Remembering the Legends: Charles K. “Cobby” Ensor

Published 10:51 am Friday, August 12, 2022

Unaka High Football

Charles K. Ensor, “Cobby” as everyone knew him, was a 1954 Unaka High graduate where he played four years of football and was the Team Captain in 53-54. After high school, he joined the Air force and played football for 15 years in the military on base teams.  He was instrumental in pushing for the implementation of Title 9 for girls’ sports at UHS and helped start the first girls’ basketball team since the 1950s. With hard work and determination, Ensor along with Ronnie Hicks and Patricia Ensor helped build the current softball field at Unaka High School. He also assisted girls’ softball at that time.

Ensor went to Johnson County where he coached Jr. High boys’ basketball and was an assistant coach in varsity football for three years. He went to Powell Valley as the head football coach and assistant in varsity boys’ basketball for 3 years and then went to Maynardville, as head football coach for eight years.  He was an assistant coach along with Robin Forbes under head coach Roger Childers at Unaka in 1976.  Ensor was famous for his drop kick football and could punt a ball more than 60-yards. Upon retirement, he assisted UHS, Michael Ensor as the offensive coordinator for several years.  In 1994 he was named Regional Football Coach of the year by the Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association.  He was also a TSSAA football referee for many years.

Ensor always had a good joke or a funny story to tell you every time he met you.  He along with his brother Henry Wayne inducted Coach Lynn Goddard into the Carter County Sports Hall of Fame in  2012.  Goddard was their former coach and a longtime fishing buddy.  Charles “Cobby” Ensor passed away on October 8, 2020.