Tullahoma High School athlete’s legacy lives on 8 years after his death

TULLAHOMA, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Tullahoma High School athlete passed away eight years ago, but his legacy lives on under the Friday night lights.

Eli Grow passed away in a car crash in 2016, but a foundation in his name has kept his story alive. You can see it everywhere: on the field, in a gelato shop, and in the community.

“He was always just trying to do his best,” Eli’s mom, Cassy Grow, said.

During his senior year at Tullahoma High School, Eli was accepted into Mississippi College to play football.

“Eli was usually up by that goal post doing what he could become a better player,” Head Coach at Tullahoma High School, Coy Sisk, said. “Not just a quarterback — that’s what he wanted to do — but he wanted to become a better player.”

He was just three weeks away from graduating high school when Eli fell asleep while driving and crashed head-on into another vehicle. Eli passed away that night, but his legacy lives on.

“Eli was a very outgoing young man,” Eli’s dad, Tony Grow, said. “He would always smile for everything.”

In 2018, Eli’s mom opened Legacy Creamery , a gelato shop that raises money for the Eli Grow Legacy Foundation. The profits go towards the foundation, which funds a $2,000 scholarship, fundraising events, and, eventually, the building of a local training site.

Eight years after Eli’s passing, the number eight jersey has been passed on to eight different teammates. This year, seni or Bronson Bunch, earned the scholarship and jersey. Bunch plays as a wide receiver and safety for the team.

“Eli’s legacy will move from every player that wears that jersey, to me, to whoever wears it next,” Bunch said.

Coach Sisk said that players who wear the number 8 have a high standard to reach.

“It’s not how good you are,” Sisk added. “Are you making the people around you better? Are you doing the extra things to help you accomplish the goals that you want to accomplish?”

Eli’s dream of having a training facility for all Tullahoma High School athletes is still in the works.

“To me, it’s like a story that God allowed me to hear,” Cassy explained. “He was like, ‘Hey Mom, one day when I am older and I make a lot of money, I want to come back and build a facility for Tullahoma High School just like the one I have been training in.'”

The current building layout is anticipated to cost $1.2 million. The latest plans showed that the building would sit on the current practice field.

“They said nobody has done this before,” Tony said. “This is the first time it’s ever been done, so there are a lot of problems we’ve had to deal with.”

As the Grows continue carrying on Eli’s legacy, they added that if you take anything from this story, it’s to never take anything for granted.

“You don’t know if you have tomorrow,” Tony said.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.