Leaving a legacy: McLendon retires after 43 years of coaching, teaching
Blue Ridge High track-and-field and football coach James McLendon is retiring after 43 years of service.
After 43 years of coaching and teaching, Blue Ridge track-and-field and football coach James McLendon is saying goodbye after a storied career.
McLendon has taught and coached at several different schools over the years, including Walterboro (now Colleton County) High School and Wando High School.
McLendon has been with the Tigers for the final six years of his career, serving as track-and-field coach and defensive coordinator for Blue Ridge’s football team. McLendon also teaches science at BRHS.
McLendon says he’ll miss the Blue Ridge community more than anything else.
“This place is like a huge family. Everyone is close-knit,” he said. “At graduation, they always have folks who graduated from Blue Ridge stand up in the audience, and most of the audience stands up. Everybody stays here, and I understand why. We’re in a great part of the state, right here in the mountains. There’s no need to leave.”
McLendon said his wife, Gemma, has kept him going through the inevitable ups and downs of such a long career.
“She’s my number one fan and my number one critic,” McLendon said. “She’s been with me through everything, and when she’s thought I could have done something better or done something different, she’s never been shy about letting me know about it. Plus, the wife of a coach takes a lot in the stands. She’s heard a lot said about me that I know she probably doesn’t like, but she’s had to bite her lip. . . I don’t take her for granted at all.”
McLendon credits his wife, Gemma, for her support.
Forty-three years is a long time, something McLendon wasn’t afraid to admit. Yet despite having been in the business of coaching and teaching so long, students and players under McLendon never forget him. Many keep in touch for years, even decades, down the line.
“I’ve built a lot of relationships over the years, and the most rewarding thing for me is seeing them last,” McLendon said. “These kids I’ve taught or coached become adults, and they start having families of their own, but they still stay in touch. That’s something I cherish.”
“He’s just so authentic,” said BRHS principal Ashley Wardlaw of McLendon. “He’s not only a great teacher and coach, but he’s a great man. He’s a good human being. He works so hard at everything he does. If I asked him to use a toothbrush and clean the walls, he would do it to the best of his ability. He’s just great all the way around. I’m going to miss him, these students are going to miss him, but we’re excited for him to be able to retire and his new adventure.”
What will McLendon’s “new adventure” consist of? He’s not entirely sure, but one thing he does know is that he’ll be spending a lot more time with three things he loves most: his wife, his grandkids, and the great outdoors.
“I want to go hiking. There are a lot of trails here in Blue Ridge, and I’m close enough to the Smoky Mountains that I can go hike those. I also own a Harley-Davidson [motorcycle] too, so I want to ride a bunch with some other folks, and I’ll get to spend time with Gemma and my five grandkids, which I’ve been wanting to do more of for a long time.”
McLendon said he hopes he’s remembered as “a coach who cared” and that his legacy is one of kindness and intention.
“The kids, you can’t fool them. You either care about them or you don’t. They’ll be able to tell,” McLendon said. “I hope the hours I put in, the time I sacrificed away from family to try and improve the school community showed them that. Fortunately, everywhere we’ve been — and I say ‘we’ because it’s a family journey — folks know that I’m going to look after them and I’m going to coach them well. That’s always been the goal, to coach and teach these kids as well as they can possibly be coached and taught.”