Tag Archives: Athletic Coaches

Teachers who are also athletes and/or coaches.

West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett: Former teacher and basketball coach

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West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett is a former middle school teacher and previous Olympic athlete who works as a girls basketball coach.

There are many fine educators who have a history as a remarkable student athlete, and often these educators demonstrate exceptional talent as athletic coaches. One of these is West Virginia’s Vicky Bullett, a former Olympic athlete who also worked as a teacher and girls basketball coach.

Vicky was born October 4, 1967, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. While she was a young girl, she played basketball with her six brothers in their back yard.

After she graduated from high school, Vicky garnered a scholarship to attend the University of Maryland from 1985 to 1989. There she also played on the women’s basketball team. While at Maryland, she was named a 1989 Kodak All-American. In fact, over the course of her college years she averaged 16.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Vicky is one of the most decorated players in the university’s history. In 1989, Vicky earned her a Bachelor’s degree in General Studies and in 2001, she returned to school and earned an additional degree in Social Work.

Vicky was named to the US Olympic basketball teams in both 1988 and 1992. In 1988, the tewam earned a gold medal, and in 1992, the team earned a bronze medal. This exceptional athlete also played for the US team in the 1990 Goodwill Games, and she was a member of the US National team that went to the 1990 World Championships held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She played in Italy and Brazil, before joining the Charlotte Sting when the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) was launched in 1997. She played three seasons there and three more with the Washington Mystics.

In 2007, Vicky returned to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where she accepted a position as a teacher for the Berkeley County Board of Education. She completed graduate courses in Education and then became a teacher and basketball coach at South Middle School in Martinsburg. “For young people, today’s world is difficult,” observes Vicky. “You’ve got to be careful what you say to some kids. They respond to certain things and the coach’s job is to know how,” she continues. “Each kid has a different personality and different strengths. You’ve got to find a way to get the best out of them. They’re learning to trust you and you want your student-athletes to buy into your philosophy and what you’re teaching them,” she concludes.

In January, 2009, Vicky left the classroom and accepted a job as an Assistant Coach with the Washington Mystics. Later that year, she also became the Manager of Basketball Operations for the organization. In the years that followed she also served as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball teach at Hagerstown Community College in Hagerstown, Maryland. In May, 2016, she was named as the Head Coach for the women’s basketball team at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Vicky was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee, in 2011. In honor of being a member of the 1988 Gold Medal Team, Vicky’s home town of Martinsburg renamed the street in which she grew up to “Vicky Bullett Street.”

To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this interview entitled World Champions of the Panhandle by Katherine Cobb.

 

Covid claims life of Alabama teacher, coach Leo Davidovich, Jr.

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Special Education teacher and coach Leo Davidovich, Jr., of Odenville, Alabama, succumbed to Covid on Sept. 23, 2o2o. Photo credit: CBS 42.

With sadness, we regret to report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator and coach. Leo Davidovich, Jr., a middle school teacher in Odenville, Alabama, sucumbed to the disease on Sept. 23, 2020. He was only 47 years old.

Leo taught special education in a small group setting at Odenville Middle School in the St. Clair County School District. He had a reputation for reaching his students with engaging lessons that emphasized the development of functional life skills. He worked tirelessly to make his lessons applicable to his students, and he strongly believed students should be able to use the skills from his classroom later in life. “Leo was beloved by all his students at OMS,” recalled his wife, Cindy, “because his students knew how much he cared for them and loved them.”

In addition to his classroom responsibilities, Leo served as the Assistant Softball Coach for nearby Drew Middle School. He also coached travel softball and basketball. He was the Founder and Head Coach of the Thunderstruck Softball Team.

Leo was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 28, 1972. He graduated from Mifflinburg Area High School in 1991. Later he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Lycoming College. Lycoming is a nationally-ranked private college located in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. During his undergraduate college years, Leo was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) Fraternity. Leo earned his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.

Leo and his wife also owned a family farm in Lincoln, Alabama. Many of his days off from teaching and coaching were spent working on his farm.

To read more about Leo, click on the story about him at this link to CBS 42.

Coronavirus claims life of Florida teacher and coach Robert Shackelford

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Florida history teacher and former football coach Robert Shackelford succumbs to the coronavirus.

Sadly, the coronavirus has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Robert Shackelford, a Florida teacher and former football coach, passed away from the disease on July 22, 2020. He was 61 years old.

