Bill Text: SC S0892 | 2015-2016 | 121st General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Coach John McKissick
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2015-06-23 - Introduced and adopted [S0892 Detail]
Download: South_Carolina-2015-S0892-Introduced.html
A SENATE RESOLUTION
TO CONGRATULATE AND HONOR COACH JOHN MCKISSICK OF SUMMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, THE WINNINGEST COACH AT ANY LEVEL OF ORGANIZED FOOTBALL, FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CAREER AS BOTH COACH AND EDUCATOR, TO RECOGNIZE HIM ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, AND TO WISH HIM WELL IN ALL HIS FUTURE ENDEAVORS.
Whereas, it is with great pleasure that the South Carolina Senate honors those individuals who give tirelessly of themselves to educate the young people of this great State. Prominent in the roll call of such benefactors to our youth, Coach John McKissick of Summerville High School for sixty-three years has sought to instill in his student athletes the skills and character traits necessary for success in the classroom, on the gridiron, and in the workplace; and
Whereas, when John McKissick first took over as head football coach at Summerville High, no one could have predicted it would be the beginning of one of the most historic coaching runs in sports history. The winningest coach at any level of organized football, Coach McKissick has compiled an enviable record of 620 wins; and
Whereas, born in September 1926, this Greenwood native graduated from Kingstree High School and attended Brevard College. After a stint in the U.S. Army, he returned to school at Presbyterian College, where he graduated in 1951 with a degree in economics. A year later, he arrived at Summerville High to lead the Green Wave, and success was something he and his team found early and often; and
Whereas, three years after his arrival, Coach McKissick won his first state championship and followed that up with another the next season. It would be the start of a run that saw John McKissick win at least one state title in each of his first five decades, for a total of ten. Region titles became almost commonplace at Summerville; and
Whereas, in the 1990s, the career milestones started to come. In 1993, John McKissick won his 406th career game, making him the all-time winningest head coach at any level of organized football and bringing both coach and school national recognition. His next career-defining win came in 2003 when he became the first coach to win 500 games. Nine years later, his 600th win came against one of his former assistants when the Green Wave beat Kenny Walker and Ashley Ridge; and
Whereas, the recognitions this humble man has been awarded over six decades are impressive. Three times he has been named National High School Coach of the Year. He's also a member of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the South Carolina Hall of Fame, and the National High School Hall of Fame; and
Whereas, along the way, John McKissick has coached thousands of students in Summerville; some of whom have gone on to fame in the NFL, like Stanford Jennings or A.J. Green, but maybe the most important number for him is the three grandsons he's gotten to coach with the Green Wave: Richard Call, Joe Call, and Donny McElveen; and
Whereas, Coach McKissick has always found strength for his labors in the strong support of his wife of sixty-three years, Joan McKissick, who has built a 4,000-page scrapbook record of her husband's illustrious career; and
Whereas, it is the end of an unprecedented era but not the end of John McKissick's legacy. The Senate, grateful for that legacy of consistent commitment and excellence Coach McKissick has bestowed on the people of South Carolina, takes great pleasure in saluting this living legend as he enters retirement and trusts he will find much enjoyment in the more leisurely pace of the days ahead. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the Senate:
That the members of the South Carolina Senate, by this resolution, congratulate and honor Coach John McKissick of Summerville High School, the winningest coach at any level of organized football, for his outstanding career as both coach and educator, recognize him on the occasion of his retirement, and wish him well in all his future endeavors.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be provided to Coach John McKissick.
