Coach Oakley joined the Lovett staff in 1963 as chair of the Physical Education Department. He was unusually quiet and reserved for a coach, due in part to the horrors he witnessed while serving in the Marine Corps during some of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War. His dedication to Lovett was never in question: he served the school for 33 years.

Coach Bill Conley arrived at virtually the same time, and the two paired up to lead Lovett's fledgling football program to its first championship. In 1964, with Coach Conley as head coach and Coach Oakley as offensive coordinator, the Lions went 11-3 and won the North Georgia Championship in their classification. That title season was also the Lions' first in their own stadium, built on the new campus's western border along the Chattahoochee River. Six years later, the pair brought the school its first football state championship, capping a perfect 14-0 season in 1970.

As his career progressed, Coach Oakley expanded his role at Lovett. He added the men's golf program to his coaching responsibilities and brought home six more state championship trophies.

Still, most students of the 1960s and 1970s will remember Coach Oakley for his patience (and bravery!) in leading the school's new Driver's Education program. In addition to teaching the rules of the road in the classroom, Coach Oakley took on the challenge of riding shotgun with 16-year-olds on the streets of metro Atlanta for the behind-the-wheel portion of the course. Fortunately, the cars were equipped with dual brakes, and the program remained accident-free throughout his tenure.

Lovett was fortunate to have dedicated coaches like Bill Conley and Charles Oakley to build its athletic and physical education programs from the ground up. In 2001, the school honored the pair for more than 30 years of service by naming the field at Kilpatrick Stadium Conley-Oakley Field.

By: Lloyd Brown ’75