Born December 17, 1957, Jimmy Streater became a sports icon representing his hometown of Sylva, North Carolina. Upon entering Sylva-Webster High School in 1972, Streator was a prominent athlete playing football, basketball, track, and baseball. His athleticism gained him a large community backing nicknaming him “The Sylva Streak,” exaggerating that the grass did not move beneath his quick feet. Throughout his high school career he earned multiple awards such as the Athlete of the Year by the Asheville Citizen-Times and Football All-American by Parade Magazine.
After graduating he was recruited and played football for the University of Tennessee from 1976-1979, where he continued to excel breaking the rushing record for a Tennessee quarterback. He then went on to briefly play professional football as a free agent in the Canadian Football League before his retirement in 1981.
Streator sadly passed away in 2004 at the young age of forty-six but his memory lives on through his many achievements in sports and the inspiration he brought to his small town.
