Joe Chorba

From 1941 to 1943, he played guard at the University of Alabama including Cotton and Orange Bowl games.

Army Captain Joe Chorba suffered a German bullet hole in his chest and later was thrown from a Jeep resulting in a broken neck. He went back to Alabama on the G.I. Bill, because his war injuries had ended his football-playing career.

Coach Chorba and his assistant Percy Lee were hired at Marshall County High School. From 1948 to 1960, they compiled a record of 100 wins, 23 losses and six ties. In 1955, Guntersville went undefeated with a perfect 10-0 record. Many of the newspapers in the state, including the Birmingham Post-Herald, declared Guntersville the state champions.

Don Cox, a highly regarded sports writer said, “Joe Chorba coached the best high school team I ever saw. The ‘55 team, as far as I’m concerned, is rated as one of the finest of all times statewide.”

Joe Chorba, while coaching, never had a losing season. He coached 19 Southeastern Conference signees, plus many others outside the SEC, and two NFL players, one of whom played Canadian and Continental.

All Guntersville home games are today played at Chorba-Lee Stadium.