In a career that spanned 30 years, Robert taught social studies at Sarasota High School in Sarasota, Florida. Robert had planned to teach only one more year before retiring.

In addition to teaching, Robert earned some fame as a pro football player. He played football in the NFL as a free agent for the Packers in 1981, the Atlanta Falcons in 1982, and the Birmingham Stallions in 1983. He coached football with the US Army at Ft. Benning, Union College in Kentucky, and University of Central Flolrida. In 1994, he coached with the Tampa Bay Storm. Once he went to work at the high school level, Robert coached high school football in Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte Counties.

But it was his career as a classroom educator that really filled his life. “Teaching was not a profession for dad, it was not a job, it was a calling,” remembers Robert’s daughter, Kari Shackelford. “It was something he had a true gift for,” she said. Robert’s colleague Stella Karas agreed. “He really loved what he did,” she declared. “He had among the highest scores for US History, and just was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to all things history and government,” she commented. Karas said Robert had a way of capturing the attention of his students. He made a subject not many students were interested in fascinating. “He really made history come alive for his kids,” she said.

Robert Shackelford will be be missed by many. To read more about this amazing educator, see the story about him published online by WTSP-TV 10.

Mississippi teacher and coach Nacoma James succumbs to Covid-19

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Sadly, Covid-19 is believed to have claimed the life of educator Nacoma James, a teacher and coach from Oxford, Mississippi. He passed away on Aug. 6, 2020.

Sadly, we announce that Covid-19 is believed to have claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Nacoma James, a teacher and coach at Lafayette County Schools in Lafayette, Mississippi, passed away on August 6, 2020. He was only 42 years old. He succumbed during the first week of the new school year, while self-quarantining for symptoms that are associated with Covid-19.

Nacoma was born on October 13, 1977, in Webster County, Mississippi. As a teen, he attended Eupora High School in Webster County School District, where he graduated in 1996. After his high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Mississippi. He earned His Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics in 2000.

After graduating college, Nacoma accepted a position at Humphrey’s County High School. There he taught math and was an Assistant Football Coach from 2000 to 2003.

Since 2004, James worked as a middle school teacher and coach for Lafayette County School District in Oxford, Mississippi. Over the span of his 16-year career at Lafayette, Nacoma served as an Assistant Football Coach. He also served as the Boys’ Head Basketball Coach from 2012 to 2015. He was also named recently as an Assistant Coach for the Girls’ Powerlifting team.

“He was a great mentor for these young men around here and always had a smile on his face,” declares colleague and Head Football Coach Michael Fair. “We won a state championship together in 2016, and he had so much pride for Lafayette and loves this place so much,” Fair continued. “Just to see that look on his face of accomplishment, I probably won’t forget that, Fair concluded.

To learn more about this beloved educator, see this link to Mississippi Today.

Beloved Detroit educator and coach Dwight Jones succumbs to Covid-19

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Beloved educator and coach Dwight Jones (front row, left) with the Mumford High School girls basketball team and their 2017 championship trophy. Dwight passed away from Covid-19 on March 29, 2020. Photo credit: Mumford High School

Sadly, Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Dwight Jones, a retired basketball coach from Mumford High School in Detroit, Michigan. He was 73 years old when he succumbed to the disease on March 29, 2020.

Dwight first made a name for himself as a teenager in the early 1960s. He was one of the very few African Americans enrolled at Holy Redeemer High School, a private Catholic high school located in southwest Detroit. At 6’5″ and 230 pounds, he was unparalleled at rebounding. In fact, he earned the nickname “Hawk” throughout the Catholic League. In those days, he was involved in football, baseball, and track and field in addition to basketball. At the same time, he earned top grades.

The well-rounded student earned a full-ride scholarship to Tennessee State in Nashville. There he played on the basketball team. He pledged to the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

Dwight returned to Detroit, and in 1970 he accepted a position at Mumford High School. There he taught physical education and coached both girls and boys basketball. He also coached track and field, cross country, and tennis, and he served as the school’s Athletic Director. His career there spanned nearly five decades.

In addition to helping his young players develop their athletic talents, Dwight also worked hard to get them into college, whether it was a Division I or II school, or a historically Black college. “When he took over as Athletic Director, he was all about grades,” remembered Mumford colleague and former student Kevin Jackson. “Words can’t express what he meant to us.”

To read more about this legendary local hero, read this online story published by Detroit News.