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AFM Magazine

AFM Magazine


510 And Counting

A look at John McKissick, high school\'s all time winningest coach
by: David Purdum
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For the Record
John McKissick’s Record as head coach at Summerville High School: 1952-2003

* indicates won state championship

1952 - 8-1-2
1953 - 10-0-1
1954 - 11-1-0
1955 - 12-0-0*
1956 - 11-0-1*
1957 - 1-8-1
1958 - 6-3-2
1959 - 8-2-0
1960 - 8-1-1
1961 - 8-3-0
1962 - 9-1-2
1963 - 9-1
1964 - 11-1-0
1965 - 6-3-2
1966 - 7-4-0
1967 - 7-3
1968 - 9-2
1969 - 12-1*
1970 - 9-2
1971 - 9-2
1972 - 10-2
1973 - 11-1
1974 - 8-2-1
1975 - 10-3
1976 - 13-1
1977 - 11-2
1978 - 14-0*
1979 - 14-0*
1980 - 13-1
1981 - 9-4
1982 - 13-1*
1984 - 14-0*
1985 - 9-4
1986 - 13-1*
1987 - 12-1
1988 - 8-4
1989 - 8-4
1990 - 7-6
1991 - 8-5
1992 - 11-2
1993 - 12-2
1994 - 6-6
1995 - 6-6
1996 - 7-6
1997 - 12-2
1998 - 15-0*
1999 - 11-2
2000 - 11-2
2001 - 5-7
2002 - 11-3
2003 - 13-1
Total: 510-119-13

Seven ball in the side; eight ball in the corner; nine in the side. Split-T Option; play pass; touchdown. John McKissick is as comfortable on the sidelines of the stadium named after him as he is looking over a long cut shot in a game of 9-Ball.

Actually, he’s not as sharp as he used to be around the pool table.

“ I wear bifocals now, and I can’t see that little spot on the ball,” says the 77-year-old former hustler turned finance collector turned the winningest football coach in America, high school, college or professional.

“I used to be able to play pool; cut class and try and get a little spending money for the week. My grandkids can all beat me now.”

One of those grandchildren, Joe Call, suited up for McKissick at Summerville (S.C.) High School. But that’s not much of a shock, considering Grandpa has been there for 52 years, winning a national record 510 games along the way. He’s won 10 state championships, one in four different decades, and has suffered only two losing seasons in his tenure, which, by the way, spans 11 different presidents. Not bad, for somebody who started out coaching six-man football.

“I accepted the job (at Clarkton, N.C. High School) over the phone, didn’t even know it was six-man; can’t run the Split T in six-man,” he said.

One seven-win season later, McKissick was off to Summerville, where he took over as head football coach at one of the smallest high school’s in South Carolina. He has said the reason he got the Summerville job was because he was the only candidate that didn’t ask how much the job paid. In his first year at Summerville, along with football, McKissick coached boys and girls basketball, baseball and track. He taught two South Carolina history classes and three U.S. history classes. And he mowed the football field, shined his players’ cleats, washed their uniforms and taped their ankles - all for $3,000 a year.

“My first year (1952) I had probably 30 tryout, but they dropped off quickly,” he said. “I ended up dressing out 24.

“I have never had to cut anybody. If you did what we wanted you to do, you could stay out there.”

What he wants is a player who is dedicated and willing to make sacrifices for the good of the team. Each player is required to sign an Application for Athletic Team Membership, in which they agree to abide by all the rules set forth by the school district, Summerville High School and the football coach.

Players are required to keep their appearance clean and their hair above their collar; they’re not allowed to have any evening dates prior to practices or games; They are to be home before 10 p.m. on school days and in bed early; never miss a practice, unless sick; do not be tardy; keep in good shape; no drinking, smoking or illegal drugs; be courteous to officials; never fake an injury.

Obviously, Green Wave players have no problem abiding by the rules. Summerville now has one of the largest enrollments in the state.

