Hall of Fame, three-time state champion coach Charles R. Gregory dies at 77

Lots of memories of Coach Gregory. He coached Antonio(Tony) Goss an outstanding runningback/LB and the Naron brothers, both huge lineman. Goss and Greg Naron both went on to play in the NFL and I believe both played for North Carolina while in college.

The Hackett brothers(Joey and Dino) almost played for Coach Gregory. The way the boundaries were drawn up back then, the Hacketts could have been at Randleman, Southeast Guilford or at Southern Guilford. They ended up at Southern.

I remember the night back when I was in the 10th grade and we went down to Randleman and we had a back named Herbert Pressley, who rushed for 360 yards on 10 carries, and scored 7 TD’s on Randleman. I was up front doing some of the blocking for Pressley that night and you don’t see that very often. He had 36 yards per carry and seven touchdowns.

It seems like as soon as our old team got out of there Coach Gregory had his Tigers got rolling….

Here’s the word on Coach Charlie Gregory from the Asheboro Courier-Tribune. He was a great coach and a legend in the Randleman community.

ASHEBORO — An icon in Randolph County and North Carolina high school sports is gone.

Legendary Randleman High School football coach and North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) Hall of Fame member Charles Ray Gregory died Saturday. He was 77.

Born in High Point, Gregory came to Randleman and set up shop where he impacted young boys and girls throughout his career of over 30 years as a teacher, coach, athletic director, role model, driving force and friend.

“Everyone loved him.” said Gregory’s wife of 52 years, Anne, Saturday by phone from the home.

She said that when he began his coaching career, he and fellow coach and then-athletic director Joe Brookshire were the only ones there. What Gregory left is priceless.

“He has molded so many young men and women, too. We’ve been on the phone all day … everybody you talked to (about him), grown men with tears in their eyes,” said current Randleman varsity football coach and athletic director Shane Handy, who played for Gregory in his freshman year.

“It’s such a loss. He’s such an icon and a legend.”

“He’s probably the most influential person in my life as far as picking a profession. He’s like a second dad to me,” said current Asheboro High School football coach and athletic director Dee Bulla, who stepped into Gregory’s shoes at Randleman and took the reigns of the Tigers’ program for 16 years after Gregory stepped down in 1983.

“I’ve learned, not just football, but how to handle people, coach people. He made me understand that every player, every person, is important.”

Handy added that one sure way to motivate Gregory was to tell him that he or someone else could not do something. He would set about making sure it got done.

to see much more on Coach Gregory go to www.courier-tribune.com(Click on Sports left hand column.)