John Lowery is a high school coaching legend in the state of West Virginia. Named the Greatest High School Coach in state history, regardless of sport, by MaxPreps.com in 2020, Lowery has been the head baseball coach at Jefferson High School since starting the program in 1973 following two seasons at now-closed Harpers Ferry High School.
In 51 seasons, Lowery’s teams have combined for a 1,392-361-2 (.793) record, winning at least 20 games for 45 straight seasons. He is the winningest high school coach in state history and the winningest active high school in the country, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). He is just four wins shy of becoming the winningest high school baseball coach of all time.
He has won a state-best 12 state championships, finishing runner-up four times and, after 50 years of coaching, his teams continue to find success. His 2021 and 2022 Cougar teams advanced to the state semifinals. In total, his Cougars have made 26 state tournament appearances, winning 33 sectional and 26 regional titles along the way.
Named the 2002 ABCA/Diamond Sports National High School Coach of the Year, Lowery has received nearly two dozen Coach of the Year honors throughout his career. In 2015, the West Virginia Sportswriters Association renamed their Player of the Year award the “Lowery Award”.
Lowery also coached the Winchester Royals of the NCAA-approved Valley Baseball League, serving as an assistant coach from 1979-83 and again in 2009, helping guide the Royals to five league championships. In 2010, Lowery took over as manager of the Royals, leading them to back-to-back playoff appearances and one Northern Division pennant during his two seasons at the helm.
A Lifetime ABCA Member, Lowery is a founding member of the West Virginia Baseball Coaches Association (WVBCA) and was elected as the association’s first President in 1992. He has also served on numerous committees and held office in multiple local and national coaches associations.
As a coach, Lowery has been inducted into the National High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the National High School Sports Hall of Fame and is a member of the inaugural class of the WVBCA Hall of Fame.
Lowery’s collegiate career included stints at both Potomac State College (W.Va.) and the U.S. Naval Academy (Md.) before graduating from Fairmont State University (W.Va.) in 1969. In 2001, Lowery was inducted into the Potomac State College Athletic Hall of Fame as a player.