“We’ve had a hundred on the squad before; they weren’t all good football players, but they were good guys and good citizens,” McKissick said.

These good citizens aren’t bad on the field either. McKissick has had seven undefeated seasons and has more than 100 wins than his closest active rival, J.T. Curtis of John Curtis Christian High School in River Ridge, La.

But despite all his success, he remains humble. Last year, on September 12, Summerville beat Wando 34-17, giving their leader his 500th victory. The town was in a frenzy; The Governor of South Carolina Mark Sanford was on hand to meet with the team. Media from ESPN, ABC network television, along with many other national representatives, surrounded McKissick at a post-game press conference.

“There were a lot of people here; we even had somebody from Jefferson City, Missouri.

“I was a little nervous about it, but when you look back at it, you can appreciate it. You see that it’s not really for me – it’s for the kids.”

Talk of retirement always is swirling around the veteran coach, yet never seems to phase him. He loves what he does, and he does it for the kids.

“I never really thought about it, how this would have been a good year to go. I’ll wait until after spring practice and see how things look,” he chuckled.

What does one do after retiring from the job they’ve held for more than half a century?

“When I was a young guy, I wanted to go to a World Series, a Kentucky Derby and a boxing championship, but I haven’t ever gone to any of them. I’ll have to put that on my list.”

So how do you keep a job that you love for 52 years? Here’s some tips from a guy that knows how.

1. The right people
It is important to surround yourself with people that will stand behind you. One of McKissick’s assistants, Pinky Guerard, has been with him for 32 seasons.

“The first thing you have to have is the administration’s backing,” McKissick said. “You want people that are hard working and reliable on your staff; then make sure all your coaches are on the same page.”

Another of those good people is McKissick’s wife of 51 years, Joan. She has missed less than a handful of her husband’s games. She also is keeper of the stats, creating scrapbooks from every season.

2. Flexibility
If you’re going to last anywhere for a considerable amount of time, especially at the high school level, where you’re not hand picking the talent, you must be able to adapt to your personnel. Your brilliant offensive passing scheme is not going to work – even if it did last year – if you don’t have the quarterback and receiver talent to orchestrate it.

“You have to be able to adjust to your personnel. We ran the Split-T my first year, because we had that kind of personnel: a quarterback that could run and a bunch of big strong linemen. It’s like Coach Bryant said, ‘you either lay back or you attack the fort. Those people are going to attack you.’

“But when I got a quarterback that could throw it around and some receivers that could catch, we added in some, I call them, weaponry plays, and some play-action passing.

“The kids are a lot stronger now and more skilled than they were when I first started. But back in the early days, they had a lot more endurance, because most of them were from rural areas and were used to hard work. They could play both offense and defense the entire game. You’d have a hard time doing that now.

“You didn’t have as many injuries back then either. Some people say it was because we didn’t hit as hard, but I’m not sure about that. I think we hit just as hard.”

3. Run the ball
“People will tell you that you’ve got to loosen up the defense with the pass. Well, if they know you’re not going to complete the pass, it’s not going to loosen up the defense.

“I don’t think you’re going to win a championship without a running game, even in the pros. If you have a solid running game, and then you throw some play-action passes off that, I think that’s the key to football.

“When I first started I’d only pass when I had to; now I could come out and throw it on first down.”

4. Keep it simple
While McKissick is continually studying the game, reading books and tweaking his offensive schemes, he insists football is a simple game.

“I stress football is really just running, blocking and tackling.”

5. Special teams
At Summerville practices, the first thing that’s done is special teams work. The entire team is involved in the daily sessions.

“We spend as much time on special teams as we do on offense or defense. We do it as a team throughout practice.”

6. Team unity
Keeping your team on the same page is key. The ability to teach chemistry is an under appreciated coaching talent. “You absolutely have to make sure that your offense and defense are on the same page. The offense can’t be criticizing the defense, and the defense can’t be whining about the offense.”

He clearly seems to be doing the right thing-at least 510 times... and counting.






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