Longtime Athens High coach and charter member of the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, Charles McAfee passed away yesterday evening.
The legendary Coach McAfee was a friend and mentor to hundreds of young athletes and dozens of coaches around our area.
Please keep his family in your thoughts and prayers.
RIP Mac...
We've lost a friend..
-
Steely Dan
- SEOP
- Posts: 4279
- Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 1:58 pm
Re: We've lost a friend..
Sad news indeed. Coach McAfee was a legend in our area. As a player competing against his team you looked up and admired all those SEOAL championship banners and realized that he had created a dynasty at Athens. RIP Coach McAfee.
-
g w mclintock
- All State
- Posts: 1041
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 2:14 pm
Re: We've lost a friend..
Obituary from The Athens Messenger.
ATHENS — Charles D. McAfee Jr., fondly known as “Coach,†93, of Athens, died Tuesday evening, Dec. 13, 2011, at Hickory Creek Nursing Center, The Plains. Born March 10, 1918, in Coolville, he was the son of the late Charles D. and Nelle Hecox McAfee Sr.
The family moved to Sac City, Iowa, where he graduated from Sac City High School in 1936. He captained the football team and played on two championship teams in basketball during high school. He attended Iowa State Teachers College (University of Northern Iowa) for one year after which his family moved back to Athens County. He then graduated from Ohio University in 1941. He also received his master’s degree from Ohio University.
Coach McAfee was hired at Ames-Bern High School in the summer of 1941 as a science teacher and basketball coach. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943-44 at Ft. Lewis, Wash., during World War II. He taught science and was head basketball coach at Ames-Bern High School for 13 years and at Athens High School for 22 years. He also served as head golf coach, assistant football coach, and athletic director at Athens High School. He compiled an overall basketball win loss record of 571-196 (.744 percentage), including a mark of 255-68 at Ames-Bern and 316-128 at Athens. He coached two teams, one at Ames-Bern and one at Athens, to unbeaten regular seasons. During his tenure, Athens won or tied for the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League championships in eight straight years, and nine out of 10 seasons. He won the SEOAL basketball championship 16 times. He coached Ames-Bern to several district tournaments and Athens to a regional game in 1965 before losing to Columbus South (the state champion that year) 50-48.
Coach McAfee was inducted as one of the charter members in the Ohio Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987 and one of the charter members of the Athens Hall of Fame in 1989. He was also named to the Sac City, Iowa Hall of Fame and a life member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was runner up Class B Coach of the Year in 1954, eight-time SEOAL Coach of the Year, South East District Coach of the Year by The Associated Press and Class AAA Coach of the Year. In December 1987, the gymnasium at Athens High School was named in his honor and the basketball jersey No. 22 was retired for his 22 years of service at Athens. He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Charles is survived by his wife of 68 years, Jean Crawford McAfee, whom he married on Aug. 1, 1943; his son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Rosilea McAfee of Amesville; a granddaughter, Mariah (Matt) Goff of London, Ohio; a grandson, Charles D. (Molly) McAfee IV of Clintonville, Ohio; two great-grandchildren, Phoebe Goff and Charles D. McAfee V; brother-in-law George (Beth) Crawford of Lawrence, Kan.; sister-in-law Jessie Essex of Athens; two nieces, Carolyn Chase and Susan McDonald; and seven nephews, Mark Smith, Tim Smith, Robert (Jeanine) Smith, Rick (Laura) Essex, Ted Essex, David (Anne) Essex and George A. (Traci) Crawford.
Besides his parents he is preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Smith; and brothers-in-law Richard Smith and Richard Essex.
Funeral service will be conducted Saturday at 11 a.m. at Jagers & Sons Funeral Home, Athens, with the Rev. Wendy Lybarger officiating. Burial will be in West Union St. Cemetery. Friends may call Friday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holzer Hospice, 100 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, OH 45631. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register book at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.
ATHENS — Charles D. McAfee Jr., fondly known as “Coach,†93, of Athens, died Tuesday evening, Dec. 13, 2011, at Hickory Creek Nursing Center, The Plains. Born March 10, 1918, in Coolville, he was the son of the late Charles D. and Nelle Hecox McAfee Sr.
The family moved to Sac City, Iowa, where he graduated from Sac City High School in 1936. He captained the football team and played on two championship teams in basketball during high school. He attended Iowa State Teachers College (University of Northern Iowa) for one year after which his family moved back to Athens County. He then graduated from Ohio University in 1941. He also received his master’s degree from Ohio University.
Coach McAfee was hired at Ames-Bern High School in the summer of 1941 as a science teacher and basketball coach. He served in the U.S. Army from 1943-44 at Ft. Lewis, Wash., during World War II. He taught science and was head basketball coach at Ames-Bern High School for 13 years and at Athens High School for 22 years. He also served as head golf coach, assistant football coach, and athletic director at Athens High School. He compiled an overall basketball win loss record of 571-196 (.744 percentage), including a mark of 255-68 at Ames-Bern and 316-128 at Athens. He coached two teams, one at Ames-Bern and one at Athens, to unbeaten regular seasons. During his tenure, Athens won or tied for the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League championships in eight straight years, and nine out of 10 seasons. He won the SEOAL basketball championship 16 times. He coached Ames-Bern to several district tournaments and Athens to a regional game in 1965 before losing to Columbus South (the state champion that year) 50-48.
Coach McAfee was inducted as one of the charter members in the Ohio Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1987 and one of the charter members of the Athens Hall of Fame in 1989. He was also named to the Sac City, Iowa Hall of Fame and a life member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was runner up Class B Coach of the Year in 1954, eight-time SEOAL Coach of the Year, South East District Coach of the Year by The Associated Press and Class AAA Coach of the Year. In December 1987, the gymnasium at Athens High School was named in his honor and the basketball jersey No. 22 was retired for his 22 years of service at Athens. He was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Charles is survived by his wife of 68 years, Jean Crawford McAfee, whom he married on Aug. 1, 1943; his son and daughter-in-law, Doug and Rosilea McAfee of Amesville; a granddaughter, Mariah (Matt) Goff of London, Ohio; a grandson, Charles D. (Molly) McAfee IV of Clintonville, Ohio; two great-grandchildren, Phoebe Goff and Charles D. McAfee V; brother-in-law George (Beth) Crawford of Lawrence, Kan.; sister-in-law Jessie Essex of Athens; two nieces, Carolyn Chase and Susan McDonald; and seven nephews, Mark Smith, Tim Smith, Robert (Jeanine) Smith, Rick (Laura) Essex, Ted Essex, David (Anne) Essex and George A. (Traci) Crawford.
Besides his parents he is preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Smith; and brothers-in-law Richard Smith and Richard Essex.
Funeral service will be conducted Saturday at 11 a.m. at Jagers & Sons Funeral Home, Athens, with the Rev. Wendy Lybarger officiating. Burial will be in West Union St. Cemetery. Friends may call Friday 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Holzer Hospice, 100 Jackson Pike, Gallipolis, OH 45631. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register book at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.
-
g w mclintock
- All State
- Posts: 1041
- Joined: Fri May 05, 2006 2:14 pm