Black History Month - Sports

Each week during February 2021, the Surry County Historical Society Facebook page will have a “Then and Now” post that features Surry residents from the past and present who shared similar occupations or roles in life. There are many more examples that could be written about for all of these areas, but we have just chosen a few to feature! 

Week 4 - Sports

THEN! L. P. Jackson High School was built in Dendron in 1951 and a new elementary school opened in 1960, right next to the high school. The new high school had been built to replace Surry County Training School. The outdoor basketball court at LPJ High School was nothing but packed dirt until the early 1960s when asphalt was laid over it to provide a hard surface.  According to an article in The Daily Press, the 1969-70 basketball team, made up of William Warren, Mario Newby, Joe Ellis, and Benjamin Warren, and others, were an extraordinarily talented team, despite having to practice and play mostly outdoors, no matter what the weather.  The County had no recreational facilities, and the high school was one of the few in the state that had no playing fields.

Now! In September 1975, Surry County opened its new, modern, and integrated high school. The school had a modern gym for student physical education classes and basketball and volleyball games. In time, a football field was added, along with a Field House, and a baseball field. In addition, an asphalt track was put down for Track and Field events.

The sports teams of Surry County High School have won many district, region, and state titles, and many players and coaches received notoriety for their skills.  In March of 1997, the boy’s basketball team, with Coach Joe Ellis, was runner-up in the state championship, losing to Floyd County.  In 2005, the team went to state again, again with Coach Ellis who was very ill with cancer, and they won the Division I state championship. Fourteen years late, Coach James Pope Jr.’s team won the 2019 state basketball championship! The Surry County Girls Basketball teams have done well, also, winning the 2010 Div. 1 State Championship under Coach Toomer. They, too, were honored with a VA State House Bill by Rep. Bill Barlow for their successful season. The girls teams of 2018 and 2019, coached by Chris Brown, played in the State Div. 1 Championship game, each time against Parry McCluer, coming in 2nd place both times.

 Football championships for Surry Co. High include Coach Willie Gillus’ 1998 team and  Kermit Bugg’s 1999 team. The 1999 team was honored by the state General Assembly for winning two consecutive years and having a perfect season.  Football players, among many from Surry County High School who excelled, are Shernard Newby, who played for UVA, Reggie Diggs, who played football at the University of Richmond, and Edward Barham, who played at UNC. Both Diggs and Barham had tryouts for the (then) Washington Redskins. 

Sources:
Surry County by Deborah Harrison Dawson, 2012
Daily Press,  Surry County girls honor Joe Ellis’ memory by winning state basketball title by Marty O’Brien. March 13, 2010.
https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+ful+HJ709
https://roanoke.com/sports/high_schools/h-s-girls-basketball-parry-mccluer-makes-it-3-straight-by-topping-surry-county-in/article_328c9fe0-1a9e-5471-b8e6-fdfa8e4660ce.html