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The funeral service for SWD high School football coach Michael Tanks will be held Aug. 13, 11 a.m., St. Philip AME Church, 240 Candler Road, Atlanta.
Mr. Tanks passed away Aug. 3, 10 days following a massive stroke. He was 48. Students, supporters and members of his family held a prayer vigil on Sunday, Aug. 7, at SWD High School. The vigil was attended by hundreds.
Southwest DeKalb High School is mourning the loss of its head football coach, Michael Tanks.
Tanks died at Grady Memorial Hospital on Aug. 3 after suffering a massive stroke on July 25 at his home. He passed one day before he would have turned 49.
A candlelight vigil is set for Sunday, Aug. 7, 7 p.m., at SWD High Auditorium, according to a post on Tanks’ FB account.
“We are praying for his family. It’s a traumatic situation for everyone,” said Dr. Melvin Johnson, who chairs DeKalb County Schools’ Board of Education.
Tanks is a Southwest DeKalb alumnus who played for the school’s legendary Buck Godfrey in 1983-84 as a linebacker and went on to become an All-America center at Florida State University in 1989.
Tanks took the reigns from Godfrey as Southwest’s head coach in 2013. Tanks’ son, Michael II, is a senior defensive back and punter for Southwest DeKalb. The Panthers were 4-6 in 2015.
The high school football season kicks off in DeKalb County on Aug. 19. The Southwest DeKalb High Panthers will play the Redan High Raiders on Aug. 20, 7:30 p.m. at Godfrey Stadium.