Legends of Appalachia: The Ace Miller Story

Legends of Appalachia: The Ace Miller Story, is a Miller-family authorized feature documentary film about East Tennessee boxing legend Jerry “Ace” Miller, who coached Big John Tate to the world heavyweight championship title in 1979 in apartheid South Africa following Muhammad Ali’s retirement. The film will also broaden the lens to explore Miller’s 40 years of work in developing Golden Gloves in Knoxville and his legacy to the Knoxville community.

The film is told from the perspective of Miller’s granddaughter, BreAnna Miller Farley, a waitress at Litton’s restaurant in Knoxville with two children. Farley will interview surviving members of Tate’s Hillbillies, and other notable trainers, coaches, supporters, and friends of the Miller family.

  • Blake McKinney
    Director
    The Search
  • Doug McDaniel
    Director
    The Lovelies of John Allen Maxwell
  • Doug McDaniel
    Writer
    The Lovelies of John Allen Maxwell
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Knoxville Film Festival
    Knoxville, TN
    September 19, 2015
  • Cincinnati Film Festival
    Cincinnati, OH
    September 18, 2015
Director Biography - Blake McKinney, Doug McDaniel

McKinney is a 2014 graduate of Carson Newman University with a major in film studies. After a documentary film shoot in Cape Town, South Africa this summer, he interned at Bechtel Corporation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee with co-director Douglas Stuart McDaniel. He is now an associate editor for Red Arrow Industries, where he edits cable television programs for HGTV, DIY, and the Travel Channel.

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