot of healing to do, but we feel as if home is the best place to do it,” said Jennifer Vincent, the daughter of Coach, who joined the WLAF broadcast on Wednesday. 

“He is excelling in spirit,” said Vincent. “He is so positive and ready to do more than he should be ready to do,” Vincent added lightheartedly.

Coach Vincent’s thirty-foot fall was nearly fatal, but fortunately, many people rushed to Coach’s assistance. “We had a lot of friends and family members that showed up who were first responders…they made some quick decisions that saved my dad’s life,” said Jennifer. “They strapped dad to the back of a side-by-side and rushed him off of the mountain and got him to a Lifestar, and he was at the hospital before my mom could get there.” 

The Vincent Family has made clear that they are extremely grateful for the support from folks in LaFollette and Campbell County as a whole. Even though LaFollette may be a small town compared to some, it is a community with a big heart for helping people. “It (the community support) was not surprising to me but delightful,” said Jennifer Vincent. 

Vincent donned her thickest rain jacket to be on the WLAF Radio broadcast covering her father’s homecoming

One of the main ways the community has supported Coach Vincent was by building a ramp to make it easier to get in and out of the Vincent home. Mobility is one of the main focuses of recovery for Coach. To help assist in this recovery aspect, men from First Baptist LaFollette and Fincastle Church worked laboriously at the Vincent home for multiple days.  HERE is the story and photos of the ramp build from WLAF’s Charlotte Underwood and Charlie Hutson.

Coach Vincent also spoke with WLAF on Wednesday. “I grew up here, I love it here, and I am really grateful to have a community support me like this.” As for the ramp and the recovery process, “I’m sure I may not know the full ramifications of the ramp yet, as I am still learning how to maneuver…but I’m sure I will learn to. That ramp is a great act of love.”

The newly constructed ramp leading up to the front porch of Vincent’s home

While the track to recovery is a long one, Greg Vincent’s homecoming was a good head start to completing the recovery race.  (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED 7-23-2026-6AM-PHOTOS COURTESY OF WLAF’S CHARLIE HUTSON)